Cleveland Cookie Dough Company

New episode thumbnail.png

EPISODE 1​

VICKI KOTRIS | CLEVELAND COOKIE DOUGH COMPANY​

Check out Cleveland Cookie Dough Company at clecookiedough.com.

Follow Cleveland Cookie Dough Company (@clecookiedough, @remixxicecream) on Instagram.

Follow Vicki on (@victoc) on Instagram // LinkedIn.

Check out Vicki’s recommendations for books, podcasts and social inspiration HERE.

Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // LinkedIn // Newsletter

Don’t have time for the full episode? Read our email recap HERE.

———————————————

Vicki Kotris is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cleveland Cookie Dough Company & Remixx (launching summer 2020). 

When she wasn't satisfied with the monotony of corporate America, she turned to entrepreneurship to satisfy her creative endeavors. On a trip to New York City with her husband Steve in 2018, Vicki discovered edible cookie dough and instantly knew it would be a hit in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.

What started out as a passion project has since seen tremendous growth and excitement throughout Ohio. Vicki and her team now have a bright pink food truck, pop-up shop and several exciting brand collaborations in the works. As if that wasn't enough, Vicki is taking another step towards dessert domination in 2020 with Remixx, a next generation ice cream storefront that makes custom soft-serve McFlurry type goodness.

Tune in to hear Vicki's inspiring story and leave a review!

EPISODE TOPICS:

  • (2:10) Were you exposed to entrepreneurship as a kid? 

  • (9:15) Where did the spark for the idea come from? 

  • (12:42) Were you looking for a trend when you came up with the idea? 

  • (14:42) How were you affected by self-doubt?

  • (16:38) How did you think about sharing your idea vs keeping it secret? 

  • (19:08) What was the process to come up with your first prototype? 

  • (22:08) How did you think about getting consumer feedback on your early products? 

  • (23:29) What was your personal time split like in those early days? 

  • (24:26) Was there ever a give-up moment? 

  • (25:54) How did you start acquiring your early customers? 

  • (30:56) How does your product fit in the "health trends" landscape?  

  • (33:45) How do you think about the product roadmap? 

  • (36:31) How are you thinking about your brand evolving over the next 10 years? 

  • (37:24) What's different in building Cleveland Cookie Dough (food truck) vs Remixx (brick and mortar)? 

  • (39:34) How are you diversifying human capital resources between multiple businesses? 

  • (41:00) What did you see on the cookie dough side that propelled you to build a separate brand around ice cream? 

  • (44:58) How did you think about marketing Cleveland Cookie Dough tactically? 

  • (50:09) How do you think about competition? 

  • (55:39) How did you think about funding the business early on? 

  • (1:02:43) What do you look for in people you hire? 

  • (1:06:39) How do you think about employee equity? 

  • (1:08:24) Who were the key mentors that have helped you along the way? 

  • (1:11:54) Do you have an advisory board? 

  • (1:13:24) What are the biggest struggles you faced early on and what would you have done differently? 

  • (1:15:32) What do you know now that you wish you knew? 

  • (1:17:15) What are your biggest challenges right now? 

  • (1:18:24) How do you think about scale? 

  • (1:20:01) What have you had to sacrifice? 

  • (1:24:08) What would you say to someone having a quarter-life crisis? 

  • (1:30:33) Vicki's startup manifesto 

  • (1:33:44) Vicki's founder nomination 

Kallaway