Monthly Muse: Robyn Frank of Thumbs Cookies
How about a little Monday inspiration for you while you practice social distancing?!? I’ve got a new muse this month and if you don’t already know her, you’re in for a treat (pun intended!). Robyn is the founder and owner of Thumbs Cookies here in Minneapolis. You’ve probably seen her little cookies in the wild - at Agra Culture, Five Watt Coffee, Kowalski’s, MSP airport duty free, Six for Good in Rosedale Mall, or online in both her shop and Amazon Prime just to name a few. She makes the tiniest, tastiest cookies I’ve ever had. They are DELISH. And so dang CUTE! Robyn is one of those people you meet for the first time and she welcomes you in like she’s known you her whole life. She doesn’t hold back, which you can also see in how she approaches her business. She’s all in! Determined, Driven, and ready to conquer the cookie world. Grab a cup of coffee (and a cookie!) and read on to learn more about Robyn and her Thumbs journey.
What did you want to be when you grew up and did you follow that path?
I wanted to be an actress. I tried. I lived in NYC for 10 year and was a GREAT waitress. But I'll never totally give up on the dream!
How did you get started baking? Was it something you always loved to do and decided to pursue as a career?
Ha! No. In fact, I love eating cookies more than I love baking! However, I also loved baking these with my Mom when I was growing up. That's how the act of baking Thumbs grew so dear to my heart. I just wanted to do something I cared about. That's what led me to this!
Tell me a bit about those first years - how did you build your business?
I started by literally making small batches of Thumbs in my Brooklyn apartment with my tiny oven and my used kitchenaid! I would buy flour, butter and sugar from across the street at my grocery store. I had NO IDEA what I was doing. Then I would find little cellophane packing material and hand pack and tie ribbon on each package. Then I would show up to a local boutique in Brooklyn and ask for the manager. I would say "These are Thumbs Cookies. You should try them and tell me what you think". It was pretty cool when managers actually bought a case. I didn't know how to price anything so I just guessed! One store sold an 8 oz jar of my cookies for $16! Oy! I had no idea what I was doing.
What are you most proud of in your journey so far as an entrepreneur?
That I'm still here!!!!!! Every time I thought I would have to quit because I was overwhelmed or limited in my knowledge or didn't have the resources or the money to keep going, somehow I just kept on going! I'm proud of that. I don't give up. I mean- I have REALLY wanted to. But I haven't.
You've been growing leaps and bounds - can you share what's next for Thumbs? When we will see Kirby out and about?
I'm super excited for our Cookie Mobile- KIRBY to hit the streets! My first job out of college was driving the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Ever since I started Thumbs, I thought- well now I need a Cookie Mobile! Kirby will serve warm cookies to cookie lovers all around town. It will be so fun to interact with our customers and get to serve them tiny cookies that are fresh and gooey. I also think it will help more people to get to know us. We have never had a store so it has always been about word of mouth for us! Now we get to show MN that we really are Minnesota's Cutest Cookie!!!!
If you had to do it all over again, is there anything you would do differently?
Haha. I don't think so! I think if I would have known more, I wouldn't have tried. I would have been too overwhelmed about the challenges ahead. But sometimes I do wonder what it would be like to have a real job with a real pay check. Usually, I just think about it for like 5 minutes and then go back to my tiny cookie life.
Rapid Fire Questions:
Early Bird or Burn the Midnight Oil: Burn the Midnight Oil for surrrreeee!!!!
Control freak or go with the flow: Hmmm... depends how hormonal I am.
Favorite cookie flavor: Chocolate chip hands down!!!!! One of my favorite foods!
City Slicker or Wide Open Spaces: City Slicker all the way. More chaos the better!
Three qualities that got you where you are today: Determination, Resourcefulness, Persistence
Thanks Robyn for sharing your story, You can learn more about Thumbs Cookies here and follow along on Instagram for the latest updates.