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Elizabeth Nelson, the esteemed proprietor of Milkin' Cookie, elucidates her journey in the realm of lactation support through delectable, nutrient-dense cookies specifically designed for mothers who are either expecting or recently postpartum. With an unwavering commitment to promoting health and wellness, Elizabeth shares her personal experience that catalyzed the inception of her company, illustrating how these cookies not only enhanced her lactation but transformed her life. The episode delves into the profound impact of her products on the community, addressing the nutritional needs of mothers while simultaneously appealing to families seeking healthier indulgences. Furthermore, Elizabeth discusses her ambitious plans for expansion, including the forthcoming launch of a family line of cookies that will cater to the broader demands of households. Through this conversation, we gain insights into the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship, particularly within the health and wellness sector, as Elizabeth navigates the complexities of growing her brand in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Elizabeth Nelson, founder of Milkin' Cookie, shares an inspiring narrative that intricately connects her personal experiences as a mother to her entrepreneurial journey. The conversation reveals how Elizabeth's challenges with lactation after the birth of her children led her to discover the efficacy of lactation cookies, a revelation that ultimately inspired her to acquire a cookie company. Her story is one of transformation, where a personal necessity became the foundation for a business dedicated to helping new mothers. Elizabeth’s passion for supporting postpartum women is evident as she discusses her mission to provide tasty, nutrient-dense cookies that promote milk production and overall wellness. As we engage in a detailed examination of her business evolution, Elizabeth outlines the substantial changes she implemented upon taking over. From rebranding strategies to expanding the product line, her approach reflects a deep understanding of both her market and her consumers. She articulates her commitment to maintaining high quality by using only organic and natural ingredients, positioning Milkin' Cookie as a guilt-free indulgence for mothers and their families alike. The upcoming launch of her family line of cookies demonstrates her responsiveness to customer needs, addressing the common issue of family dynamics where children and partners often covet the nutritious treats meant for nursing mothers. Moreover, the discussion provides an insightful glimpse into the realities of running a small business. Elizabeth candidly shares the multifaceted challenges she faces as a solo entrepreneur, from production bottlenecks to the necessity of forging retail partnerships. Her determination to grow Milkin' Cookie while balancing the demands of motherhood showcases the resilience required in the entrepreneurial landscape. The episode culminates in a call to action for listeners, encouraging them to seek out Milkin' Cookie products and to support local businesses, reinforcing the importance of community and collaboration in achieving success.

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Takeaways:

1. Elizabeth Nelson, the founder of Milkin' Cookie, emphasizes the importance of nutrient-dense foods for lactation support.
2. The inception of Milkin' Cookie stemmed from Elizabeth's personal postpartum experiences with lactation and milk production.
3. The upcoming launch of a family line of cookies aims to cater to both nursing mothers and their families.
4. Milkin' Cookie products are crafted from organic, preservative-free ingredients, setting them apart from conventional cookies.
5. Elizabeth's journey reflects a remarkable transition from healthcare professional to successful entrepreneur in the food industry.
6. The company seeks partnerships with retail spaces to make their lactation cookies more accessible to consumers.

All right, this is the Charlotte Business podcast booth.

I am C.J.

williams.

Be sure to check us out wherever you get your podcast.

Spotify, Appleapple, and on YouTube you get to see my pretty face.

But you also get to see my Lovely guest here, Ms. Elizabeth.

This interview, by the way, is brought to you by Podcast Titans.

They are Charlotte's premier podcast production.

They help you with publishing, planning and producing your podcast.

Check them out.

Podcasttitans.com and let's get into it, Ms. Elizabeth.

Let's do it.

We're at Charlotte's Business Owners Charlotte Business Owners Network working event right here in Uptown Charlotte.

What are you doing here?

I am here.

It's my first time, but I am here to tell the whole world about my cookie company.

I own a company called Milk and Cookie.

We are a health and wellness brand.

We focus on helping moms at the moment who are currently expecting or recently postpartum.

We help them make more milk by providing them with delicious nutrient dense lactation cookies.

And in April, we're going to be launching a family line of cookies to help moms feed their families really good sweets and treats.

What's it called again?

Called Milkin Cookie.

M I L K I N Cookie.

Milkin Cookie.

Milkin Cookie.

Where did this idea come from?

Well, you wouldn't believe me if I told you.

Milk and cookie literally fell into my life.

I had my first son.

I was only able to nurse him for eight months.

And then when I got pregnant with my daughter, a group of my girlfriends were getting together and we were gonna do Secret Santa.

And I said I would like for my Secret Santa to bring me lactation support things.

And so a girlfriend of mine gave me a bag of the cookie.

After I had my daughter, I baked them and I went from not having enough milk to being back in the hospital with mastitis.

I had so much milk.

So I get online, I'm like, oh my God, I gotta have more of these things.

And the company was for sale.

And in my postpartum, I don't know, psychosis, craziness maybe, I thought this sounds like a great idea.

So I bought the company because I've literally believed in it so much.

And I ended up nursing my daughter for 26 months.

And the only difference between my son and my daughter was these cookies.

Wow.

So if that's not a testament to how well they work.

They work.

So you bought a company?

I bought a company.

How that work?

How did you get the capital for that?

I self funded it.

Self funded?

I mean, it wasn't like I bought Apple or anything.

It wasn't like a billion dollars, but that is what people think sometimes.

So you bought this business?

I did.

How has it done since you bought it?

Well, it's undergone a massive brand transformation.

So when I bought was a small local.

It started out as a just a mom baking lactation cookies for herself and then her friends.

These are great, you should sell them.

And then when I came on board, I expanded it from there.

Got us into hospitals, got us into retail stores, completely redid the branding, but stuck with the lactation because at the time I was obviously nursing babies and I was in that realm.

Now that I have a four year old and an eight year old, we are expanding and launching a family line.

Same trusted ingredients that are good for you.

Not gonna, you know, they're gonna balance your blood sugar, not going to give you all the gross like you side effect, the cookies you eat at the grocery store because they're all preservative free, all organic, all the things.

So it's gotten bigger since I took over.

So not the same stuff in it as Chips Ahoy.

Correct.

We are all natural, all organic ingredients.

Ahoy.

Listen, if you love a Chips Ahoy, you need to come pick one of my chocolate chip cookies and you will never look back, baby.

So talk about as you would.

You bought this company, you had to rebrand it, take it into you taking this product all over the place.

Had to put my spin on it, my hot pink, my sparkle.

How many people were involved in that?

There was a definitely a team.

I had.

I've had some great coaches along the way, some excellent mentors, people.

You know, I come from a medical and healthcare background and I knew nothing of running a business.

So I really had to seek out help and just ask questions.

And this was before chat.

GPT was a thing.

Right now I'm like, y' all have it too easy.

How's it going now with the marketing and everything?

It's going really well.

So we're in the process, like I said, of relaunching.

We're going to have a brand new bag design that comes comes out in April.

We're also going to launch the family line.

So right now the company is milk and cooking and we only have one line.

We are going to have two lines, will still be milk and cookie, but we're going to have milk and mama, which is going to focus on our nursing moms getting them the ingredients, the good nutrition that they need to support their babies.

But we're also going to launch milk and Family.

Because the overwhelming response that I get from moms is my husband steals these, my kids are eating these.

And I'm like, okay, but these are for you, mama.

This is a treat for you.

So we need to get something else for the husbands and the kiddos.

Definitely.

So this helps those moms.

So my wife, she was pumping a lot with my son.

Yep.

So it just helps like speed up that process it.

So here's the thing.

If you want to make milk, you have to eat food.

And it's not enough to eat any food.

You have to eat good nutrient dense food.

But who wants to sit around and who has the time to cook all of these?

Like, you know, cook all the things that you need.

So that's sort of where milk and cookie comes in.

We're giving you that guilt free treat of you're eating a cookie, but it's made, made with all organic, all natural, preservative free ingredients.

No fenugreek because, you know, certain people don't respond to that, you know, things of that nature.

So that's where we come in.

It's guilt free snacking with a purpose.

Cool.

So what do you help?

What kind of connections are you hoping to make here?

So I would love to meet anyone that has a retail space.

So anyone that would like, that would want to either stock the milk and cookie mixes because they come like in a bag, or you can buy them baked.

So if you've got like a coffee shop and they, you know, they don't maybe have the ability to bake in house.

I can bake them, ship them to you, you can sell them.

Anyone with a retail store, anyone in health care.

You know, we work a lot with pediatric dentists, we work a lot with chiropractors, we work a lot with health food stores, the hospitals as well.

So really any, anyone who's, who's eating and wants to eat something that they're not going to feel bad about is exactly who we want to talk to.

So would you say that's like the main struggle right now is just getting a product into, more into retail?

Yeah.

Well, I mean I'm a one woman, just me.

So not only am I doing all the baking, I'm making, doing it by hand, I'm making the mixes by hand.

I'm putting out the social media, I'm, you know, trying to hit 10 to 15, you know, retailers a week and there's only so many hours in the day as well as being a mom,

all the things who's going to be how many People, it's just you.

So who's gonna be your first hire?

What type of person?

The first person I would hire would be someone who can help me keep up with production, because that's where I am sort of struggling at the moment.

It's like bottleneck right now.

That's the bottleneck.

I mean, I need more hands in the day.

Hopefully we'll be in a commercial kitchen by the end of the year.

Right now, I'm a home processor licensed by the Department of Agriculture, so I do everything at home.

They come in and do the inspectors, all the things.

So it's a nice, clean home.

But that's really where, you know, you want to expand.

And I would love for someone to call me and say, I need 5,000 cookies by tomorrow.

And I'm like, I don't know if I can do that.

I can get it to you in a week.

So really, that would be the first person I bring on is an extra pair of pants to help with production.

Could you take that person on now or what?

Truthfully, I probably could, but I probably need a little push to do it.

Like what?

Confidence maybe.

You know, I feel like if I'm gonna bring someone on, I need to be able to fully commit to honoring the ability to give them a certain number of hours and.

And pay them a salary.

And again, you know, I'm so dependent on, you know, marketing and sales.

I wouldn't want to let them down.

Probably.

I could probably could.

I probably should.

My husband wants me to.

He's my unoffic pair of hands.

I also put my children to work.

They're the cookie tasters, obviously.

And my son loves to put the stamps on the bottom of the bags, the dates that they expire.

And my daughter will help me put the bows and the twist ties on.

And everybody involved.

Exactly.

I mean, it's truly a family business.

How can people find you?

They can find me on the Internet.

Our website is www.milkindcookie.com.

instagram is at the milk and cookie, and we also have a Facebook page.

Okay, great.

Right.

Anything else?

Final thoughts?

If you need any help, let me know.

Thank you.

Nice to meet you, sweetheart.

Thank you for having me.