We were lucky to catch up with Alexis Airington recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alexis, appreciate you joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Aside from baking, I am also an actress. If you ever take an improv class you will learn the number one rule is to always say “Yes.” You never want to shut down a scene or opportunity by saying “no.” That being said, I always grew up with a love of baking that came from my mom, but I had never tried the royal icing decorated sugar cookies because they looked so intimidating. So when my son’s room mom asked if I could make them for an event at the school, I decided to just say “yes,” and try it out! I watched a few Youtube and Instragram videos, then just tried it. I’m so glad I did, because I discovered a new skill, artform, and world of food artists and bakers that exists that I had never known about before. So when I was choosing my company name, I knew that I wanted it to be one that could be a bit of a conversation piece, and also encourage others to say “Yes!” more than we say “no” and just try new things. You never know what may happen and what you can do until you try, and just like in Improv acting- you just gotta go for it!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My love of baking started young, making all sorts of baked goods with my mom. I quickly learned you can win friends and influence people through cookies and treats! Desserts also bring people together, and are a staple at any big life celebration. So I grew up with a love of baking and giving it away. When my son started school, I knew my baked goods were a way I could contribute, so I volunteered to do the class desserts. However, I had never attempted royal icing sugar cookies because they just looked so intimidating and intricate. When I was asked to make or buy these types of cookies for a homecoming event, I decided that I might as well try it out first, and if I failed I could always go to a bakery. Thankfully, you can really learn anything online and through social media these days. It sounds cheesy, but from my very first attempt, I was hooked! I started bringing them to the school for different events, and very quickly people started asking if they could buy them. I had prayed just one week prior to making my first batch for a job that would give me flexibility to be with my two kids, and also continue to audition as an actor. So I had no doubt this talent I had just discovered was the answer to that prayer. This was in 2018 and the business honestly took off and hasn’t slowed down since. It has given me such confidence moving forward with this business that it has been a gift from the Lord, and one that I feel will continue to provide more opportunities in the years to come.

I provide custom cookies for any and all events and celebrations. I also make cookie cakes, different flavored cookies, and host cookie parties. What sets me apart from others is my creative thinking, humor, details and ability to design outside of the box. I love to make my cookies a conversation and entertainment piece at people’s events. I put a lot of details in my decorated cookies and have joked several times that my motto is ” I don’t do boring cookies.” I also bring that motto into my cookie parties. I don’t call them “classes” because that can be intimidating and implies you will only learn how to decorate cookies. My cookie parties are for anyone! You don’t need experience, and you will be amazed at what you can decorate and have fun while doing it. I am definitely an extrovert who loves hosting and throwing parties. I create a fun and engaging environment with the parties, so they are more of an experience than just a typical class. My parties have been anywhere from holidays, team building, birthdays, girls night out, bachelorette parties, date night, mother/daughter night, to just a group of friends wanting something fun to do and a reason to get together. I love making people happy, and it brings me so much joy when my customers love their cookies and when I get to hear “That was one of the most fun parties I’ve ever been to!”

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

Marketing wise, I knew when I was starting out I simply had to get my product (my cookies) in the hands and mouths of people. So I made a lot of cookies for a lot of events that I knew would stragetically place my cookies in the hands of potential customers or people who could propell my business forward. I’ve learned that no one turns down cookies. One of my favorite stories demonstrating this, is when I had the opportunity to attend an auction and gala where comedian Nate Bargatze was the key entertainment of the evening. My husband and I had previously listened and watched his comedy on Netflix, and we were huge fans. As a actress and host, I had volunteered to host a livestream that evening of the auction items for those watching from home before the event started. I knew I would have the chance to drop off some cookies for Nate in the greenroom ahead of time. I had so much fun turning Nate’s jokes into cookies, and left them on a table in his room before he arrived. Although I never got to meet him that evening, he later posted my cookies on his social media pages and even talked about them on his podcast. It was not only fun for me to know he enjoyed them, but it brought me a lot of free marketing and new followers to my page.

Another great experience happened when my son was turning 8. For his birthday, he wanted to go out to the Dude Perfect headquarters, which are local here in DFW. I knew it was a long shot to even potentially talk to anyone there, but I also didn’t want to show up empty handed. My son thought it would be really fun to give them cookies, so I took my favorite moments from their videos at the time and turned them into cookies. So on his birthday, I messaged several of the guys in the group letting them know ” We are on our way to your office with cookies!” assuming they would never see that message and we would end up leaving them outside sitting on the ground, hoping they would be found before an animal got into them. One of the guys actually messaged me back before we arrived, and met us there at the door to wish my son a happy birthday and take the cookies to everyone else. They were beyond gracious and kind, and the next day reposted pictures and a video of my cookies on their Instagram page that has over 11 million followers.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think having a quality product and happy customers is the best way I have built my reputation in the market. Most of my customers are referrals from other customers. When you have a business that relies on word of mouth, a good reputation is everything. I think it also goes a long way to simply be kind and courteous to people. Customers will not only remember the product but will also remember how they were treated throughout the process.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: ImprovCookieCompany
• Facebook: Improv Cookie Company
• Other: I’m also on TikTok at ImprovCookieCompany

Image Credits
Hannah Middleton, for the picture of me holding the cookie