We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Davis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jessica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
I was making whoopie pies as gifts and for my husband’s colleagues when the idea came to me. Everyone told me I should start selling them. It wasn’t until 2019 when I came up with the concept to sell my childhood favorites but a modernized adult version of them. Next step…what flavors would people want and how do I go about it. I messed around for hours and hours with flavor profiles in my head before actually baking them and creating recipes. By mid 2020 I was finally able to get time to create the business menu and get it off the ground. That’s when the process started by filing a Cottage Food License application and considering how to package and sell my products.
Jessica, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
You should know I am a mom of three unruly, under 3 year old kids, being sarcastic and out of the box is my style. I don’t take no lightly and will push the boundaries until they break.
As for Drunken Whoopies as a brand? I think the name says it all. There is a fun playful side that invokes the childhood nostalgia of making traditional style Maine whoopie pies yet brings that modernity by adding drink flavors (think coffeehouse beverages) and some nontraditional flavors to the party. The possibilities are endless. Customers, new and old should know that everything is made to order, custom orders and unique flavors are something I think help Drunken Whoopies stand apart from the rest because I take the time to make sure your order is what you envision. It could take 20 conversations from the time you first contact me to the date of pickup but I will take that time to ensure it’s exactly what you want.
I think I am most proud of the journey and how I was able to overcome the obstacles to get there. The process itself is a challenge to get a Cottage Food License is an obstacle and the restrictions you face makes you continually think outside the box to maintain your business idea, menu, and deliver unique products to your customers.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Google. As clique as it sounds Google and Google maps has been my best friend with my business. People stumble upon my business or website sometimes by accident or when searching for bakery based items and it draws them in. They can see all past products on my Google business profile or visit my website all from the one location. Seriously, go check out Drunken Whoopies Google page and you’ll see what I mean…all those whoopie pies and macarons are inviting right?
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
Etsy. When I was just starting out and had no idea where the best place to sell my products or how to really draw in customers I tried selling on Etsy. I tried for a few months and while it is a great platform for sellers but the hassle was not worth the headaches. The customers were great but cost of selling, with the fees, made it more work and less enjoyable for me. If I continued selling solely through Etsy I might not have grown my business or brand to what it is now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://drunkenwhoopies.square.site/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/drunkenwhoopies
- Other: Linktr.ee https://linktr.ee/drunkenwhoopies