Cookies by Design;
The Adam Swartz Story

Franchise Success Stories

By Amy Covington

We've all heard the saying that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. In Adam Swartz's case, the adage holds true. After 28 years of old-fashioned loyalty and hard work at Sears, Swartz's parents borrowed against their own assets to buy a Cookies By Design franchise, a burgeoning, yet virtually unheard of concept in 1992. It was a risk they were willing to take. After all, who doesn't like cookies?

"They had a strong retail background and wanted something similar," Swartz said. "It was also important that the franchise company was small enough that they didn't dictate every step you need to take, so that [my parents] could make lateral moves to get things done. Cookies By Design was relatively unknown in the Midwest, which they felt was a benefit so that they could grow the business in that market."

But after putting in so many years in the retail industry, why did they decide to start from scratch with a business venture of their own? "They felt they were too young to retire," said Swartz. "In my father's travels he came across Cookies By Design franchises. He looked into other franchises but liked that he could get into area development in the Chicago market with Cookies By Design, so both my mom and dad got involved."

Introducing a new concept in any part of the country is risky. Will the concept catch on? Having invested their own money to take the chance that a Cookies By Design operation would thrive in their local market, the Swartz's had a lot at stake. They faced other challenges as well. "They had never built out a business before, so they were at the mercy of their contractor. They got put off for several months," Swartz said. "The other issue was that they couldn't get traditional lending because Cookies By Design was a new franchise and there wasn't any history [of its success] in the area. They had to borrow against own assets."

Their risk-taking paid off. Apparently not too many people dislike their product. After several years of running a successful business, Swartz's parents retired. Two and a half years ago, Adam Swartz, along with his wife, took over his parents' business. When his parents were constructing their original store they ran into some snags, which is when Swartz entered the scene and never left.

Having worked with his parents in the business and have a retail management background, Swartz was a shoe in. He became even more involved with the organization when he joined the Cookies By Design marketing board.

So, what is the secret to the Swartz's success? "One thing that contributed to my parents' success was that they were really customer driven," said Swartz. "Everything was about the customer and the business ended up growing itself. Being customer oriented was really how we made it grow. Also, we had the largest market and eventually the largest grossing stores."

And selling a product that everyone needs or loves doesn't hurt either. "Everybody loves the product. It's fun. I haven't had one person say they didn't like the product. There isn't anybody who can't use it and people love receiving it. It goes over really well-that's what I like about the business."

Of course in any business, especially in the starting up phase, there are downsides too. "Our franchise isn't any different than anything other franchise," Swartz said. "There is a lot of time taken away from your personal life and you have to make sacrifices initially so you don't have to spend time working in your business. Most Cookies By Designs owners are owner operators."

In the bigger picture, the upsides win out. After all, who doesn't like cookies?

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