# Perseverance: Was Laid off, but she Regrouped! Her Cookies are now sold in 4,100 stores nationwide and Canada.

An episode of [Money Making Conversations Master Class](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1264705641), 16 Aug 2024, 28 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/b1db7263-d1a3-4d00-8976-af62012aab44/624ee23c-ecda-4436-87ed-b1cc01635478/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=35a10561-3e1b-4d05-a529-af62012aab6a

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dr. Shica Little. Founder of Dr. Shica's Bakery, a rapidly growing plant-based cookie and cookie mix brand. Dr. Little shares her inspiring journey from educator to entrepreneur after losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic. What began as baking in her kitchen and hosting local pop-ups has grown into a national retail brand available in thousands of stores across the United States and Canada. The conversation highlights entrepreneurship, resilience, faith, product innovation, retail expansion, and building a legacy-driven business. Purpose of the Interview The purpose of the interview was to: • Share Dr. Shica Little's journey from educator to successful entrepreneur. • Demonstrate how setbacks can create opportunities for reinvention. • Discuss the growth of a plant-based food brand from a kitchen startup to national retail distribution. • Inspire aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue opportunities even when they are unplanned. • Highlight the importance of branding, marketing, community engagement, and preparation. • Showcase how passion, persistence, and faith can create extraordinary business success. Key Takeaways 1. Her Entrepreneurial Journey Began After a Layoff Dr. Little never planned to own a bakery. She spent her career in education, earning multiple degrees, including a PhD, and working in education management. After losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic, a former colleague encouraged her to turn her baking talent into a business. Key Point: Sometimes entrepreneurship begins when circumstances force you to explore talents you didn't fully recognize. 2. A Hidden Talent Became a Business Opportunity Although baking had always been part of her family tradition, Dr. Little initially viewed it as a hobby rather than a career. After the layoff, she began selling baked goods through pop-up events in Los Angeles and quickly discovered strong market demand. Key Point: Skills developed informally can become profitable businesses when paired with opportunity and confidence. 3. Plant-Based Doesn't Mean Sacrificing Flavor Dr. Little intentionally created vegan cookies that appeal to everyone, not just people following plant-based diets. Her goal was to develop products that: • Taste great • Serve people with dietary restrictions • Appeal to mainstream consumers • Offer a healthier alternative without compromising flavor Key Point: Inclusive products often reach larger audiences. 4. Customer Feedback Helped Build the Brand Early pop-up events and mall kiosk locations allowed Dr. Little to test products directly with consumers. Those experiences helped shape: • Cookie recipes • Product offerings • Packaging decisions • Future retail opportunities She continually refined products until they met her standards. Key Point: Listening to customer feedback accelerates product development. 5. Celebrity Support Helped Create Momentum During her Los Angeles pop-up events, several high-profile supporters discovered her products. These supporters included: • Doug Ellin, creator of Entourage • Television producer Teri Weinberg • Celebrity customers such as Jessica Simpson The positive feedback helped build confidence and brand credibility. 6. Innovation Led to Cookie Mixes As customers asked how to share her products with family members outside California, Dr. Little created cookie mixes. The mixes allow…

## Transcript

[0:05] Speaker 1: Welcome to the show. I am Rashawn McDonald, the host
[0:08] Speaker 1: of Money Making Conversations Masterclass, where we encourage people to
[0:11] Speaker 1: stop reading other people's success stories and start planning their own.
[0:16] Speaker 1: Listen up as I interview entrepreneurs from around the country,
[0:19] Speaker 1: talk to celebrities and ask them how they are running
[0:22] Speaker 1: their companies and speak with nonprofits who are making a
[0:25] Speaker 1: difference in their local communities. Now sit back and listen
[0:29] Speaker 1: as we unlock the secrets to their success. on Money
[0:32] Speaker 1: Making Conversations Masterclass.
[0:36] Speaker 2: Hi there.
[0:36] Speaker 1: This is Rashawn McDonald.
[0:37] Speaker 3: Welcome.
[0:38] Speaker 1: Welcome to this Money Making Conversations Masterclass. I am your host,
[0:41] Speaker 1: Rashawn McDonald. And do we have a show for you.
[0:43] Speaker 1: People who have come from the back and now, hopefully,
[0:47] Speaker 1: standing in the front. That's what this show is all about.
[0:49] Speaker 1: I host this weekly Money Making Conversations Masterclass show. The
[0:53] Speaker 1: interviews and information that this show provides are for everyone.
[0:56] Speaker 1: It's time to stop reading other people's success stories and
[0:58] Speaker 1: start living your own. Now, If you want to be
[1:01] Speaker 1: a guest on my show, and I love it when
[1:03] Speaker 1: people want to be a guest on my show, you
[1:05] Speaker 1: just go to moneymakingconversations.com. That's a website, moneymakingconversations.com. You can
[1:11] Speaker 1: also see old archived podcasts of episodes that air on WCLK.
[1:16] Speaker 1: And click Be a Guest button. Click the Be a
[1:19] Speaker 1: Guest button. Fill out the information. The email will come
[1:23] Speaker 1: directly to me. And then guess what? You could be
[1:26] Speaker 1: sitting right next to me, or you could be calling
[1:28] Speaker 1: in and be a guest on WCLK. my show, Money
[1:31] Speaker 1: Making Conversations Masterclass. Well, let's get this show rolling. I
[1:34] Speaker 1: got guests that are on hold. And guess what? This
[1:36] Speaker 1: show is built for you, providing information about people who
[1:40] Speaker 1: are dreamers just like you, nonprofits and profits. And we
[1:43] Speaker 1: want to learn their secrets to success. My next guest
[1:46] Speaker 1: is a cookie and cookie dough mix brand. That's what
[1:51] Speaker 1: she built. She's recently went from 200 stores now, 200
[1:54] Speaker 1: stores to now more than 4,100 stores. An idea that
[1:59] Speaker 1: started in her kitchen, just like a lot of you
[2:01] Speaker 1: guys out there. The products are now available nationwide at
[2:05] Speaker 1: all home goods, TJ Maxx, all these stores. She's going
[2:08] Speaker 1: to tell you, even in Canada, it's a vegan cookie
[2:11] Speaker 1: and looks and everybody wants it. According to go from
[2:16] Speaker 1: 200 to 4,100, a lot of people want it. Please
[2:19] Speaker 1: welcome to Money Making Conversation Masterclass so she can tell
[2:23] Speaker 1: her story, how it all started. Dr. Sheikha Little. How
[2:26] Speaker 1: you doing, Dr. Sheikha?
[2:28] Speaker 3: I am doing great, Rashawn. How are you?
[2:30] Speaker 1: A vegan cookie.
[2:33] Speaker 3: Yes, a vegan cookie.
[2:35] Speaker 1: How did that idea start?
[2:38] Speaker 3: Oh, my gosh. Okay, so the idea of a vegan cookie,
[2:42] Speaker 3: we started right at 2020 after the pandemic. I was
[2:48] Speaker 3: an educator. I was in the field of education, education management.
[2:53] Speaker 3: And I'd always been baking on the side, baking on
[2:55] Speaker 3: the weekends, and been baking since I was a teenager
[2:58] Speaker 3: in the South, to be honest. But when I lost
[3:01] Speaker 3: my job, the company closed as a result of COVID.
[3:04] Speaker 3: And the marketing director, she was like, you know what?
[3:07] Speaker 3: You may as well go ahead and start your bakery
[3:09] Speaker 3: at this time.
[3:09] Speaker 1: You know what?
[3:10] Speaker 3: The rest is history.
[3:12] Speaker 1: So basically, you were working a normal job, just like everybody,
[3:15] Speaker 1: 40 hours a week.
[3:16] Speaker 3: Yes.
[3:17] Speaker 1: They had no aspirations of a cookie business.
[3:22] Speaker 3: No, I didn't really think I had it in me.
[3:24] Speaker 3: You know what I'm saying? I never really thought that
[3:26] Speaker 3: that was something.
[3:27] Speaker 1: I could do. Wow. And so, but why vegan? You know,
[3:31] Speaker 1: like I said, I've tasted your cookies. They do taste,
[3:34] Speaker 1: they taste, I have to say, fantastic. And with that
[3:38] Speaker 1: being said, and I'm not a vegan guy. And so,
[3:43] Speaker 1: and I'm, you know, someone tells me when I say
[3:44] Speaker 1: I'm not a vegan guy, I don't know what that means.
[3:47] Speaker 1: All I know is I like Things are the good.
[3:49] Speaker 1: I like good desserts. This dessert hit a home run
[3:52] Speaker 1: with me. Now, with that being said, there are a
[3:55] Speaker 1: lot of cookies out there you could have made that
[3:57] Speaker 1: are non-vegan. Why did you choose vegan?
[4:01] Speaker 3: Okay, so we wanted to make a cookie that is
[4:03] Speaker 3: delicious and flavorful for everybody to enjoy.
[4:07] Speaker 1: Right.
[4:07] Speaker 3: Okay. So I know that there are people out there
[4:10] Speaker 3: with dairy allergies. Some people have lactose intolerance. Some people
[4:14] Speaker 3: don't want the cholesterol. Some people are looking for it.
[4:17] Speaker 3: You know, we're in the age of everybody wants something different.
[4:20] Speaker 2: Right.
[4:20] Speaker 3: But what I do know is that people want something
[4:24] Speaker 3: delicious and flavorful, and we wanted to be able to
[4:27] Speaker 3: have something that everybody enjoyed. So that's why we came
[4:30] Speaker 3: out with the plant-based cookies.
[4:33] Speaker 1: Now, it's called Dr. Shika's Bakery. That's the name of
[4:36] Speaker 1: the brand, correct? Now, I would like to hear a
[4:39] Speaker 1: back story on people because, like I said, and we're
[4:42] Speaker 1: going to get to how it all got launched because
[4:45] Speaker 1: I'm sure there's more to this great story. But where
[4:47] Speaker 1: are you originally from?
[4:49] Speaker 3: I'm originally from Easley, South Carolina. Many people have not
[4:53] Speaker 3: heard about it.
[4:54] Speaker 1: I'm about to say I've been all over South Carolina.
[4:56] Speaker 1: I've never been there, okay? Maybe drove past it real fast,
[4:59] Speaker 1: but I've never stopped. Yes.
[5:01] Speaker 3: You've never been there. So Easley is like in between
[5:04] Speaker 3: Greenville and Clemson. And so if you've ever heard of
[5:07] Speaker 3: the Clemson Tigers and that's an.
[5:09] Speaker 1: Old alma mater.
[5:10] Speaker 2: Yeah.
[5:11] Speaker 3: So it's in between, in between, it's a small city
[5:13] Speaker 3: in between those.
[5:15] Speaker 1: And then you made your way to Atlanta.
[5:18] Speaker 3: Yes, I made my way to Atlanta. Lived there in
[5:21] Speaker 3: Atlanta for about eight years. And then I always had
[5:25] Speaker 3: this dream of moving to L.A. Always had a dream
[5:28] Speaker 3: of moving to L.A., ended up taking a teaching position.
[5:32] Speaker 3: I taught college in Phoenix, Arizona, did that while I
[5:35] Speaker 3: was finishing my doctorate. I was finishing my PhD. And
[5:38] Speaker 3: then I had an opportunity to move out to L.A.
[5:41] Speaker 3: And I was like, OK, this is my time to
[5:44] Speaker 3: actually move to L.A.
[5:46] Speaker 1: Now, here's the fun part, because I do know a
[5:48] Speaker 1: little about her story. Now, she's been laid off. No
[5:53] Speaker 1: aspirations of starting a cookie business. So basically she's doing
[5:58] Speaker 1: a rock and a hard place. What's your next dream?
[6:00] Speaker 1: You know, entrepreneurship wasn't a plan. And I always like
[6:04] Speaker 1: to tell people all dreams, all plans aren't always planned.
[6:08] Speaker 1: Sometimes they happen. When you see it happening, you got
[6:11] Speaker 1: to realize that moment. Tell us what happened in Los Angeles.
[6:16] Speaker 2: Okay.
[6:16] Speaker 3: So in Los Angeles, again, I was doing an education
[6:20] Speaker 3: job here, got laid off. Marketing director said, go for it.
[6:25] Speaker 3: I started doing pop-ups around LA, and so I started
[6:27] Speaker 3: having a celebrity clientele. So I had some people, really
[6:31] Speaker 3: interesting people that came out, like the creator of the show, Entourage,
[6:36] Speaker 3: Doug Ellen. He was one of my biggest cheerleaders and
[6:39] Speaker 3: still is today. And that's one of my favorite shows
[6:42] Speaker 3: for him to come by one of our pop ups
[6:45] Speaker 3: and actually taste our cookies and brownies and give it
[6:48] Speaker 3: a check off. You know, that was a big thing
[6:49] Speaker 3: to me.
[6:50] Speaker 1: Right.
[6:50] Speaker 3: And so from there, you know, he told Terry Weinberg
[6:54] Speaker 3: she was a producer of the TV show The Office,
[6:56] Speaker 3: which is another favorite show of mine. I've even even
[7:00] Speaker 3: got all the way around to making birthday cake for
[7:02] Speaker 3: Jessica Simpson and delivering it at her house. These are
[7:05] Speaker 3: things I never thought that I would do because my
[7:09] Speaker 3: initial goal was not to have a bakery. I was
[7:12] Speaker 3: an educator. I had three degrees in education. I have
[7:15] Speaker 3: a bachelor's, a master's, and a PhD. And so that
[7:19] Speaker 3: was my career path. But God said otherwise.
[7:23] Speaker 1: But I love the fact that you're going to say, look,
[7:26] Speaker 1: I'm still going to keep doctor in my name here.
[7:28] Speaker 1: I may not be using it academically. I might not
[7:30] Speaker 1: be losing it a job, but it's going to be Dr.
[7:33] Speaker 1: Sheikah's bakery. Okay.
[7:35] Speaker 3: Yes.
[7:35] Speaker 2: Yes.
[7:36] Speaker 3: I earned it. I went to school for 17 years
[7:39] Speaker 3: to get that degree. And, you know, being able to
[7:42] Speaker 3: still educate people on having a better for you option,
[7:46] Speaker 3: you know, I'm still educating people, you know, so I'm
[7:48] Speaker 3: bringing that education to the fill of cookies.
[7:51] Speaker 1: Now, let's talk about the different brands because, you know,
[7:54] Speaker 1: you were out there, pop-up, and now I see you
[7:57] Speaker 1: have a chocolate chip, an oatmeal, raisin, a lemon, and
[8:02] Speaker 1: a confetti sugar. Did you have that back when you
[8:05] Speaker 1: started with your pop-up?
[8:07] Speaker 3: No, I didn't. And this is so funny because, again,
[8:11] Speaker 3: I always baked in the South, started from when I
[8:15] Speaker 3: was with my mother and grandmother. And I didn't always
[8:19] Speaker 3: have all these recipes. Like my family's known for making
[8:21] Speaker 3: great red velvet cake, you know what I mean? And
[8:23] Speaker 3: making delicious chocolate cakes, pound cakes, things like that. But honestly,
[8:29] Speaker 3: the time where people would come and ask me, hey,
[8:32] Speaker 3: you know, word got around. Can you make me this?
[8:34] Speaker 3: Can you make me that? You would never believe some
[8:37] Speaker 3: of the things that I made the first time back
[8:38] Speaker 3: then I had never made before. Right, right. Never made before.
[8:42] Speaker 3: And so it was like a learning experience. And one
[8:46] Speaker 3: thing that I do know is is I put my
[8:48] Speaker 3: heart and soul into everything that I make. And so,
[8:51] Speaker 3: you know, if it wasn't perfect, I would make it again.
[8:53] Speaker 1: Right.
[8:54] Speaker 3: If it wasn't to my satisfaction, I would make it again.
[8:57] Speaker 3: So my goal was to make sure that someone would say,
[9:00] Speaker 3: you know what, this is the best cookie I ever had. Right.
[9:03] Speaker 3: This is the best brownie I ever had. And I
[9:05] Speaker 3: really still stand on that principle today.
[9:07] Speaker 1: Right. Now let's talk about developing the different flavors. So
[9:11] Speaker 1: when the person from the office came by, the person
[9:14] Speaker 1: from the series entourage came by, What cookies or what
[9:18] Speaker 1: desserts were they eating that they were, you know, just
[9:21] Speaker 1: appraising you for your desserts?
[9:25] Speaker 3: Okay. So they love the chocolate chip cookies. They love
[9:28] Speaker 3: the oatmeal. They love the lemon cookies. And they love
[9:32] Speaker 3: our brownies. And we're going to come out with them
[9:34] Speaker 3: one day soon. Not right now, but a little bit later.
[9:37] Speaker 3: But they really love the wholesomeness of everything that I
[9:41] Speaker 3: bake because they I use premium ingredients. And actually, we
[9:45] Speaker 3: have a signature flavor. We have our own flavor line
[9:48] Speaker 3: that's actually built into every product that we make. So
[9:52] Speaker 3: it has a unique taste. And you won't find that
[9:55] Speaker 3: anywhere else because it's our unique flavor.
[10:00] Speaker 1: Now, so you have chocolate chip, oatmeal, raisin. Oatmeal, raisin,
[10:04] Speaker 1: I don't know why I'm separating it because oatmeal, raisin
[10:06] Speaker 1: is one of my favorite cookies. Lemon and confetti sugar.
[10:10] Speaker 1: Then you also have cookie dough mix. So one can
[10:15] Speaker 1: buy the cookie, As is, or you can make the cookie.
[10:19] Speaker 1: Why was that part of the plan?
[10:22] Speaker 3: Okay. So you know how one thing always leads to another.
[10:26] Speaker 1: No, I don't. No, I don't. Dr.
[10:28] Speaker 4: Sheeker.
[10:28] Speaker 1: I am interviewing you. Okay, please. I'm very naive about
[10:32] Speaker 1: this whole development. So please explain it to me and
[10:35] Speaker 1: the audience.
[10:36] Speaker 3: Okay. So after we were doing the pop-up, so we
[10:40] Speaker 3: had an opportunity where we can open up a small
[10:42] Speaker 3: kiosk at one of the malls here in LA and
[10:44] Speaker 3: So we took that opportunity. We did a small kiosk
[10:47] Speaker 3: at the mall for like a year and a half.
[10:49] Speaker 3: And it was great because it was a great testing ground.
[10:52] Speaker 3: People would come by, try the products. We would get
[10:54] Speaker 3: the feedback. And, of course, I couldn't be there like
[10:58] Speaker 3: all the time, but I wanted to make sure that
[11:00] Speaker 3: I hired bakers that could make the desserts like I could.
[11:03] Speaker 3: So in order to have the consistency, I started making
[11:07] Speaker 3: these cookie mixes and putting them in the bag. So
[11:10] Speaker 3: the person would only have to add the dry, the
[11:12] Speaker 3: wet ingredients. They would only have to add the butter
[11:15] Speaker 3: and the water. And eventually I started thinking, I was like,
[11:19] Speaker 3: you know what? I'm really making cookie mix. I should
[11:22] Speaker 3: be putting this in the bag to sell this as well.
[11:25] Speaker 3: So that's how that came about because we will have
[11:27] Speaker 3: customers at the mall who they would come by and say, oh,
[11:30] Speaker 3: I love this, but I wish I could ship something
[11:33] Speaker 3: to my sister in Brooklyn, or I wish my relative
[11:37] Speaker 3: in North Carolina could have some of these cookies. So
[11:40] Speaker 3: I started thinking more about it, and I was like,
[11:43] Speaker 3: you know what, the cookie mix is the answer. You know,
[11:45] Speaker 3: we can ship that anywhere. They can just add their
[11:47] Speaker 3: own butter and water. It's super easy to make.
[11:50] Speaker 1: So it's one stick of vegan butter, right? It's one
[11:52] Speaker 1: stick of soft vegan butter, and it's two tablespoons of
[11:56] Speaker 1: warm water. That's it.
[11:57] Speaker 3: Yes, exactly. Yeah, that's it.
[11:59] Speaker 4: That's it.
[12:00] Speaker 3: And it tastes just like we would bake it. Wow.
[12:04] Speaker 1: Now, to my understanding that community, giving back to the community,
[12:10] Speaker 1: being able to give community options is very part of
[12:12] Speaker 1: your brand over at Dr. Sheeker's Bakery. You want to
[12:16] Speaker 1: give schools, organizations, parents opportunities to raise funds using your product.
[12:24] Speaker 1: Tell us about that.
[12:26] Speaker 4: Yes.
[12:26] Speaker 3: So we are exploring a new fundraising opportunity where you
[12:30] Speaker 3: can actually go on our website, which is coming very,
[12:34] Speaker 3: very soon. If you're interested, just go to our website,
[12:38] Speaker 3: hit the fundraiser button, fill out an inquiry, and we
[12:41] Speaker 3: will be getting back with you as soon as we
[12:43] Speaker 3: get that going. But that's about two weeks away. But
[12:46] Speaker 3: the interesting thing is that customers can be able to
[12:51] Speaker 3: fundraise and be able to buy our ready-to-eat cookies as
[12:54] Speaker 3: well as our cookie mixes and be able to raise
[12:57] Speaker 3: some money for the organization.
[12:59] Speaker 1: We're giving away 50%. Because I get the flyers say
[13:03] Speaker 1: the sales that they get, they get 50% of the sales.
[13:06] Speaker 3: Yes, they get 50% of the sales. And it's a
[13:09] Speaker 3: fantastic way to raise money.
[13:10] Speaker 1: And you do all the delivery. You do all the packaging.
[13:14] Speaker 1: So if they do a sale, the product is delivered
[13:16] Speaker 1: directly to that person's door. And so all they have
[13:19] Speaker 1: to do now is, The site you said will be
[13:21] Speaker 1: ready in a couple of weeks or a week. It
[13:23] Speaker 1: might be ready tomorrow. Who knows? When this airs, you
[13:26] Speaker 1: know what I'm saying? Because I don't want people to
[13:28] Speaker 1: hear this a week from now and next week it starts.
[13:31] Speaker 1: But I think you are allowing people to go to
[13:34] Speaker 1: your website and fill out an inquiry form, which means
[13:37] Speaker 1: fill out the email address and their name, and then
[13:40] Speaker 1: let them know what type of fundraiser they want to do,
[13:43] Speaker 1: the amount of people, how much they're trying to raise.
[13:45] Speaker 1: We don't want any personal security information. This is just
[13:49] Speaker 1: typical information to contact you when the site's up and ready,
[13:53] Speaker 1: the fundraising site, and that site allows the person who participates,
[13:57] Speaker 1: that organization, the forever funds that they raise, they get 50%
[14:01] Speaker 1: of those fund dollars, and they don't have to do
[14:05] Speaker 1: any work. All the product is shipped directly to them.
[14:08] Speaker 3: Absolutely. It's the easiest money you can make. And a
[14:11] Speaker 3: delicious way.
[14:12] Speaker 1: To do it. It's fantastic. I'm glad you're doing that.
[14:15] Speaker 1: I'm glad you're offering that to the community because a
[14:17] Speaker 1: lot of people are looking for different ways, especially a
[14:20] Speaker 1: lot of schools are being underfunded. You know, school teachers
[14:22] Speaker 1: don't have supplies. They can get in the classroom. And
[14:25] Speaker 1: this is a way where parents can support teachers and
[14:27] Speaker 1: teachers can get the students to support themselves and also
[14:32] Speaker 1: football uniforms and all those things. So, again, Dr. Shika,
[14:35] Speaker 1: that's an amazing part of what you're doing with your brand.
[14:37] Speaker 1: When we get back, we're going to find out about
[14:39] Speaker 1: this lunch. I see Dubai on here. I see Canada
[14:42] Speaker 1: on here. All I'm just trying to do is just
[14:43] Speaker 1: go around the corner and get me some. That's all
[14:45] Speaker 1: I'm just saying. We'll be right back with more Money
[14:47] Speaker 1: Making Conversations Masterclass. Talking to Dr. Shika. Dr. Shika Little.
[14:52] Speaker 1: Been here in L.A., got laid off because of COVID.
[14:55] Speaker 1: Didn't stop her. Went over to L.A. I mean, was
[14:57] Speaker 1: in Atlanta. And COVID got to her. Went to L.A.,
[15:00] Speaker 1: opened pop-up stores. Now she's nationwide.
[15:03] Speaker 2: Please, don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more
[15:07] Speaker 2: Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money Making
[15:18] Speaker 2: Conversations Masterclass hosted by Rashawn McDonald.
[15:22] Speaker 1: A person who I talk about all the time on
[15:25] Speaker 1: the show. I talk about people who have an idea
[15:28] Speaker 1: and a lot of people are naysayers. They tell them
[15:31] Speaker 1: that don't make any sense. That would never happen. But
[15:34] Speaker 1: that didn't stop her. COVID didn't stop her. Being laid
[15:36] Speaker 1: off didn't stop her. She was highly, she is highly educated,
[15:40] Speaker 1: but that didn't mean that she couldn't switch gears, because
[15:44] Speaker 1: a lot of people stay in that track. Well, this
[15:45] Speaker 1: is what I went to school for. This is what
[15:46] Speaker 1: I was told to do. This is the relationship I'm
[15:49] Speaker 1: supposed to be in, but not her. But she saw
[15:53] Speaker 1: an opportunity and people motivated you. And I think that's
[15:56] Speaker 1: the key in this conversation with you, Dr. Sheikha, is
[15:58] Speaker 1: that people... unknowingly, and their compliments inspired you to get
[16:05] Speaker 1: to this point here, because you didn't know. You just
[16:09] Speaker 1: was doing something that you were talented at. But when
[16:12] Speaker 1: a moment arised, you didn't hesitate to deliver. Is that correct?
[16:17] Speaker 3: Yes, that is correct. That is correct. And honestly, like
[16:21] Speaker 3: I told you, I came from a family of bakers.
[16:24] Speaker 3: But just to be honest with you, Rishon, Even when
[16:28] Speaker 3: I lived in Atlanta, I didn't even know I really
[16:30] Speaker 3: had the talent of baking. You know what I mean?
[16:32] Speaker 3: I always baked cookies with my daughters and, you know,
[16:36] Speaker 3: baked for family, you know, for family gatherings and things
[16:39] Speaker 3: like that. But I didn't know that I had this
[16:42] Speaker 3: hidden talent until I was laid off from my job.
[16:45] Speaker 3: And I had to make a move at that point.
[16:47] Speaker 3: I was like, you know what? I got to do something.
[16:50] Speaker 2: Right.
[16:51] Speaker 1: Right. And in doing that, and so when I see,
[16:54] Speaker 1: I'm just going down this resume of things, because you've
[16:57] Speaker 1: got to launch these cookies now. Let's talk about that launch,
[17:00] Speaker 1: you know, because you're going to be in over 4,100 stores.
[17:03] Speaker 1: I mentioned some of the brands, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls,
[17:06] Speaker 1: throughout the U.S. and Canada. What is a launch? What
[17:09] Speaker 1: exactly do you have to do? Because a lot of
[17:12] Speaker 1: people need to realize that just because stores have your product,
[17:16] Speaker 1: you still have a lot of work to do. Tell
[17:18] Speaker 1: us about the process.
[17:20] Speaker 3: Oh, yes, absolutely. So these cookies have shipped about two
[17:23] Speaker 3: and a half weeks ago. And right now we're like
[17:26] Speaker 3: going into the stores and, you know, every day I'm
[17:28] Speaker 3: going into a store. Are they here yet? Are they
[17:31] Speaker 3: here yet? Are they here yet? And they should be
[17:34] Speaker 3: there any day now. But the thing is, as an
[17:37] Speaker 3: entrepreneur and having a business like this, you can't wait
[17:41] Speaker 3: to start marketing when a product gets on the shelf.
[17:44] Speaker 3: Your marketing efforts need to start way before that product
[17:48] Speaker 3: gets to the store. And so that's one tidbit that
[17:51] Speaker 3: I can give to people. You know, when you have
[17:54] Speaker 3: a product that's going on the shelves, you want to
[17:57] Speaker 3: make sure that it flies off the shelf.
[18:00] Speaker 1: And that's important because of the fact that, and you don't,
[18:03] Speaker 1: you know, and that's what you're doing right now. You're saying, Rashawn,
[18:06] Speaker 1: as I do this interview right now, my product may
[18:08] Speaker 1: not be where somebody is hearing it, but they need
[18:11] Speaker 1: to know, go in and ask for it. Go and say, hey,
[18:14] Speaker 1: I heard about a Dr. Sheeker's Bakery is coming here.
[18:17] Speaker 1: Cookies are coming here. Do you have them? Because that's
[18:20] Speaker 1: what you want, right? You want people to want your cookies.
[18:23] Speaker 1: You want people to ask for your cookies. And then
[18:25] Speaker 1: when it gets there, somehow they get moved to the
[18:27] Speaker 1: front a little quicker because people know. Because these stores,
[18:31] Speaker 1: as she's mentioned, are in the business of making money,
[18:33] Speaker 1: ladies and gentlemen. They want whatever they put on their
[18:37] Speaker 1: shelf to get sold. Now, if people are coming and
[18:40] Speaker 1: asking for the cookie, then guess what? They get excited.
[18:43] Speaker 1: And they want to make sure next time you come
[18:45] Speaker 1: in and ask, you find it. And so that's what
[18:48] Speaker 1: this is all about, correct?
[18:50] Speaker 3: Correct. Yep, absolutely.
[18:52] Speaker 1: Now, let's talk about the roadshow. Now, I hear my
[18:57] Speaker 1: wife's favorite store is Costco. We go to Costco all
[18:59] Speaker 1: the time. Now, Costco, you're going to be doing a
[19:02] Speaker 1: roadshow in Costco. What exactly is that?
[19:05] Speaker 3: So the roadshow in Costco is going to start next
[19:08] Speaker 3: month here in L.A., And basically what a road show is,
[19:11] Speaker 3: it's like a demonstration. It's almost like whenever you're walking
[19:15] Speaker 3: around and you're tasting everything new. Yeah, it's the fun
[19:20] Speaker 3: part of Costco. It's where you get full, you walk around,
[19:23] Speaker 3: you get full, and you're like, hey, I don't even
[19:25] Speaker 3: need to eat dinner anymore because I'm full.
[19:27] Speaker 1: Yes, yes, yes, yes.
[19:30] Speaker 3: That's a road show.
[19:32] Speaker 1: Oh, yes. She's had to stop me several times. Rochelle,
[19:36] Speaker 1: you know you're not going to buy that. Well, they
[19:38] Speaker 1: offered it to me. Can I just try it?
[19:40] Speaker 2: Okay.
[19:40] Speaker 1: Try it.
[19:41] Speaker 3: Just taste it.
[19:42] Speaker 1: Just taste it. And so now this is the thing
[19:44] Speaker 1: that really got me excited about you. You was recently
[19:48] Speaker 1: selected to be a speaker. at the largest snacks and
[19:52] Speaker 1: sweet show in the Middle East called ISM. And that's Dubai.
[19:59] Speaker 3: Yes, that is in Dubai. Now, I kid you not,
[20:02] Speaker 3: earlier this year, I did not even have a passport.
[20:05] Speaker 3: I did not even have a passport. But because I'm
[20:09] Speaker 3: a dreamer, like you've introduced me, I'm a dreamer. First
[20:13] Speaker 3: and foremost, I was like, you know what, let me
[20:14] Speaker 3: go ahead and get this passport because I'm going to
[20:17] Speaker 3: prepare myself for the doors that the Lord is about
[20:19] Speaker 3: to open up for me. Now, also keep in mind,
[20:23] Speaker 3: Dubai is like a place I've always wanted to go.
[20:25] Speaker 3: But when I got that email about a month ago
[20:28] Speaker 3: that said, hey, we would like for you to be
[20:31] Speaker 3: an expert speaker on our, not even a panel, they're
[20:35] Speaker 3: giving me the floor to speak for 30 minutes based
[20:39] Speaker 3: on green snacking, based on, you know, a plant-based approach.
[20:44] Speaker 3: I'll have the stage for that long of a time
[20:47] Speaker 3: to be able to talk about what I've been crafting here. Delicious, flavorful,
[20:51] Speaker 3: plant-based dessert. Look at that.
[20:54] Speaker 1: I'll tell you something. My mouth is dropped open because
[20:57] Speaker 1: that is like, you can't buy that. That is awesome.
[21:02] Speaker 1: You don't know how you were submitted. You don't know
[21:04] Speaker 1: how they contacted you. But the opportunity is going to
[21:07] Speaker 1: be made available for you to present your tartar now internationally.
[21:12] Speaker 3: Yes, internationally. So they're going to have 30,000 buyers from
[21:17] Speaker 3: 50 different countries at the show. So that tells you
[21:20] Speaker 3: the magnitude of this show.
[21:23] Speaker 2: Wow.
[21:23] Speaker 1: Okay. That's one place, ladies and gentlemen. I'm just telling
[21:26] Speaker 1: you about the dreamer here. Dr. Sheikha's Bakery. Cookies. Canada
[21:30] Speaker 1: Minority Program. You were selected to be part of the
[21:33] Speaker 1: trade show for the Minority Supplier Program in Toronto.
[21:39] Speaker 3: Yes. That's in Toronto, Canada. That's the first week of September. Again,
[21:44] Speaker 3: this is an opportunity.
[21:45] Speaker 1: Dr. Chica, what you want to do to me is like, no, no,
[21:48] Speaker 1: this is amazing stuff. You just said Dubai, now you're
[21:53] Speaker 1: in Canada and you just, and you just the cookie lady.
[21:56] Speaker 3: Okay. Yes. I'm the cookie lady. Yes. And there are
[22:00] Speaker 3: very few brands that are plant-based, but there are a
[22:03] Speaker 3: lot of people in Canada that are plant-based. And so
[22:07] Speaker 3: they have an initiative to, to bring as many products,
[22:10] Speaker 3: even if they have to import them, into the country.
[22:14] Speaker 3: And we were selected for this program. And being a
[22:16] Speaker 3: minority female, oh, my gosh, that really just floored me
[22:21] Speaker 3: to be a part of this program in general to
[22:24] Speaker 3: bring more plant-based products to Canada.
[22:27] Speaker 1: And so when you go there with your product, you
[22:29] Speaker 1: talk about the number of buyers that are going to
[22:31] Speaker 1: be in Dubai, potentially internationally. What is the Canada Minority Program?
[22:36] Speaker 1: What are you presenting to them and who's going to
[22:38] Speaker 1: see your product?
[22:40] Speaker 3: Okay, so we have appointments. They already have appointments set
[22:43] Speaker 3: up with buyers that are already ready for our product.
[22:46] Speaker 3: They're already ready. We're going to be closing deals in Canada.
[22:52] Speaker 1: Congratulations. Thank you. Just an idea. You didn't think you
[22:56] Speaker 1: was a cook. I just got to keep rehashing your story.
[23:00] Speaker 1: Got laid off. COVID. One of the darkest moments in
[23:04] Speaker 1: the history of this country. And then you just started
[23:07] Speaker 1: doing pop-ups in L.A. And when somebody asked you to
[23:10] Speaker 1: do something, you didn't hesitate. If you didn't do it right,
[23:13] Speaker 1: you learned how to do it. If that cake didn't
[23:14] Speaker 1: taste good, you threw it in the trash. You was
[23:16] Speaker 1: not going to deliver a cake that didn't taste good.
[23:20] Speaker 1: And now some major corporations speaking. Let's talk about that. Kellogg's.
[23:30] Speaker 2: Yes.
[23:30] Speaker 1: Mars.
[23:32] Speaker 2: Yes.
[23:34] Speaker 1: On the green snacking. Now, this is a young lady.
[23:38] Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Sheikah didn't even have a passport
[23:41] Speaker 1: in January. And I'm not saying that as a put down,
[23:49] Speaker 1: I'm just saying that it could all it could happen
[23:51] Speaker 1: for anyone who's listening to this show. If they believe it,
[23:54] Speaker 1: if they. Don't let naysayers step in the way of
[23:57] Speaker 1: their opportunities. Don't let negative moments say, this is it.
[24:01] Speaker 1: I'm going back to whatever I was supposed to do.
[24:03] Speaker 1: This is not going to work. And now you are
[24:06] Speaker 1: being presented to yourself. So what's the end game for this?
[24:09] Speaker 1: When I'm sending all this information to you, you're having
[24:13] Speaker 1: fundraising opportunities presented for your product. You're going to be
[24:17] Speaker 1: in Dubai. You're going to be in Canada, Kellogg's, Mars.
[24:21] Speaker 1: You're going to be in 4,100 stores. What is the
[24:24] Speaker 1: ultimate blessing there? for your future, my friend, because you
[24:27] Speaker 1: are definitely being blessed.
[24:30] Speaker 3: Yes, God is good. All glory to him. My goal
[24:34] Speaker 3: really is to be like the Betty Crocker or the
[24:37] Speaker 3: Nabisco of plant-based cookies. So whenever you walk into your
[24:40] Speaker 3: grocery store, whether you're looking for a cookie mix, brownie mix,
[24:44] Speaker 3: cake mix, you're looking for cookies ready to eat, whatever
[24:47] Speaker 3: you're looking for, we're able to provide that. But to
[24:50] Speaker 3: also be able to have my face is the logo
[24:54] Speaker 3: of on the product, you know, for my kids and
[24:57] Speaker 3: grandkids legacy. I mean, that's, that's my goal as well
[25:01] Speaker 3: as to be able to give back to the community.
[25:03] Speaker 1: Yeah. And that's really important. So the flavors are, do
[25:06] Speaker 1: you have any, like, are you going to do any
[25:08] Speaker 1: seasonal stuff? Because time of the year, some people do like,
[25:11] Speaker 1: you know, Chick-fil-A, they got the seasonal stuff and a
[25:14] Speaker 1: lot of products do that. What are your seasonal products
[25:17] Speaker 1: you have coming up?
[25:19] Speaker 3: Let me tell you a little bit about it. So
[25:21] Speaker 3: for like our holiday flavors, we have a really nice,
[25:24] Speaker 3: hot chocolate cookie. It kind of reminds you of a
[25:27] Speaker 3: cup of hot chocolate. It has chocolate, dark chocolate chips,
[25:32] Speaker 3: white chocolate chips. But when you have one, I promise
[25:35] Speaker 3: you can't eat just one. We have red velvet cookies
[25:39] Speaker 3: coming down the pipeline. We also have our banana pudding cookies.
[25:42] Speaker 3: So we have some really good flavors that are going
[25:45] Speaker 3: to be around for the holidays. So, yeah, get ready.
[25:49] Speaker 1: And they become popular. They become part of the regular.
[25:51] Speaker 1: If they become that popular, they're just going to stay seasonal.
[25:54] Speaker 3: Oh, well, you know what? If we need to continue to,
[25:57] Speaker 3: we would like to roll them out as a permanent item.
[26:01] Speaker 3: But we have a lot of plans for, you know,
[26:03] Speaker 3: definitely limited editions as well. So we'll see how it goes.
[26:08] Speaker 1: Well, my friend, I can tell you how it's going
[26:10] Speaker 1: right now. It seems like it's going fantastic. And I'm
[26:13] Speaker 1: so happy you took the time in your busy schedule
[26:16] Speaker 1: because obviously you need a passport because you're about to
[26:19] Speaker 1: go on your road show. You bought 4,120 stores. You're
[26:24] Speaker 1: going to Canada. You're going to Dubai. And I've interviewed
[26:29] Speaker 1: a lot of people on this show. And, you know,
[26:32] Speaker 1: everybody has a dream. I have a dream. And this
[26:35] Speaker 1: show is about money-making conversation masterclass. And people tell their
[26:38] Speaker 1: secrets to success. And if you had to say your
[26:41] Speaker 1: secret is to success, what would you say it is?
[26:45] Speaker 3: I'm going to say stay prayed up. That's the most important.
[26:50] Speaker 3: Like before I start my day, When I sit in
[26:52] Speaker 3: my chair in front of this computer, I'm like, Jesus,
[26:56] Speaker 3: take the wheel. Because, like, you're challenged throughout the day.
[27:00] Speaker 3: You're working with vendors. You're working with retailers. You're working
[27:04] Speaker 3: with buyers. You're working with so many personalities, so many timelines.
[27:08] Speaker 3: So you got to have faith. You know what I mean?
[27:12] Speaker 3: Because it's not easy. It's not an easy thing. And
[27:15] Speaker 3: especially for, you know, a minority female, it's even harder.
[27:19] Speaker 3: It's even harder for us. And so, you know, just
[27:23] Speaker 3: stay prayed up. That's the best advice I can give.
[27:26] Speaker 1: And then follow that up with a lot of hard work, okay?
[27:29] Speaker 3: Yes, exactly. A lot of hard work.
[27:31] Speaker 1: Dr. Chica, thank you for coming on my show, Money-Making
[27:33] Speaker 1: Conversation Masterclass, and good luck. And send me some postcards,
[27:37] Speaker 1: you know, when you're in Dubai, when you're in Canada.
[27:39] Speaker 1: You know, don't forget about a brother. This has been
[27:42] Speaker 1: another edition of Money-Making Conversation Masterclass, hosted by me, Rashawn McDonald.
[27:47] Speaker 4: Thank you to our guests on the show today. And
[27:49] Speaker 4: thank you, our listening audience. Now, if you want to
[27:52] Speaker 4: listen to any episode or want to be a guest
[27:54] Speaker 4: on the show, visit MoneyMakingConversations.com. Our social media handle is MoneyMakingConversations.
[28:01] Speaker 4: Join us next week. And remember to always lead with
[28:03] Speaker 4: your gifts.
[28:04] Speaker 1: Keep winning.

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