Today we’d like to introduce you to Gingie Gauger
Hi Gingie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
2020 changed many lives forever. Although my path altered during that time, it was for many reasons, not just the pandemic. After 20 years in academic medicine, I needed a change. Baking had always been my passion, so Gingie’s Cookies was a natural choice.
My internal clock is one of a baker. I love the early morning…so quiet and peaceful…the ideal time to turn on the oven and bake while sipping a fresh brewed latte. By the time others awake, I am often packaging a batch of drop cookies or starting a custom sugar cookie order. Reflecting back over the past 4 years, I now realize how this passion became my therapy as I navigated several events taking place in my life. It allowed me to stay busy and focused while learning new skills and connecting with others. I am forever grateful to my family for supporting me in this career change as well as to my customers who continue to place orders and spread the word.
Gingie’s officially opened in 2021 and operated out of a commercial kitchen. However, in 2022, I began doing custom sugar cookie orders which became prohibitively expensive when renting kitchen time so I transitioned into my home bakery. Currently, I offer both drop cookies and custom sugar cookies for any and all sorts of special events–birthdays, graduations, bridal showers, baby showers, weddings, and holiday celebrations. Of course, I you are like me and just have a sweet tooth, I’m always happy to help you satisfy that craving, too!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For the most part, it has been a smooth road. The greatest struggle for me was learning about how to run a business single-handedly. Not only did I have to create new recipes and cookie designs, but I had to calculate costs, process orders, and keep up with marketing and social media. Having spent my entire life practicing medicine, this was all new to me. However, because there was no urgency in getting this business off the ground, I was able to take the necessary time to do things correctly. It was also fortuitous that my niece and nephew had high school senior project requirements and were able to dedicate some time to helping me with marketing and financial analyses in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I think what most people find intriguing about me is my abrupt switch in careers. For over 20 years, I thoroughly enjoyed practicing Pediatric Anesthesia. I loved working with kids and their families as well as so many wonderful people in the peri-operative arena. However, several coinciding events caused me to switch gears. When I left medicine, I took a position working on an organic farm while I created Gingie’s Cookies. Baking had always been a hobby, mostly because I have a sweet tooth that needed satisfying. How exciting it would be to make my hobby into a career!
While creating recipes, I researched everything baking…how to start a business, what are the local laws and regulations, where to buy the necessary supplies and ingredients, and how to market myself. Fortunately, there was no urgency in getting my business off the ground, so I was able to move slowly and cautiously. Under Michigan Cottage Law, one must bake in a commercial kitchen in order to sell their products in stores so I signed a contract to bake in a local commercial kitchen. However, I began getting many requests for custom decorated cookies and decided to venture into this realm. Decorated cookies are quite time-consuming and rental of a commercial kitchen was not possible so I moved into my home kitchen. I had some concern this would be damaging to my business but that has not been the case. My business continues to thrive and I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with clients creating cookies for all sorts of events.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
While many lessons have been learned along this journey, probably the most significant is an understanding of the dedication and work it takes to own a business. This lesson has made me much more supportive of local businesses and more understanding of why things cost what they do. Good quality requires quality ingredients which results in higher pricing….and it’s worth it!
Pricing:
- $35/dozen drop cookies
- $45/dozen decorated cookies
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gingiescookies.com
- Instagram: @gingiescookies
- Facebook: @gingiescookies
