work: halfway good
address: 2863 95th St., Naperville
Phone/Website: 630-432-0446, www.halfbakedgoodness.com
owner: Tami Reed, 51, of Naperville.
Years in business: opened in December
What does your business do? “We bake cookies. All of our cookies are made from scratch in our store. The difference between us and the big name cookie chains is that we get a mix of ingredients. “I have a recipe,” Reid said.
What is your background? “In 2019, my friend Stephanie Ferreira, who lives in Texas, started a cookie delivery business out of her home. She called it Half Baked Goodness. … When the world shut down in 2020, she 's business exploded because it was all delivery-based. She hired three of my four children for herself. Then she opened her first store. We currently have four stores in the Houston area. We should have eight in the Houston area by the end of this year. We also have one in Arkansas. This is the first of its kind in Illinois.”
How did you get started? “We moved back to Naperville two and a half years ago, and my husband, Kyle (Reid), said, 'Why don't we open Half Baked?'” All four of my children I graduated (from high school) and went on to university. …I called Stephanie. She was considering franchising. ”
Is the economy good? “It's going well. The first two weeks of January were very cold, and when everyone was making New Year's resolutions, I was questioning my life decisions. …Interestingly enough, Jewel's Close by, we're busy on the night before the storm when everyone goes to Jewel, and it might be nice to have some cookies and stay home.
“My biggest expenses are, number one, labor. No. 2, rent. No. 3, butter. Our recipes have a little bit of a Southern element: brown sugar and butter. …Usually, We inspect five cases of butter a week, each case weighing 36 pounds.”
How many types do you sell? “We have 11 regular flavors available every day. Every Monday morning, we have 2 cookies of the week and 2 new flavors. We also offer 6 keto/gluten-free cookies every day. …Regular sells better. Our best sellers are chocolate chip and crème brûlée, which are popular with our fans here in Naperville.”
What do you do with unsold cookies? “I'd like to find an organization to donate them to. Some of my employees work in hospitals, and they take cookies to nurses and carriers.”
What did you learn? “I learned a lot about business operations, staffing, payroll, hiring, procurement, inventory management, and social media marketing.”
Are the cookies half-baked? “Although fully baked, they are served warm and gooey. If they are frosted, they are not warm. Keto cookies contain almond flour, so they should not be stored in an insulated cabinet. No. We’re trying to prevent cross-contamination with nuts.”
What misconceptions do people have about your business? “I baked half of it. Do I need to take it home and cook it?” You don't have to do any work. Another misconception is that it's (approximately) half-baked, so I think they put the pot in it. … I needed to calculate the price of one cookie. My 21 year old son Andrew thought it would be strange to charge $4.20 (420, 4/20 4:20 is slang for marijuana consumption). …I don't drink. I don't smoke. The whole idea of me being a weed dealer is crazy. ”
What are your business hours? “We are open from 10am to 9am Monday through Thursday, and from 10am to 10am on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed on Sundays.”
What challenges are you facing? “I'm trying to predict what people will want on that day. … For example, (on February 5th), I couldn't make enough keto cookies to satisfy people. So many every day. I don't make them. They're expensive. Yesterday (February 8th) I made extra keto cookies for a fundraiser. I sold one keto cookie all day long.”
What do you like most? “I love the fact that it's a fun business. Yesterday (we hosted a school fundraiser) we had 125 families with kids come into the store in two and a half hours and it was so much fun. … There’s a line at the school almost every week. They get 20%.”
How many employees do you have? “Thirteen. I love hiring varsity players because they know how to work and are used to getting things done.”
Do you have any future plans? “Our goal is to open five of them through Chicagoland.”
What advice would you give to someone starting a business? “It's taking longer than I expected. … I've realized that the kinder I am to people in the process, the more people will help me when I need help.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you'd like to see featured on Down to Business, please contact Steve Metsch at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.
