The Greatest Failure Is Not To Try - Debbi Fields

Debbi Fields
Company: Mrs. Fields Cookies
Net Worth: Unknown

“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.

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?

Advice For Entrepreneurs:

“The greatest failure is not to try. 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. [My husband] immediately said, ‘Oh, sweetie, that is such a stupid idea.’ And then my mom and dad pipe up and say, ‘You don’t have any business going into the cookie business. The only thing I had was this recipe, and with that recipe was a dream. And those were the only things that I had to build my business: a recipe and a dream. And there was no way, no way, I wasn’t going to see this dream through. And, so, my journey began. I made the decision, and I was going to see it through.”