We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Maddie Haydon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Maddie below.

Hi Maddie, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

One of the biggest risks I’ve taken recently is the leap into my small baking business as a full-time job. I was previously an elementary teacher for ten years, and took custom cookie orders in my free time as a side hustle. Last year, I was feeling a bit jaded in the education world and knew that I could potentially take my business full time by taking custom orders and teaching cookie decorating classes. I debated my decision throughout the whole school year, knowing that it would be a huge risk for our family in terms of stability, finances, scheduling, etc. The pros of pursuing my cookie business, however, were so encouraging that I felt that if I didn’t take the risk now, I would surely regret it later. Life is short, but the days can feel long and it’s easy to let opportunities pass by. I didn’t want to teach for 20 more years, look back at my career and think, “Why didn’t I just give that cookie thing a try?” My husband and family have been very supportive throughout my decision to change careers, which was another reason I felt okay taking this risk. I thought that if I could give it a go for at least a year, see how I like it, and evaluate my success along the way, I could either decide to keep going with it, or make another change. I didn’t want to be stuck in a career feeling unhappy and wishing I could do something about it — I needed to take action or I wasn’t going to be the best version of myself that I knew I could be. So, it’s been about half a year since giving my cookie business a good old-fashioned try, and it’s been extremely fulfilling and pretty successful so far! I’m happy, passionate about what I do, and I love sharing it with others when teaching classes. It may sound silly, but cookies and decorating can bring people so much joy, and that’s one of my missions. The world needs more joy and more people who want to spread it, and I want to be part of that!

Maddie, 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?

I’m Maddie Haydon – owner of MaddieKakes Bake Shop, a local home-based bakery in Southwest Michigan. I’m a cookie artist, newbie entrepreneur, former teacher, wife, and mom to the sweetest 2.5-yr-old boy. I got into baking when I was a kid, baking with my family for holidays and all throughout the year. When my Grammy told me she didn’t think an 8-year-old could make a yule log, I was determined to prove her wrong. So I did! I’ve learned how to make the best family pies, cookies, cakes, and candies from my mom and grandmother.

I fell into sugar cookie decorating in my 20s when I wanted to take a fun and unique dessert to my best friend’s bachelorette party. I made hot pink lingerie cookies, using a package of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix and ziploc bags to hold my royal icing. After that, I was hooked! I watched YouTube videos, read blogs, and found inspiration on social media to teach myself all the tips and tricks to make my cookies look more professional. My family encouraged me to start selling my cookies, which I did for about 6 years on the side as I worked full-time as an elementary teacher. After teaching my first few cookie classes in 2022, I decided to take my business full time.

Currently, I provide exquisitely decorated sugar cookies for any occasion. My customers are those who are looking for a completely unique and personalized dessert to bring to a baby or wedding shower, birthday party, holiday gathering, or to honor someone they love. They’re also often people who don’t know how or are too busy to bake but want a unique gift to give to someone. I spend at least 8-10 hours decorating a set of 2 dozen cookies, not counting the time involving the actual baking of the cookies and mixing of the icing. These cookies are true works of art (and heart!), and offer a way to make the person receiving them feel really special and cared for. Plus, they taste delicious! That’s one requirement of any of my baked goods — they have to taste just as good as they look!

I also offer cookie decorating classes for beginners in my community and surrounding area so that I can share my passion with others. I’ve had plenty of repeat students come back because they’ve enjoyed my classes so much!

I’m really proud of how far I’ve come since my first batch of decorated cookies (I laugh at that first picture now!). I never thought I could turn this hobby into a full-time career, but it’s happening and I’m so grateful and humbled to be able to do what I love as my job.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele since I started making decorated cookies as a hobby has definitely been word of mouth. Creating beautiful cookies that people love and are in awe of has built a reputation that keeps repeat and new customers coming for more orders. Since I’ve started pursuing my business full-time over the past year, one really effective strategy for growing my clientele has been social media and email marketing. Consistently posting a variety of content on social media has helped get my products seen by potential new clients. I recently began an email newsletter to try to reach clients that do not necessarily see my social media posts, and I’ve grown a wider client base. I’m constantly learning new strategies to try, and I don’t always feel like I know what I’m doing, but I’ve seen some success with these attempts so far!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Last Spring, I joined The Cookie College, which is a monthly subscription to courses that teach sugar cookie bakers the ins and outs of running a cookie business. I’ve learned so much about time management, social media marketing, maintaining positive customer relationships, and business strategies from this curriculum and it has positively impacted my small business, as well! The College provides a community of bakers who share tips, failure/success stories, encouragement, and strategies so that we can all learn from each other and become more successful. I wouldn’t be where I am now without this group!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maddiekakesbakeshop.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/maddiekakesbakeshop
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/maddiekakesbakeshop/