FERNDALE, Mich. (WXYZ) — As the pandemic wears on, college graduates continue to struggle with a tight job market.
One local graduate couldn’t land a gig despite applying for hundreds of positions. She kept pushing for opportunities and then one fell into her lap, which became a blessing in disguise.
What you put in is what you get! Certainly, the case for a good batch of cookies but not always the case in the game of life.
“I had applied, I’d say like a thousand jobs. I couldn’t get one interview,” said recent college graduate Mikayla Frick.
Frick graduated from college three months before the pandemic began. An aspiring fashion designer, she was wide-eyed, ambitious, and top of her class. but amidst unprecedented times, those ingredients weren’t quite enough.
“The pandemic definitely put a halt on the hiring in the fashion world,” Frick said. “It kind of felt like the worst time to graduate college.”
So, the 23-year-old started working at her father’s collision shop. While baking cookies to pass the time, just waiting for a door of opportunity to crack open. What she didn’t know is that the crack of an egg was the opportunity itself.
“Cookies is definitely a passion, it started as something that I really enjoyed,” said Frick.
Using her grandmother’s treasured recipe, Mikayla began selling the treats as a bit of a side hustle, and Frick’n Good Cookies was born.
“The cookies themselves are very dense. They almost look like scones,” said Frick.
First, it was a one-woman show, but the orders grew fast enough to rope in her mom, dad, and boyfriend to help.
“We started with no mixer,” said Frick. “We did it handheld, one person was mixing, one person was in charge of the oven.”
It was a family affair until the orders then outgrew the family.
Today, Mikayla has seven contracted employees and sells her cookies at 12 different farmers markets across metro Detroit.
She joins a growing contingency of new entrepreneurs- some of whom we’ve featured here on the Rebound Detroit finding success by turning their passion into a paycheck!
“The interest is probably up 1/3 over 2020,” said SCORE Mentor David Broner.
Small business resource hub SCORE Detroitsays it has seen a major uptick in people making this transition.
“Our biggest challenge is having enough mentors to serve this incoming group of entrepreneurs,” added Broner.
But it’s a challenge they welcome, pleased to see so many pivoting a dream including those newly discovered, into a reality.
“Had I been hired, this would have never happened,” said Frick. “So, it’s kind of was a blessing in disguise.”
A life lesson that when one door closes, another will open. Sometimes, quite literally.
The doors of this storefront in Ferndale. Mikayla’s next venture, as she takes the big leap into retail this summer.
“My family thinks I’m crazy, so do my friends,” said Frick. “I definitely have a goal. I would love to take this company to the next level.”
“If you’re gonna take a risk, take a risk on yourself,” said Frick.
In addition to selling at farmers' markets, she ships nationwide.
If you know of someone that has successfully pivoted their passion into a paycheck amidst a pandemic or beat the odds in some way, we want to hear from you. Send us an email rebounddetroit@wxyz.com