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

Maude, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk about social media – do you manage your own or do you have someone or a company that handles it for you? Why did you make the choice you did?

Southie Cookie was born on social media. For my business, social media has always been the centerpiece, the invaluable ( and sometimes tricky) tool that contributes to Southie Cookie’s growth and reach. The results have been incredible so far, I’ve gotten opportunities that I likely wouldn’t have encountered if it wasn’t for social media. I have not yet hired anyone to help me with social media, I do all of it on my own. Hiring vs. doing it on your own is a very personal choice at the end of the day. Some questions you might want to ask yourself are: are you tech savvy? Do you have a passion for photography/marketing? Am I ready to put in the work required and to learn new things to make me successful in this realm? For me, the answers were yes. For you, the answer may be no and that’s ok. Hiring someone for social media can be considered a great investment.

Maude, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I moved to South Boston in 2020, I quickly realized there was nowhere to get a thick, gooey cookie in the neighborhood. I started baking in my small
apartment kitchen on East Broadway and shared them with friends and family.
Interest from South Boston residents began to grow and to my amazement,
people were willing to line up outside my apartment door to pick up their cookie
orders. With hungry neighbors and baking and entrepreneurship being my two
lifelong passions, it was the perfect opportunity to go all in with Southie Cookie.
The operation soon grew into a commercial kitchen where we love to
experiment with creative new flavors. After years of countless early mornings
and late nights working on my business and with my customers’ never-ending
support, I was able to quit my 9-5 and jump into Southie Cookie full time in
2023. As I continue to work hard on growing the company, one thing that
remains the same is the happiness I feel being able to share each cookie with
you. In 2023, Southie Cookie was featured in The Boston Globe, chosen as the
Celtics Small Business of the Game, featured on NBC10, launched nationwide
shipping and even hired its first employee!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I used my 9-5 as financial support while I tested out the concept of Southie Cookie in the market. Doing it on the side was a great option for me because it allowed me to learn, make mistakes, and grow my business savings account while being comforted by the fact that I had a stable income coming in from my 9-5. Because of this safety net, I was able to enter this new world slowly and safely, yet fiercely. I also made sure to keep track of all of my numbers (using excel at first, now Quickbooks) to understand where my business was headed and where improvements could be made. During the two years that I worked on my business on the side, I was able to find my footing and grow my savings to an amount that I felt confident about. Along with these savings and increasing demand, I knew it was time to dive in fully. Although, quitting my 9-5 still required lots of guts – it’s a BIG change and speaking the words out loud to my manager was easier said than done!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Be consistent, be exciting and post great quality content. If you need some extra help, look into a photography basics class or ask a friend for help! At the end of a long day, the last thing you want to do is rack your brain for creative content to post. However, I really recommend treating social media like it’s one of the most important things – because it is! I’d also recommend to build out a social media calendar and jot down content ideas for different times of the year, I’ve found this to be really helpful when I’m scrambling!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.southiecookie.com
• Instagram: @southiecookie
• Facebook: Southie Cookie
• Yelp: Southie Cookie