Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Ferguson.
Hi Kayla, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am an Air Force Veteran who always had a passion for baking (specifically cookies), but I was never able to turn that passion into a business due to the demands of the military. After I had my first child (daughter) in 2020, I knew I wanted to be home with my kids as much as possible. There was nothing scarier than talk of deployment and leaving my young baby girl at home without her mama.
2022, I had my second baby (son) in February 2022–shortly after the COVID vaccination was mandated for all military. I had planned to get out of the military when my contract ended in November, but since I was refusing the vaccination, I was not sure what was going to happen disciplinarily. My husband and I made the best decision for our family and I put in for an early separation in July 2022. The goal was to open a bakery once I left the Air Force.
However, since we got out earlier than anticipated, we had to focus on finding a place to relocate to with our family, somewhere we wanted to raise our kids long-term. So, we moved into an RV full-time with our two kids and began looking for the perfect place. We eventually found a home to rent in Olive Branch and quickly jumped on the opportunity to live in this area.
After 4 months of living in Olive Branch, I was getting an overwhelming number of requests from new friends asking for my decorated sugar cookies for their events. After hearing people rave about my cookies and consistently request them, I knew it was time to open that bakery I had long been dreaming of. I decided my bakery would become a Cookie Company. However, decorated cookies are only as good as they taste so I went on a mission to create the perfect soft, yet flavorful, roll-out sugar cookie.
I tried over 40 recipes, some of which were better than others, but none were what I was looking for. So, I ended up creating my signature recipe to create a roll-out sugar cookie that’s flavorful, soft, and truly delicious! Once I had my signature recipe, I decided on 5 other flavors to offer (currently offering 6 total) and launched my business in April 2023. It wasn’t the founding story I anticipated many years ago, but the road bumps lead to some incredible experiences that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
The week I launched my business, I decided to hand out 6-flavor sample packs to the community to spread the word about my new local business. I received incredible feedback on those sample packs and word spread quickly. I was not expecting the popularity I received, but am so incredibly thankful for such an amazing first 2 months of business.
Within this first month, I already had to expand my home bakery with commercial equipment to accommodate the number of orders that are coming in, and am looking into the next steps for growth beyond my kitchen–So exciting!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Smooth would not be the word I would use to describe where I am today.
It was never smooth, but it was very eventful. Some of the biggest challenges I’ve faced so far have been finding the “right” time to start, managing two toddlers and a baking schedule, separating myself from other cookie businesses, figuring out what I’ll do once I reach the legal revenue cap Mississippi places on cottage food operations.
Working to get into local vendor markets (which fill up all too quickly), and, I guess I wouldn’t be an entrepreneur without including the internal challenge of self-doubt.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Kayla’s Custom Cookies?
I firmly believe that flavor should be the most important quality of any cookie, including pretty decorated cookies (which get a bad reputation for being dry, hard, and flavorless–3 words that should never describe any cookie!) Soft and flavorful are the two words at the foundation of every flavor offered on the menu.
For sugar cookies, I currently offer 6 different permanent menu flavors: signature vanilla almond, very vanilla, churro, lemon, chocolate brownie, and chocolate deluxe with the most popular flavors being lemon and churro. The flavor options are different from what other cookie decorators offer around here, but I think what truly sets me apart the most is the softness of my cookies. Each cookie is deliciously soft and is topped with a flavorful soft-bite royal icing (no breaking teeth in my kitchen haha).
I started this business because I truly love baking delicious treats for others. I have a passion for helping in the community and spreading joy, however, I am able. Since being in business these past two months, I am so proud to say I have donated over 800 cookies to the local community. My mission with this cookie company is to continue to give back as much as possible. There is nothing better than to see someone’s face light up and tell their friend “Oh my goodness–you have to try this!”
I am most known for my custom-decorated sugar cookies, but a very close runner-up would be my homemade chocolate chip cookie. My chocolate chip cookie has been an overwhelming fan-favorite from my donations and it is now a permanent addition to the menu along with Snickerdoodle, monster, and Oatmeal Raisin. As a bonus, these cookies are always freshly baked on the day of pickup! I am just getting started on all things cookies and am so excited to add more flavors and cookie options to the menu soon–stay tuned!
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I had not opened my business when COVID hit and was actually in Germany in the military at the time. However, I still learned several lessons from watching other businesses completely shut down.
Through watching this, I learned to diversify revenue as fast as possible. That way, if any one event happens, like COVID, your business won’t crumble entirely.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kaylascustomcookies.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaylas_customcookies/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kaylascustomcookies
