How She Built a Million-Dollar Cookie Business w/ Addison LaBonte of Sweet Addison’s

Rebel Rootz Show Episode #84 with Addison LaBonte. Addison LaBonte never planned on becoming an entrepreneur. She was a D1 soccer player, a math major, and working in finance when unexpected health issues pushed her to completely rethink the way she was eating. Going gluten-free helped her feel like herself again and eventually inspired her to start sharing recipes through Organically Addison. What began as a passion project in a 700-square-foot apartment kitchen quickly turned into something much bigger. After her cookie recipes started going viral and followers began asking if they could buy them, Addison spent months testing recipes, shipping cookies across the country, and building what would become Sweet Addison’s. In this episode, Evonne and Addison talk about leaving the safety of corporate America, surviving the exhausting early days of entrepreneurship, dealing with doubt and naysayers, building confidence, listening to your customers, and learning to keep going even when the path makes no sense to anyone else. Addison also opens up about the sacrifices it took to grow the business and how entrepreneurship completely changed her as a person. Today, Sweet Addison’s has grown into a million-dollar better-for-you dessert brand, with retail expansion on the horizon. Addison’s story is a reminder that the path you planned is not always the one you are meant to follow, and sometimes the biggest opportunity begins when you are willing to bet on yourself. Timestamps: [00:00] Trailer + Intro [03:06] From Baking Hobby to Business [03:55] D1 Soccer, Math, and Finance [06:14] The Health Scare That Changed Everything [07:57] How Sweet Addison’s Started [12:27] Getting Laid Off and Going All In [15:35] The Reality of Entrepreneurship [18:48] Ignoring the Naysayers [21:52] How Entrepreneurship Changed Her [24:53] The Lowest Point of Building the Business [27:35] Getting Featured in Forbes [29:35] Growing From Online Sales to Retail [33:05] Finding Balance With Food and Self-Care [42:39] Stop Letting Fear Hold You Back Key Takeaways: • “You almost have to be a little bit delusional to be an entrepreneur.” ~ Addison LaBonte • “You just have to keep going, even when it’s hard, even when you want to quit.” ~ Addison LaBonte • “Do not have that Plan B because you’re always going to be thinking you have that Plan B behind there, and you don’t focus on the Plan A.” ~ Evonne Varady • “You can’t listen to what other people think.” ~ Addison LaBonte • “Entrepreneurship is like a crash course in learning about yourself.” ~ Addison LaBonte • “Good things take a while to build and there’s going to be a bumpy road along the way, but you just can never give up.” ~ Addison LaBonte • “We only get one shot at this life. This is not a dress rehearsal.” ~ Addison LaBonte Keep In Touch with Addison LaBonte: Website: https://sweetaddisons.com/ Instagram:   / organicallyaddison   Sweet Addison’s Instagram:   / sweet.addisons   TikTok:   / organicallyaddison   Facebook:   / organicallyaddison   YouTube:    / @organicallyaddison   Connect with Evonne Varady: Instagram:   / evonnevarady   LinkedIn:   / evonne-varady-461243a5   Follow Rebel Rootz Social Media… Facebook:   / rebelrootzshow   Instagram:   / rebelrootzshow   Tune in to every episode on your favorite platform: Website: https://www.rebelrootzshow.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7zRpPRx... YouTube:    / @rebelrootzshow   This Podcast Is Powered By Clean Eatz: Facebook:   / cleaneatzlife   Instagram:   / cleaneatzlife   Website: https://cleaneatz.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJRG...