This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Maura Duggan, founder and CEO of Fancypants Baking Co. The CPG cookie business sees top-line annual sales ranging from $5 million to $10 million and is available in over 1,750 retailers, including Central Market, Gelson’s and Mother’s Market. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.Image Credit: Courtesy of Fancypants Baking Co. Maura Duggan.
What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle?
After earning my bachelor’s in neuroscience and master’s in education from Harvard, I worked as a researcher for an education nonprofit. While it was rewarding, I missed having a creative outlet where I could continue to challenge myself and learn in a different way.
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When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
Baking has always been a way for me to reconnect with memories of my mother and grandmother, so when I wanted to bring in some extra income, I naturally gravitated toward the kitchen and my favorite dessert — cookies. In 2004, I started Fancypants in my tiny condo kitchen. What began as a small venture quickly turned into something more, and soon, I found myself asking, Why can’t I turn this into a real business?
What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground?
In the evenings, I baked batch after batch of cookies and enlisted friends and family as taste testers. While refining the product, I simultaneously focused on the business side — securing a kitchen license, setting up a bank account and getting insurance. Determining my pricing was also critical since I wanted to use premium ingredients but needed a price point that would allow for sustainable growth. It was a balance of being accessible and ensuring we could scale effectively.
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What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while building your side hustle, and how did you navigate them?
Managing a long to-do list was a constant challenge; it could quickly get overwhelming if I didn’t break it down into smaller tasks. I worked 12-15 hours a day, seven days a week, with one and then two children, so I leaned heavily on friends and family for help, whether delivering cookies or offering moral support.
I’ll be honest. Early on, my confidence may have been boosted by not fully realizing the complexities of manufacturing. But once I saw the challenges, I leaned on my education background, reaching out to industry experts, suppliers and store owners for guidance. While that feedback was incredibly helpful, there was a lot of it! I realized I also needed to build my own self-confidence and learn to trust my instincts.
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How long did it take you to see consistent monthly revenue? How much did the side hustle earn?
Things picked up fast. Just three months in, I left my full-time job to focus on Fancypants, and within the first 10 months, we earned close to $100,000. It was clear this could be more than just a side hustle and was a sustainable business.
You’ve since turned the side hustle into a full-time business. What does growth and revenue look like now?
Over the years, Fancypants has evolved from a primarily wholesale model to incorporate consumer-facing products. For years, we focused on iced decorative cookies sold in bakery departments, with top-line annual sales ranging from $5 to $10 million. This year, we launched a new line of crispy cookies for center-store grocery aisle placement, and we expect to exceed $1 million in 2024 for just those products, with projections to double or triple that over the next five years.
What do you enjoy most about running this business?
The variety keeps me engaged and meets my initial wish to always be learning and growing — one day, I’m working on a sales deck, and the next, I’m overseeing a photo shoot or testing a new recipe. But what I love most is working with stakeholders, from customers to store buyers, and building a strong team. We’re proud to manufacture our cookies in Massachusetts and offer our production team above minimum wage and benefits like 401k and health insurance. It feels good to champion small business manufacturing when the industry often relies on co-packers.
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What’s your advice for others hoping to start successful side hustles or full-time businesses of their own
Find your niche and lean into it — your belief in what you’re doing will inspire others. Build a network of advisors and peers; don’t be afraid to lean on them for advice. We set up a board of directors in 2022, and their guidance has been invaluable. While it’s easy to get tunnel vision, investing in relationships and face-to-face connections has been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey. Networking not only brings practical benefits but also helps reduce the isolation that often comes with entrepreneurship.
