Sales worth millions of dollars... How a young American woman turned her ignorance into an inspiring entrepreneurial project!

  Baked Goods

A Thirty-Year-Old Makes Millions… From Quitting Her Job to Building a Baking Empire

Just five years ago, Abby Caswell hadn't even baked a single cookie. She didn't know the secrets of dough, or the subtle differences between a successful recipe and a failed one. But today, at thirty, she runs her own brand, "Batter," which includes two bakeries in Hammond and New Orleans, and generates seven-figure annual sales.

Caswell's journey didn't begin in the kitchen, but with a long-held dream. "Since I was a child, I knew I wanted to be my own boss," she said. "I wanted to control my time and build my own income." Abby's passion for the world of sweets grew at a young age, when, between 16 and 20, she worked at a local cupcake shop. Although she didn't participate in the baking at the time, she became attached to the atmosphere of the place and to the idea that food could be a business, not just a hobby.

After graduating in 2018 from Louisiana State University in Alexandria with a degree in business administration and a minor in marketing, Caswell moved with her husband, Tree, to Hammond, Louisiana. There, she began a conventional career as a full-time executive assistant.

But office work didn't stifle her curiosity. In her spare time, she began experimenting with baking cookies in her home kitchen, just as a hobby. The real turning point came when she baked a cake for a friend's husband, and the comment that changed her life was: "This is amazing… You should sell these cookies. There's nothing like this around here."

Why cookies?

Initially, Caswell considered focusing on cakes and cupcakes, but the rise of popular cookie chains in the United States, such as Crumbl and Insomnia Cookies, caught her attention. Although these brands weren't present in Hammond at the time, she saw an untapped opportunity in this market.

In the fall of 2021, Caswell began working diligently on developing her recipes, with the help of her husband, a high school basketball coach. She spent six months experimenting until she arrived at the chocolate chip cookie recipe that would later become her brand's signature.

"We produced dozens of bad batches," she said, "but each time I learned something new, even if the result wasn't marketable." Simultaneously, she began promoting her products on social media. A local customer base quickly formed, fueled by photos and short videos showcasing the baking process from the inside out.

The Decision to Jump Started… and Quit Her Job

In the spring of 2022, Caswell found herself facing the daunting challenge of balancing an 8 a.m. office job with long hours baking until dawn. "I was working until 1 a.m. every day," she said, "and I reached a point where it just wasn't possible." She then decided to quit her job and dedicate herself fully to the project.

Around the same time, she secured a spot at the farmers market in Hammond. Every week, she baked 500 cookies to sell on Saturdays, only to find they sold out in just 30 minutes. She decided to open a shop, but the decision wasn't easy. Despite developing a well-thought-out business plan with the help of the Small Business Development Center, a lack of savings led several banks to refuse to finance the project.

Finally, one bank agreed to give her a $40,000 loan, on the condition that she mortgage her home as collateral. In November 2022, Caswell opened her first "Batter" shop in downtown Hammond, with a team of eight employees. She had just turned 27.

Rapid Growth… and Relentless Pressure

During the first few months, Caswell worked up to 18 hours a day. Demand exceeded expectations, and stock was constantly running low, allowing her to pay off the loan in full by May 2023. Encouraged by this success, she expanded. In December 2024, she opened a second location in New Orleans, reaching an even wider customer base. Last year, the two branches combined achieved seven-figure annual sales.

Beyond the Store… The Shelf Dream

Today, Batter sells over a thousand baked goods daily, from cookies and cupcakes to muffins and seasonal specialty items. But Caswell’s ambition doesn’t stop at the stores. Her next step is to turn her chocolate chip cookie recipe into a bulk mix. The first batch sold out quickly online, and her goal is to reach grocery stores this year.

Success Comes at a Price

Despite her success, Caswell admits that running a small business means you’re “never out of work.” She commutes between the two stores, fills staffing gaps herself, and relies heavily on social media, where she has nearly 300,000 followers on TikTok. While she believes losses are often more painful than successes, her goal this year is simple: to pause… and acknowledge what she has accomplished.