Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Travis Howe, founder of Fat T's Cookies, located in Akron, OH.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Fat T's Cookies is the top cookie company in the state, hailing from Akron, OH. We specialize in quarter-pound cookies that are not only bigger than the average cookie but tastier and more unique than your average store-bought cookie. We promise to deliver happiness a quarter pound at a time.

We don't like to use the word "customer" since we believe you are more than just a customer to us. We call our following the #FatFam. At Fat T's Cookies, we strive to be more than just a company that sells a product; we want to provide an experience and create a community around kickass cookies.

Tell us about yourself

Quite frankly, I started Fat T's Cookies because I was down on my luck and becoming depressed while searching for a job after grad school and needed a way to pay for a gym membership. In June of 2017, I never intended Fat T's Cookies to be anything more than a quick side hustle to make quick money. If it wasn't for a call from Cleveland Magazine informing me that Fat T's Cookies was named the "Top Cookie Company in NE Ohio," I would have more than likely ended up working a job I didn't care for.

First and foremost, I love making people smile and feel happy. The fact that I do something as simple as making cookies that can truly turn someone's day around is mind-blowing.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Most people would probably point to one of the awards we've won for being named the "top cookie" in whatever capacity the entity deems (has ranged from local with the Akron Beacon Journal to international with Buzzfeed). To me, our biggest accomplishment has been our community impact. We have worked with homeless shelters, non-profits, schools, local youth sports teams, and my personal favorite, the Akron Rotary Camp. I worked at the Akron Rotary Camp from 2012-2015 in a variety of roles, and I can confidently say that working there changed my life for the better. Ever since the conception of Fat T's Cookies, I knew I wanted to give back to them. Our Summer Seasonal cookie, S'mummer Camp (picture provided), has a philanthropic tie to it as half of the net proceeds from all sales of S'mummer Camp go directly back to the camp for their Campership program (scholarship). To date, we have been able to send 100s of children and adults to camp.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

For me personally, it was 100% my lack of social life. I knew from the beginning of this journey what my early goals were and what I had to sacrifice to get there. I didn't want to be average, so I knew that I had to put in far more effort than anyone else would do or would expect me to do. The first 3-3.5 years of being involved with Fat T's Cookies, I quite literally put my blood, sweat, and tears into getting where I am today. Now I can afford to have a little bit more of a normal work-life balance, but by no means does that mean I'm taking my foot off the gas.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. ASK. FOR. HELP. Don't view asking someone for help as a weakness. There is not a single person ever who became successful by themselves.
  2. Don't let "no's" get you down; let them make you better.
  3. Remember all of the details when you have milestone moments. I was sitting at my desk at my parent's house when I got the Cleveland Magazine to call in 2017. I was on a date when I hit 750 followers on IG. I was in my bed at 3 am when my first national review went live. My first $3k weekend was at the Summer Market in Avon Lake. I was in my 3rd kitchen when I made my first national publication. I was at the gym when I was named 30 for the Future by the Greater Akron Chamber.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.fattscookies.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FatTsCookies
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fat_ts_cookies/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-howe-b048a665/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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