We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michael Sohn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Michael, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
After leaving my soul-sucking tech job at the end of 2022, I wanted to do work that was meaningful, but I didn’t know what to do next in my career. I wanted to do build something bigger than myself and give back to other people.
Several years of working remotely, being isolated, and barely leaving the house had negative effects on my mental health and wellbeing. I felt lonely. And I figured there were other people in my neighborhood who might’ve felt the same way.
Cookies make me happy, so I decided to bake and give away over 150 chocolate chip cookies for free so I could bring joy to my community. After people had such positive feedback for the cookies and noted how the cookies made their day, I decided to go for it and launch the business in November 2023.
It’s so rewarding to meet people and see their eyes light up when they enjoy the cookies I made.
So, that’s how Generous Cookie Co. started: making good cookies with good ingredients to bring joy to the people around us. A percentage is donated to non-profit organizations to make a positive impact.
The goal is to get Generous Cookie Co. to profitability, not just so that I can eventually run this business full-time and start paying myself a living wage, but to also have a greater impact in my community of Los Angeles and abroad.
Michael, 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’ve loved chocolate and cookies before I could even remember. There is photo- and VHS-tape evidence of me stuffing my face with chocolate! While I’ve loved cookies for so long, I only started baking during the pandemic. I wanted a cookie, but didn’t know where to go. So I went to the kitchen and started experimenting.
Not only did I want to make cookies to make people feel good, but I also wanted to ensure that the cookies were made with quality ingredients like unbleached and unbromated flours, Belgian chocolate, and single-origin spices.
Generous Cookie Co. makes cookies with quality ingredients to bring joy to the people around us.
There are no preservatives, no corn syrup, and no artificial colors or flavors. For example, most name-brand peanut butters have hydrogenated oils to prevent separation. Heavy cream (used to make ganache and caramel) often has carrageenan or gellan gum added as a thickener. These sub-ingredients are unnecessary, so I take pride in the attention to detail and care I put into the cookies I make.
This may mean using more expensive ingredients than you’d find in most cookies, but you can really taste the difference.
In addition to the attention and care of ingredients, I want to build a cookie company with impact. Money is not my primary motivator for building Generous Cookie Co. While there still needs to be money in the bank in order to continue and expand operations, Generous Cookie Co. donates a percentage of sales/profits to non-profit organizations.
When you buy a cookie from the Generous Cookie Co., you’re not only getting a better, higher-quality cookie, but also contributing to making an impact in the broader community.
Generous Cookie Co. offers cookies for pickups, one-day shipping in LA (weather permitting), and deliveries via Uber Courier on a weekly preorder schedule (starting soon).
Custom and large orders for catering, corporate gifts, weddings, parties, and events are available as well! Generous Cookie Co. would love to help make your next occasion even sweeter.
My recommendation is to sign up for the email newsletter to stay in touch and get weekly updates!
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Word of mouth has been the greatest source for new business.
As Generous Cookie Co. is still in its early stages, most business has been from family, friends, and friends of family. I’m so grateful for the support they continue to give me!
Pop-ups are also great for meeting new clients and other small business friends, who can also provide helpful tips for growing.
My focus for Generous Cookie Co. is to do more online preorders via weekly or bi-weekly cookie drops for pickup, delivery, and shipping (weather-permitting), as well as doing larger orders for catering, weddings, corporate gifting, etc.
When people share their experience and feedback online by leaving a Google review, it really helps others to make an informed decision.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
Generous Cookie Co. remains a side hustle. With razor-thin margins, the amount of generated revenue has not yet reached the point where I can pursue this business as my full-time career, but it would be really cool if I could make people happy with cookies for a living!
I’ve bootstrapped this company using my own savings.
I did 40 markets in 2024 and have sold thousands of cookies to date, but I’m trying to be more selective in the markets I do in order to manage any losses and ensure I’m able to still stay in business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://generouscookieco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generouscookieco/
- Other: Email Newsletter: https://generouscookieco.kit.com/
Sign up for SMS reminders to never miss an order window: https://www.hotplate.com/generouscookieco?sms_reminder=true
