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The Cookie Connoisseur: The Early Years of Debbi Fields

“I was really happy being a housewife,” says Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies. “I was proud to be there for my husband, but it did not necessarily make me feel great.” Longing for something more out of life than being just a mother and a wife, Fields turned her lifelong passion for baking into a multimillion dollar enterprise that has continued to attract a loyal following throughout the U.S. She did not have a business degree or the support from her family, but what Fields did have was a dream.

Cooking Up a Storm: Fields Opens Up Shop

After realizing how unsatisfied with her life she had become, Fields decided something needed to change. And, she knew instantly what it was. “In that room, that evening, I made a decision that I was going to go into the cookie business,” says Fields, “that that was my calling, that that was what I could do best.”

Lesson #1: Make Your Critics Eat Their Words

“The greatest failure is not to try,” says Fields. “Had I listened to all the people during the course of my life who said, “You can’t. You’ll fail. It won’t work. You don’t have…,” I wouldn’t be here today.”

Lesson #2: Passion is the Key in a Successful Business Recipe

“You have to have passion when you’re finding a recipe for a career,” says Fields. “If you love what you are doing, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Lesson #3: Let Your Customers Try and Buy Your Product

“I learned how important what I call ‘try and buy’ was,” says Fields. “I didn’t want to advertise and say my cookies are the world’s best. It would be presumptuous of me to say that. Instead I wanted people to actually experience the product, try the product, and if they thought it was worthy, if they liked it, then they could buy it.”

Lesson #4: Good Enough Never Is

“Good enough never is,” says Fields. “Set your standards so high that even the flaws are considered excellent.”

Lesson #5: Stop Doing What is Not Working

When Fields opened up her very first store, she was excited. She had finally created a solid business plan and found a banker that believed in her. On the store’s first day of business, Fields’ husband questioned her about her long-term financial objectives, but Fields was so excited to finally be in business, she dismissed him. “Oh my gosh, Randy,” she told him. “You know, I’ve got an annual goal. I’ve got monthly plans. But today I just want to get started. I just want to open up the store.”

One Smart Cookie: How Fields Baked Her Way to the Bank

With no college degree, no support from her family, and no money, Fields was able to start up not only her own business, but a multimillion dollar one at that. How did this housewife become one of America’s greatest success stories and the name behind some of the country’s most beloved cookies?

Debbi Fields Quotes

Debbi Fields Quotes

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