EDUCATION
Learn how to start your own small business!
Starting your own small business is a wild ride! From coming up with an idea, what sets you apart, staying on top of orders and navigating the highs and lows, I hope that this page can provide you with a little guidance if that is what you are looking for. I try my best to update the FAQ section with commonly asked questions- but if yours if not there do not hesitate to get in touch!
Side-note: The image on the right is from my first time public speaking about sustainability at a middle school assembly on climate change and minimizing impact when I was 13 (and had just started Cookies for Koalas).
FAQ
The questions below are the most frequently asked, but if you can not find what you are looking for, do not hesitate to get in touch and I will make sure they are either answered here or in the next blog post!
HOW DOES COOKIES FOR KOALAS RUN?
Cookies for Koalas is supported financially by money I make from fundraising, my outside job, and contributions. That sum pays for supplies, shipping, and my monthly domain registration on this site. As a result, the proceeds from the sale of the cookies can be sent directly to the nonprofit for that particular month.
HOW DO YOU STAY MOTIVATED?
It is undoubtedly challenging to maintain commitment to a small business when there are times when it feels near crumbling. Despite the fact that climate change is a constant problem, I do not always have constant orders. Usually, the largest amounts I receive are when everyone is worried about a specific problem that is all over the news (Eg. wildfires or flooding). When I start to feel bored (which inevitably happens), I try to shift my focus to an aspect of the business that energizes me. For instance, in 2020, I was super focused on the blog and then I shifted away from it and just focused on sales. Making these choices is what keeps my joy alive for the organization that I have built!
HOW DO YOU BALANCE SCHOOL AND COOKIES FOR KOALAS?
Making cookies and maintaining the website gives me a break from studying. Making and wrapping cookies has become a therapeutic activity for me over the past few years, so I look forward to it after exhausting activities like extracurricular activities, sports, or homework/school.
That said, it might be challenging to maintain balance when there are spikes in the number of orders. I try to divide the effort up during hectic weeks, making the dough as soon as I get home, baking the cookies at night, packaging them in the morning, bringing them to school, and then delivering them at 3:15 after school.
I find this schedule where I am not doing everything all at once is how I am able to maintain a business and school simultaneously.
WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED?
The biggest challenge I have encountered with Cookies for Koalas is skepticism. Although there have undoubtedly been brief setbacks, such as supply chain problems, weeks with an excessive number of orders, or website troubles, skepticism has unquestionably been the most persistent challenge. People have a tendency to convince young people they can't make a "real" difference when they see them trying to address the climate crisis, in my opinion. This mindset, in my opinion, is basically just encouraging inaction and complacency. While institutional change and legislation have a significant impact on the fight against climate change, individual initiatives also have a significant impact because of their small cumulative effect and the fact that they involve other "normal" people who do not have an abundance of power to try and make a change as well,
WHAT INSPIRED ME TO START MY OWN SMALL BUSINESS?
As the daughter of two self- employed business owners, starting my own small business has always been a dream. In terms of what caused me to start so early, when I read news articles about global warming as a child, I felt helpless and wanted to do something about it (besides, I loved to bake). The idea only grew from there!