By: Phyillis Macharia
The human body is a forcefield of its own. Our bodies build muscle mass, regulate metabolism, and produce nutrients. But when our bodies are experiencing an inability to perform one of these functions, what do we do? Many of us look to supplements, others look to exercise, while the remaining seek counsel from their physicians. Mothers who are struggling to produce milk for their babies are often less fortunate than those who can head to the pharmacy, gym, or doctor’s office. “For many mothers, not being able to feed their baby crushes them as a woman,” Jennifer Acuna stated.
Jennifer Acuna is a Carlisle, Pennsylvania native. She is the owner and founder of Bessie’s Best, the Assistant Director of Gifts and Finance at Dickinson College, a mother of three, and a wife.
In 2012, after the birth of her firstborn, Jen experienced the devastation of a low milk supply. Flooded with agony and disappointment, Jen did not allow this to be a roadblock. She sought out her local hospital’s lactation consultant for tips to support her goal of increased milk production. This is when Jen was introduced to lactation cookies. Her lactation consultant encouraged her to buy them, but Jen decided to bake them herself. After a few tweaks to her recipe, Jen created a yummy lactation cookie that worked!
Wait, what kind of cookie?
Before we go any further, I believe it’s important to explain what a lactation cookie is. Don’t worry; I did not have a clue either. Lactation cookies are treats for nursing mothers who may be struggling to produce milk or who seek to enhance their milk supply. Active ingredients within the cookies are breast-feeding supplements. These ingredients include brewer’s yeast, flaxseed, and oats. Mothers are encouraged to eat them accordingly to meet their needs. After the regimen has started, mothers soon experience increased milk production.
Exposing a need and providing a service
“I didn’t sit at home and say, ‘How can I be my own boss?’ I wasn’t that person; I was the other one. Solving the problem and then accidentally becoming my own boss.”
Jen did not intentionally become a business owner for the sake of owning a business. She saw a need and addressed it. She started small, with nursing mothers in her neighborhood. They would bring their Tupperware containers to Jen’s home, and enclosed in the Tupperware was the money for the requested number of batches. Women would return the following week to claim their freshly baked lactation cookies. As word spread, from mother to mother, the Tupperware containers began towering in Jen’s kitchen. A few months and many sales later, she reached out to her attorney-friend with an inquiry, “I sold 800 dozen cookies… What should I do?” Her friend quickly replied, “Well, what will you name your business?” And on that day, Bessie’s Best began.
Since Jen had never planned to become an entrepreneur, she did not have a business model. But what she did have was math expertise. As a math major in college, Jen developed the skill of laser efficiency. This efficiency extended into how she understood numbers, time-management, and measuring baking products. As a former food service professional, she acquired knowledge on creating a premier product with safety and efficacy in mind. And as a life-long baker in the town of Carlisle, she knew which local bakers she could count on for her Bessie’s Best team. Finally, as a mother, Jen had the innate ability to plan out weeks, months, and years in advance, a quality lauded by all businesspersons. Due to Jen’s expertise, quality product, and high performing team, Bessie’s Best rapidly grew. Bessie’s Best soon acquired a small building, no longer baking in the home, a benefit to her family, who was no longer tempted by the sweet smell of dessert.
how to rise like dough
As Bessie’s Best expanded, Jen realized that it was time to seek professional business advice. It was at this stage that she connected with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Program. The Small Business Development Centers Program provides management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) created the SBDC Program to supply one-stop assistance to individuals and small businesses by providing a wide variety of information and guidance in central and easily accessible branch locations. Here, Jen received guidance on relocating to a larger location, marketing strategies, and developing a bullet-proof business plan. Jen encourages all entrepreneurs to contact the SBDC Program regardless of the phase of their business development.
knowing when to “pump the brakes”
While expansion is essential to every thriving business, Jen shared a few moments when she found benefit in “pumping the brakes.” Jen had been encouraged to grow, expand, and develop, but she took a step away from that to take care of what is most important: the product, the customer, and her team. Jen believes slowing down is paramount to sustaining the superior product that keeps Bessie’s Best in the market. Not only is Bessie’s Best one of the most nutritional lactation cookies on the market, but it also tastes the best. And caring for that recipe should never be overlooked. For this reason, Jen isn’t quick to develop a new recipe on the fly for sales or to hastily release coupon codes to close out the month. Before releasing a new item, the team conducts product testing. And before each coupon announcement, she ensures the sales won’t overwhelm her team.
Jen is conscious of taking this careful strategy to keep long-time customers fulfilled and newfound customers delighted. Jen has empowered each of her team members to be confident in their jobs, now an “art form” to them.
Bessie’s Best’s team includes the head-baker, accounting manager, operations manager, coordinator, certified lactation counselor, customer care representative, and HR coordinator. Before every milestone in Bessie’s Best’s growth, Jen has taken a moment to check on the product’s well-being, the customer, and her team. With that strategy in mind, I believe the sky is the limit for Jen and everyone at Bessie’s Best.
a family that bakes together stays together
I asked Jen what it is like balancing being a full-time employee at Dickinson College, the Owner of Bessie’s Best, a mother of three, and a wife to her amazing husband. As soon as the question left my lips, Jen grinned happily. She proceeded to tell me exactly how she utilizes every passing moment of the day: committing her all to Dickinson College as their Assistant Director of Gifts and Finance, using her lunch breaks to conduct business meetings for Bessie’s Best, remaining present in her children’s developing lives, as well as being a devoted wife. Jen finds overlap in her life: her husband being the impromptu repairman on-site, her children reminding her that they are the best cookie packagers, and her colleagues at Dickinson College celebrating her entrepreneurship. Though Jen is a busy woman, she loves the life she has with her husband and their four kids. Who is the fourth child, you ask? Bessie’s Best.
a woman’s place is where she wants to be
Achieving a balanced life has its difficulties for many women who want to pursue entrepreneurship. Since many women are the home’s mandated leaders, they feel discouraged to take on another responsibility. Still, Jen encourages all women to take the plunge if they are ready. Have a discussion with your family about your ideas, goals, and passions. If you choose a partner who does not impose expectations upon you and is ready to eliminate the ego, pursuing your entrepreneurship is worthwhile!
“Get your feet on the ground and run like the wind,” as Jen would say. “The traditional gender roles are that of the past anyway.”
advice to women entrepreneurs
I asked Jen if she would share advice with current and future women entrepreneurs. Her overarching message was that working hard is simply not enough. You have to be willing to ask questions, listen to advice, and adapt to change. I have extracted the key pieces of advice from Jen:
- Get involved with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Program;
- Build a team of personal and professional advisors;
- Ask questions to customers, professionals, and acquaintances;
- Be active in your community; and
- Don’t be afraid of change, failure, or hardships – you will overcome.
she is Bessie’s best
While Jen is modest in that she just “happened” to become a businesswoman, it is quite clear this was fate. Both of her grandfathers were businessmen, while both of her grandmothers were well-known bakers. Jen becoming the cookie mogul was long-awaited. Her Grammy must be proud.
Phyillis Wanjiru Macharia, at the time of this post, is a first-year law student at Penn State Dickinson Law. She is from Orange County, California, and has not yet experienced her first “snow day.” Phyillis is a Dickinson Law Public Interest Scholar. She plans to merge her passion for public interest and newfound curiosity in intellectual property with this distinction.
Source List:
Office of Small Business Development Centers
Jen has always been a hard working and compassionate young lady, with all aspects of her life and others.
In all the years I have been fortunate and blessed to have her in my life, I knew she would go far in life. She is by far one of the smartest ladies that I know, as she is an inquisitive intellectual lady that never gives up on anything that she sets her bright mind on. Her lactation cookies are deliciously yummy and work to get the job done, because Jen has put her heart, her mind and her compassion in helping others, no matter the task at hand, she will get it done.