With nothing more than a stick of butter, vanilla and chocolate chips, Debbi Fields became an entrepreneur and created Mrs. Fields Cookies. In 1977, she decided to open a cookie shop. By midday on opening day, when no sales had been made, Debbi started handing out free cookies to passersby. As we learned from Joel Primus, when developing a product, we must try and show customers what they like. Once Debbi’s customers tasted her cookies, they liked them so much that they kept coming back to her store. Debbi’s greatest priority was customer service, which we’ve learned is crucial in a business, and as we can see clearly helped the success of Mrs. Field’s Cookies. As Joel also told us, a brand is not just a name, it’s a feeling, “I’ve never felt like I was in the cookie business. I’ve always been in a feel good feeling business. My job is to sell joy. My job is to sell happiness. My job is to sell an experience,” said Debbi Fields. Only a few years later did Debbi sell the company for over $450 millon, a true example of the speed and amount of wealth creation.
Although trying to build a million dollar company from homemade cookies seems risky, Mrs. Fields accomplished a perfectly successful entrepreneurship. She took her customer base into account and really believed in what she was doing by dedicating herself to her company.
