We were lucky to catch up with Emily McCormick recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Emily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.
I think of my childhood a lot now that I am raising 2 children under 5. Even on the best days, parenting is an overwhelming endeavor. So many decisions! Constant noise! The ever-present fear that you will mess something up! I was lucky enough to have two parents who truly loved me and wanted me to have a happy life. Many people sadly can’t say the same. My parents always recognized my independence and encouraged me to dive into it, and I am so thankful they trusted me to create and accomplish tasks and activities on my own. I believe it has helped me in adulthood and as a mother and business owner.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Cobblestone Kitchen is a cookie company that has been specializing in corporate gifting for over 30 years. We’ve partnered with car dealerships, realtors, insurance companies, law firms, and many other companies who look to strengthen their relationship with clients, potential clients, and employees. We handle all production, execution, and delivery, so our clients don’t need to worry about the details. We bake and ship all cookies the same day, and we average 3,000 – 4,000 cookies shipped each month, so thankfully we stay busy!
I purchased the company in 2021 from the founder. She created the company in 1992 as a mom to 4 young children looking to augment her family’s income, and I am proud to be a part of a company that was created by a mom and now continues to provide income and flexibility to another mom. It also brings me joy knowing that people get to open a gift box of cookies that was sent to them, which is fun!
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Word of mouth and has been the most beneficial source of new clients in my case. I have had several new customers reach out to me after receiving a gift box of cookies from a different client. Several of those new clients have become reoccurring/monthly orders. My biggest goal currently is to create a sense of community with my new clients. I created an e-mail list, started a monthly newsletter, and try to maintain constant contact to hopefully stay at the front of their minds and help them remember our name to pass along to additional potential customers.
Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?
I was lucky enough to have known the founder of my company for 20 years prior to purchasing the company from her. I met her when I was 18 and became dear friends with her three daughters over the next couple of decades. When she decided to retire, she reached out to me about purchasing the company, I had recently quit my job in the energy industry to stay home with our child and was thrilled at the aspect of being creative and using my brain for non-mom tasks again.
The developed infrastructure she had created appealed to me, and it allowed a great starting point as I navigated owning my own business for the first time while setting goals for future growth.
Since I was close with the owner, the acquisition process was simple and straight forward. We had several training sessions to ensure her quality measures would continue to be the standard.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cobblestonekitchen.com
- Instagram: @cobblestonekitchenofficial
- Facebook: Facebook.com/cobblestonekitchenofficial
Image Credits
@AJStegall