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Cookie Dough Incorporated
Members of Renee Dubber's "Cookie Class" enjoy their class trip to New York City.

By Patty Mayeux

What is your idea of a perfect school? Imagine a class where you bake cookies and sell them to your friends.  Depending on how well you did you might be rewarded with a trip to New York City as well as an “A” in the course. Cool school, right?

That is exactly what students in Renee Dubber’s entrepreneurship class — Academy of Finance — at University High School in Orlando, FL do. You see, Renee had wanted to teach entrepreneurship to her finance class ever since she traded in her marketing job two years ago for a career in teaching. Then in May, she attended the Fourth Annual Entrepreneurship Educator’s Conference in Orlando and you might say she’s been fired up ever since.

Easy Bake Business

But first, her class had to come up with a plan. After discussing several business options, they finally settled on selling Otis Spunkmeyer cookies because they knew the tasty treats would sell like, well hotcakes, and it would be fun. Besides, the class thought Cookie Dough Incorporated just sounded cool. The next step was to create a business plan and from there, things started heating up!

The class struck a deal with Otis Spunkmeyer Inc. to lease a commercial oven at no charge and Cookie Dough Incorporated was off to a good start. Then Renee’s husband found a used oven that needed a few repairs so he arranged for the fix-ups and the oven was donated to the class.

Dough for the Dough

Now that they had a plan and the right equipment, the class needed to raise start-up funds before they could even pre-heat the oven. They decided the best way to raise the dough was to have a bake sale, of course!  Every one in the class brought five dozen baked goods for the event and when a hungry buyer snatched the last tasty morsel up, they were on their way to big business, and the Big Apple.

At the beginning of each school day, Academy of Finance students check out the number of cookies they want to sell and at the end of the day, every cookie must be accounted for. The students also take special orders for sugar, oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip and “carnival” cookies — those are the ones with the candy-coated chocolates in them. They sell them to classmates and teachers for 30 cents each, four for a dollar or $2.40 for one dozen

My Dog Ate My Homework

No excuses fly with Renee. “We account for every cookie that comes and goes,” she says. Even broken cookies must be returned and counted. That’s not a problem for her students, though, because they are serious about their commitment to the class and Cookie Dough Incorporated. Each student agreed to sell two dozen cookies every day in order raise enough money to pay for the four-day trip to New York City, including air fare, hotel, and all meals except lunches. Renee says the goal was easily met. In fact, some students sold five to 10 dozen each day.

Three ovens and a deep freeze are now used to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for the fresh, hot cookies. During its first year, the business brought in enough money to pay for the spring trip and more, so students voted on how to spend the extra earnings, such as adopting some Head Start classes.

“It was always my goal to integrate business skills in my class,” says Renee. “I talked to a lot of kids at the Educator’s Conference who had gotten ideas and started a business on a small scale.” She adds that believing in your ability to start your own business is a motivational boost for anyone, and her class gives students the basic skills to do just that.  “I’ve had parents write me letters and thank me for the experience their child has had and the business sense they have gained,” says Renee.

The Dow May be Down, but the Dough is Up

Cookie Dough Incorporated has been so successful that Renee is going to continue the business through the Academy of Finance next year. Her students may not get to choose their business but they will have a vote on some other important decisions — like where they will go on their spring trip. Renee says the sky’s the limit. “It’s up to the students where they want to go,” she says. The new class will have a little help from their friends — that is, the friends in this year’s class. Some of the more than $15,000 total profit from the business’ first year will carry over to help the new class get started.

The future looks good for Cookie Dough Incorporated and Renee says next year they may branch out and sell beverages to go along with the sweet treats. Hmm, Got Milk?