Today we’d like to introduce you to Kori Fabian.
Hi Kori, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As a mother to 3 very young ones- a 4-year-old daughter and boy/girl 2-year-old twins, I had elected long ago to seek a part-time nights/weekend position to help supplement our family income while managing to avoid any extra costs for childcare.
During my many social media scrolls, I somehow started following some cookiers, I absolutely loved the art form and with the upcoming birthdays of my littles I started gaining the confidence to try those gorgeous little cookies I so loved seeing at events. To my utter surprise, I was GOOD at it. I shared my little trial & error journey on social media and immediately started receiving requests for custom cookies.
Before I knew it, I was only catching about 4 hours of sleep at night from when I finished orders until my littles would wake in the morning. My husband and I decided to take a hard look at finances and decided as long as I was bringing in as much as I was at the veterinarian then there would be nothing to lose by transitioning my little hobby into a full-time business.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has absolutely been trial & error! While I have always loved cooking, baking has never been my jam! Fortunately, the Cookie Community is a very loving one and I have found loads of support from bakers all over the world. We share our wins, our best tips, and never shy away from seeking advice.
A specific struggle would definitely be the time constraints involved with highly detailed cookies. As a full-time mother to 3 who are still very dependent on me, my cookie time is very limited. I have learned to limit my order load appropriately so that I am not leaving too little in my cup to still enjoy these kids while they are little.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in no-spread Sugar Cookies decorated with Royal Icing that sets hard but still has a soft bite. That soft bite is so important to me as I have had similar cookies that were hard as a brick! I pay extra attention at each step of the process to make sure my cookies not only LOOK beautiful but taste delicious!
I pride myself on providing the very best customer service. I have developed an outline of timeframes which I check in with my clients on upcoming orders. I try to be as transparent as possible about when they should expect to hear from me. My clients often book multiple months in advance and I know there is always a measure of trepidation in booking with such a small, home-based business so I do my best to alleviate those fears and always deliver on my word. As I often tell my husband, empathy is my superpower!
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I have learned would be to stay ahead of my deadlines. Life with 3 little ones can at times bring up unexpected delays in my work availability. For instance, a teething baby may require some extra mommy snuggles and I have had to build in some time buffers to ensure I still deliver quality product on time or early.
Contact Info:
- Email: kiki@kikicookieco.com
- Website: https://www.kikicookieco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kikicookieco_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kikicookieco/
Image Credits
Kiki Cookie Co.
