Have you ever felt the urge to do something more, chase a dream, and become the version of yourself you always knew you could be? If so, then Vicki Kotris is your girl. Vicki is the co-founder of Cleveland Cookie Dough Company: a company that makes delicious, edible cookie dough that, quite frankly, makes our mouths water just thinking about it! A sales woman by day, and a company owner by night, Vicki is the epitome of what it means to be a #GirlBoss these days: a fearless dreamer, a believer in herself and her talents, a tireless worker, and ultimately, the CEO of her own life. We recently spent some time with this hilarious, refreshingly authentic, and incredible businesswoman to learn how she lives a life as sweet as her cookie dough.
AdvisHer: Tell us about you – who is Cleveland Cookie Dough Co.?
Vicki: I am Vicki Kotris, co-owner of Cleveland Cookie Dough Co – a local food truck serving up a dough-licious menu of edible cookie dough, ice cream and other amazing treats! I have become a weekend warrior – working a full time sales job during the week and baking at nights so we can do events all weekend long. I am an equal opportunity dessert eater and have an unhealthy obsession with my Boxer, Wally. I love to travel and am very into reading self development books. Most recent inspirational book: The Third Door by Alex Banayan.
AdvisHer: What was your inspiration for starting your business?
V: The inspiration for the business actually came from my husband. I was in a place where I wanted something that was my own and really wanted to create something. I had no idea what that looked like and if you had told me a year ago that this is that I’d be doing – I wouldn’t have believed you. I knew I wanted to start a business and I knew I wanted it to be fun. I’d spent a lot of years taking myself too seriously and selling very serious products that I wanted to just make people happy in a super simple way. Today, I see that at every event whether I’m serving up a happy customer or getting to be a part of a special time in someone’s life.
AdvisHer: Take us through a day in the life!
V: Wake up, snuggle with Wally (most important part of my day). I work from home so I walk about 20 feet to my home office and work till about 5 – 5:30. Then I head to the kitchen and bake from 6 – 10 (2 – 3x’s a week – maybe more depending on the week). When I get home, I usually catch up on emails, send out catering invoices and prepare for the next week. Don’t get me wrong – there are days that I get to just chill and catch up on the Real Housewives! They are just fewer and far between than they used to be.
AdvisHer: What is your favorite type of project to work on/client to work with?
V: I LOVE collaborating with other local business owners. I used to think of networking in a very stale way and realized that networking is really just learning from others and finding out how you can both serve each other. I love all the cookie dough pairings we’ve done with local businesses including Platform Brewery, Sibling Revelry and Little Birdie Wine Nest. In the beginning we had no idea if people would be interested in these kind of events but these companies took a chance on us and have really helped us grow our business. We have a really fun collaboration coming up with Six Shooter Coffee and they’re making a cookie dough flavored cold brew which will be available the end of April!
AdvisHer: How do you stay inspired and/or develop new recipes?
V: This is an easy answer: I am a dessert addict! I love trying new flavors and not being afraid to try unconventional flavors such as our Cinnamon Bacon cookie dough or Matcha White Chocolate. I also follow some of the coolest accounts on Instagram and constantly feel inspired by different cake flavors or cookie flavors that I’ve seen.
AdvisHer: If you could give your younger self some advice, what would it be?
V: Oh there is so much that I would tell her! Financially, I would have told her that student loans should not have been used to fund my college bar tab. Also, ‘things’ will never make you happy.
Overall, I would tell my younger self to not live on a timeline. Happiness is loving each season of life and not waiting for the next best thing to happen.
AdvisHer: What is your favorite recipe or item to sell?
V: My favorite recipe is our chocolate chip since I worked on it the longest but I like making and selling everything!
AdvisHer: How do you prioritize your financial health?
V: I love that you call this financial ‘health’ because I’ve never thought about it that way but it’s true. It’s something in our lives that needs its own TLC just like our mental or physical health.
I took a really proactive approach to financial health in my mid 20s. I used to be the kind of person who would close one eye when looking at my checking account balance preparing for the gut punch to happen. I was always really afraid to look and even more afraid to spend. Full disclosure, I was $80,000 in debt from student loans and living off credit cards. I felt powerless. I found that once I understood my debt from student loans to credit cards that I was able to build confidence and be saver (and spender). Then, with the help of my financial advisor I built a payoff strategy and found a pathway to get out of debt. It was powerful stuff and I’ve learned so much about how to fund a life I love. Since then I’ve been able to buy a home and fund my business without having to take out a loan. If you are reading this – ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
It helps having a financial advisor and using tools that she’s provided me to constantly have a birds eye view of savings and checking. I have annual calls with my advisor to adjust what I do with my money and my future goals. I also find resources like your blog Financial Advisher and Making Sense of Cents to be sooo helpful! I think having someone help me and hold me accountable has been a game changer.
AdvisHer: What are your financial goals for 2019?
V: One major business goal I have is becoming a profitable company and actually taking a paycheck. Our business debt should be paid off by May and everything we’ve made has been reinvested back into the company. Personally, I’d like to go on a couple big vacations over the next year so it’s building that into my budget and make sure we’re saving for that.
We would like to thank the incredible Vicki Kotris for her time in helping create this post! For more on Vicki and Cleveland Cookie Dough Company, check out her website, podcast, or follow along on Instagram at @CLECookieDough!
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