Diya Mehta, now 14, decided to join Girl Scouts when she was 6 years old. Her mother was a Girl Scout, and at the time a friend of her family had just started a troop for her age group. Diya's younger sister, Dhriti Mehta, 10, joined her family's tradition three years ago. The sisters have had many opportunities through this organization, one of which was learning how to run a business by selling Girl Scout cookies.
The 2024 Girl Scout cookie season begins Sunday and runs through March 10th.
“Everyone loves Girl Scout Cookies, but this program is about much more than cookies,” said Leanna Clark, CEO of Girl Scouts of Colorado. She said, “When you purchase a cookie, you are helping girls enhance their Scout Leadership Experience and you are supporting women entrepreneurs.”
Diya and Dhriti Mehta say they learned a lot from starting their own cookie business. The sisters quickly learned that traditional methods of selling cookies didn't work during the COVID-19 pandemic. They can no longer go door to door or meet people in person.
Girl Scouts printed door tags with QR codes that direct people to cookie sales websites. Community members could order cookies through the site, and the Mehta sisters were able to deliver the boxes without any human contact.
The change in tactics worked so well for the sisters that they're sticking with it. Last year, Dhriti Mehta sold 420 boxes of her cookies. This year, the company aims to sell 450 units.
“Every year, we try to sell a little more than last year,” said Dhriti Mehta.
Diya Mehta hopes to sell 700 units. This is an increase of 50 boxes from last year.
Although the sisters succeeded in their plan, they also discovered some challenges.
“This is difficult because there are two of us and we can only sell once to family and friends,” Diya Mehta said.
When Dhriti Mehta first learned about money management at school, it was confusing. She said selling cookies made it easier for her to manage her money, and now she understands how it will help her later in life.
Both girls said the best skill they learned through this experience was how to talk to people.
“I was really shy when I was younger. I have to talk to people to sell cookies, so now I've come out of my shell and grown up a bit,” Diya Mehta said.
Proceeds from cookie sales stay in Colorado and support Girl Scout experiences such as service projects, troop trips, and summer camps.
Find a booth in your area by visiting www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/cookies or using the official Girl Scout Cookie Finder app for free on your iOS or Android device.
