Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aubree Arthur. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Aubree, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today

If I were to start over knowing everything I know today, I don’t think I would change a thing. I was 12 years old when Santa Claus brought the best gift a 12 year old could ever dream of…a stand mixer! I then made my first batch of cookies- they didn’t look the greatest, but I was hooked!

I started making cookies for every holiday for the next few years. I practiced and practiced and practiced. And in 2022 when I was just 14 years old, I opened my business!

A few months after that I met my mentor, Becca. She took little ol’ me under her wing and has taught me almost everything I know about cookies! I truly would not be nearly as good as I am today without her.

So no, I don’t think I would do anything differently. Even when people told me it would never go anywhere, I never gave up on my dreams. Every step of the way has shaped who I am as a cookie artist and I wouldn’t change it at all.

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

Hi! I’m Aubree Arthur and I am a teen entrepreneur/cookie artist. I am 17 years old and am from Madisonville, LA, a small town outside of New Orleans. I make custom cookies for any event. Baby showers, birthdays, weddings, you name it! I also teach cookie classes at a local business.

I decorated my first set of cookies in 2019 when I was just 12 years old after getting a stand mixer for Christmas! I first discovered cookie decorating because of my neighbor. She decorated cookies and would give us her extras. So once I got my mixer, I decided to give them a shot. I loved it! After a few years of practice, my new hobby turned into my business, Cookies By Aubree.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Starting my own business at 14 years old took my life into a whole new direction. Suddenly, I wasn’t just decorating for fun; I was managing orders, marketing on social media, planning holiday pre-sales, and most of all learning how to run a business. Before I knew it, I was juggling schoolwork and my social life on top of my quickly growing business.

One of my biggest challenges was marketing. My audience is mothers in their 30s and 40s. As a teen, I knew almost nothing about their likes and interests. I had to step into their world and look at my business through their eyes. What will stop their scroll? How do they talk? What are they interested in buying for their kids? I started posting in local Facebook mom groups and learned to speak their language. It was a pretty big learning curve.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

I never had to go to the bank to get a loan or pull from my savings- I had Santa Claus! I got almost all of the supplies I needed as gifts. Every year for Christmas, my list would be loaded down with cookie things- baking tools, decorating supplies, cookie cutters, etc. Year-by-year I collected everything I needed to get better at decorating cookies and run my business more efficiently!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cookiesbyaubree
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CookiesByAubree

Image Credits

Gabrielle Bragle