Exploring Life & Business with Kirsten Cooper of The French Cookie of Cookeville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirsten Cooper. 

Hi Kirsten, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have always loved to create/ bake in the kitchen. After graduating from Tennessee Tech University, I was a drafter at an Architecture Firm. I worked there for 2 years and as a creative outlet on the weekends/ after work, I started baking macarons. I wasn’t great at it in the beginning but in November of 2019 I have surgery so my husband and I could conceive, and while recovering, I became obsessed with mastering them! I watched many YouTube videos and kept practicing and started my business in December of 2019. We then got pregnant in January and my business started booming. When my daughter was born, I started baking macarons full time. The business has continued to grow, so we bought a new house to convert a part of the house into a licensed commercial kitchen. Now we sell wholesale to coffee shops, have curbside pick-up, and do events in our Mac Mobile. The Mac Mobile is a 1964 vintage camper we have turned into a mobile pop-up. I love every aspect of the job. From the art of baking and coming up with flavors to meeting all my customers! It’s a dream job no doubt. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth ride. There are so many pieces to the puzzle. Figuring out how to form a business, trial and error with making the actual product, hiring employees, building a licensed commercial kitchen, working events, advertising, and social media. It’s definitely been a huge learning curve and it’s tough! No one tells you how hard it really is to become an entrepreneur. It’s the best thing ever but at the end of the day, if you want something to happen, it all comes down to the work you put in. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The French Cookie of Cookeville?
I own a French Macaron company in Middle Tennessee. We specialize in unique, fresh, and local macarons. We sell wholesale, sell online, and do many events. We have a 1964 Vintage camper that we set up at events and sell out of called the Mac Mobile. I love to create these beautiful little cookies but I also love getting to meet my customers, forming friendships, and loving on people. 

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My advice is to find people who do the same thing as you or similar. As a solo entrepreneur, it can be hard to feel like you are doing this entrepreneur life alone, but if you have friends, even just on social media, who are doing the same thing as you, you can talk about all things business that is relevant to your craft. 

Pricing:

• $2.00 per macaron

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.frenchcookieckvl.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frenchcookie_ckvl/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/frenchcookieckvl/

Image Credits:
@samanthaallen