Kristen Tomlan worked as a full-time consultant but her real passion was baking. Everyday, after work, she would spend hours in the kitchen baking delicious cookies, making two batches of dough, one for baking and one for eating! Although Tomlan wanted to start her business long ago, it wasn’t until she had a near death experience which pushed her to quit her job as a consultant and shift her attention to creating edible cookie dough.
She came up with the concept as her and her girlfriends loved to eat the cookie dough they would bake with but there was currently no places they could go to enjoy it. Soon after, Tomlan began to develop a recipe for edible cookie dough which was safe to eat without raw eggs. It took six months to perfect it, but Tomlan then tested the cookie dough waters by starting an online company, shipping small tubs of cookie dough around the country. After work, she would go home and make the cookie dough, ship it and do everything over the next day. It all became too much for her and four months later, she decided to take the plunge and quit her job to focus on her new, expanding business.
Tomlan then rented out a small kitchen in Midtown, New York to make the dough but people soon came in with requests to buy it there and then. She knew then that she had to open a store. Through relying on just the product and taste, rather than marketing and exposure, Tomlan’s cookie dough was a hit and she opened her store to four hour lines around the block.
At the store, customers could get cookie dough in cups or cones, baked goods and milkshakes. The cookie dough comes in 16 flavors and include signature chocolate chip, gluten free, and vegan options. Tomlan’s store was a hit and her customers did her marketing for her, creating a buzz on social media and attracting nationwide attention.
Kristen is looking to expand DŌ in the future with more stores and stands. Kristen’s suggestion for others struggling with life decisions: “Fill it with the things that make you happy. For me, it was baking and sharing that joy with other people.”