We recently connected with Ashlee Patterson and have shared our conversation below.

Ashlee, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

In March of 2020 right before spring break I was ready for a week off from teaching and taking my oldest son to muttin bust in the Houston Rodeo, little did I know life would have very different plans. We went from quiet rumblings of coronavirus to the whole world being shut down. We were supposed to muttin bust the day the world shut down. From March to May we hunkered down in our house like many others. During this time I taught my students virtually while being at home with 3 young children. In late May I returned to my class with ungraded papers on my desk, work for the week we were supposed to return, and the same March date on my board. I packed my students things into paper sacks and that was it, there were no good byes. So how did I come to make cookies? Well as the pandemic continued I had to start thinking of creative ways to spend time with 3 young kids when leaving the house wasn’t really an option. For many years I had purchased decorated cookies from other individuals, and it seemed like something fun I could do with my kids. So off I went with an idea and a shopping list. First I had to learn the tips and tricks of making a perfect non-spread sugar cookie. Once I got that down then came the icing. The icing was the tricky part, getting it just right for what your using it for. In late June I was ready for a test run, I baked a bunch of cookies, and made cups of icing and my kids loved it. Decorating cookies kept them busy and engaged for a few hours. I loved that it was something we could do together from my at that time 1 year old daughter to my oldest 6 year old son. I really enjoyed making the cookies with my kids, and figured I would try my hand at making some of my own. With each batch I would watch more videos and try new techniques. There were lots of things that didn’t work, but I always found things that did. I had posted my cookie journey on my Facebook during this process. I hadn’t planned on making a business out of cookies but they gained a lot of interest on my page. A neighbor down the street Steph Pennington asked me one day if I could make cookies for her daughters birthday. I was in both awe and shock as I was still very new to cookies. I remember asking her several times if she was sure. After that I got more referrals from both my friend Steph, and others from Facebook. That is how Mixin Mama came to be. If it hadn’t been from the support from my husband, friends and family, I may still today have just been baking for myself. Now I get to share my cookies with the world, and I love creating new things for everyone’s special occasions.

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

I have quite a busy life day to day. I have a wonderful husband named Ryan, and 3 beautiful children David Luke 8, Sawyer 4, and Lillee 3. Our kids are involved in boy scouts, soccer, and baseball. On top of all of these things I am also a Kindergarten teacher. Needless to say our calendars are pretty busy, everyday of the week. My business, and my customers are extremely important to me. On some weeks I bake 2-3 dozen cookies, while at other times I have 10-12 dozen cookies to create in a week. Each cookie and customer is unique, from their idea and inspiration pictures to how that comes to be incorporated in the designs I create. I believe that’s why people ask me to make them cookies, because I make their ideas come to life in their own way. I spend a lot of time thinking and creating to meet that customers needs. Depending on the week and our schedules there are many days i’m up at 4am making cookies, then teaching all day and coming home to continue working on orders until 10pm-11pm at night. That is the kind of dedication I put into my business and each order, while also balancing my teaching career and life as a mom. Many of my customers order cookies through my facebook/instagram page, while I also get many referrals from neighbors in my subdivision. I want my children to see that through handwork you can do absolutely anything. I want them to dream as big as they want and know that anything is achievable if you believe in yourself.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

When I started out my page there weren’t many people on it. I started with only a few close friends and family members. I was super helpful when my family or friends would share cookies I made from my business page, or when I would get customer reviews. I think what really boosted my business was when I moved to Fairfield (Cypress, TX) in January 2021. I shared my business page on my neighborhood page on the local business Fridays they do and my page really skyrocketed from there. From only 100 followers to over 500 now.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

From when I began my business in June 2020 until I moved in January 2021 things were very slow moving. I didn’t get many orders and we were in the middle of a pandemic. While it was a great time to learn the trade due to the extra time I had, it was also a time where many people were cancelling events that would need something like custom cookies. I had to really watch what I was spending on my business compared to the business I was bringing in. That was a time where I did a lot of self promotion, as well as relying on the orders of friends and family to get me off the ground and going. If it wasn’t for them and their referrals I wouldn’t have been able to keep the doors open and continue practicing my new craft.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mixin_mama/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MixinmamaCypress