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

Erica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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 2018, I quit my job as a TV Writer/Producer and moved to Austin, TX in order to spend more time with my kids. At that time, I had a baking blog and was constantly coming up with recipes, testing, and baking. I tested all types of breads, cakes and cookies until a happy accident led me to create my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookie! I shared my sweet experiments with friends and family and brought them to parties, where everyone raved! I decided to run with the idea and was set to launch in March of 2020…a week before lockdowns. Along with the pandemic, there was also a national rise in Asian hate and hate crimes and I was nervous to try to start a business in that climate, so I shelved my plans until the pandemic was over. 5 months passed and we were still in the midst of Covid. But I was anxious to create new cookies and to start this company! My husband and I decided to pivot a bit and launched the brand as a cookie delivery service- bringing fresh baked cookies to your doorstep during a time when many were stuck at home. So in August of 2020 Cookie Wookie Kitchen was born.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

I’ve always loved combining my love for American/European pastries with flavors I grew up with in my Chinese American home. On my blog I created recipes for milk bread cinnamon rolls, Thai tea cream puffs and Ube donuts, So when I started Cookie Wookie Kitchen, I wanted to do the same with my cookies! I started with Ube Coconut, Pandan with toasted rice and Vietnamese coffee cookies and I soon realized that these flavors resonated with my customers!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe that image and relationships are key to building a good reputation. I started out the company with a quick piece of art from my brother in law and some fonts I set myself (note: I am not a graphic designer) It was cute, bright and conveyed the message that I wanted when I started. “We’re a fun cookie company baking up flavors from your childhood” But as my brand evolved into more specific flavor profiles and I was able to hone my message, I wanted my image to grow with it. So a year after I launched, I hired a graphic designer to create a logo that looked more like my brand felt. I also wanted it to represent Austin, TX because it’s where we started. A logo is your first impression, and helps potential clients decide (whether consciously or subconsciously) whether or not they want to buy from you, so I think painting a pretty picture helps!

The other key is building good relationships with clients, vendors and influencers. I love reaching out via social media and IRL and responding to everyone who reaches out to me. Communication is important because as a customer you’d want a company that is responsive and relatable. I post things that help them see who I am and I always try to convey my gratitude for all their support, because in the end I wouldn’t be here without them.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I sell via my own website, CookieWookieKitchen.com . So that means I designed, built, run and maintain my own site. I like doing it in order to better maintain control of my brand’s look and message. I can design it however I like utilizing my brands colors and logos to really create the experience I want.

The con of that is that if anything goes wrong, you are fully responsible for fixing It, which could be figuring out code or workarounds to get what you need done.

Contact Info:

• Website: http;//www.CookieWookieKitchen.com
• Instagram: @cookiewookiekitchen
• Facebook: Cookie Wookie Kitchen