Molly Blakeley, Founder of Molly Bz Cookies, is a hard person to forget. Her personality in-person is as exciting and enthusiastic as it is in the content she produces online for her brand of uniquely flavored treats. But if there is any example that perfectly encapsulates her style and personality, it’s the time she came up with an original creation for Walmart.
She was in Bentonville to meet with Walmart’s buyers (she is a two-time Open Call Golden Ticket winner), and they asked her to come up with an idea for an exclusive line of cookies. “I did tons of research on Sam Walton, the Founder of Walmart,” says Blakeley. “I wanted to know what he ate, why he ate it, and what his favorite foods were. I learned that he loved Pralines N’ Cream ice cream and moon pies.”
So she went to a local Walmart, then at her AirBnB created a cookie with pralines, chocolate, and a quarter of a moon pie on top, and the next day brought it a Tupperware container to the meeting. Not only did the buyers love it, but they brought other staff into the room to try them out too. They decided then and there to launch the line.
What did Blakeley call these cookies? The Founder, of course!
Indeed, Blakeley has built and scaled her business by being memorable. But being memorable is not just about her energy and enthusiastic personality, or about the cool names she gives her cookies (like Hot Mess or Big Joe), it’s also about how she is quick to adapt to buyers needs, and how she always finds a way to deliver a great experience for them and their shoppers.
This trait has helped Blakeley land her cookies at the Oscars, Emmys, Grammy awards, and – via ECRM & RangeMe – on the shelves at Walmart, Target, Kroger, and 7-Eleven, among others. And she is currently in talks with 20 others from meetings at ECRM Sessions and Immediate Opportunity submissions.
Below are some insights on how brands can make themselves unforgettable, from my podcast interview with Blakeley. If you get the chance, I highly recommend you watch the full video interview (below) or listen to the podcast, as there are a lot of additional interesting tidbits you’ll learn from it!
Be not boring
If you want to be noticed, you cannot afford to blend in. Everything about Molly Bz, from its products to its packaging to its website and marketing is intentionally vibrant, featuring bright colors and bold and fun designs.
“There’s a thousand brands out there and everyone wants to be seen, but if you’re doing the same thing the same way as everyone else, it’s just going to be boring,” says Blakeley. “So be not boring. Do something that no one else is doing.”
She encourages brands to have a “shtick” – something that makes them immediately recognizable, particularly to a buyer who has seen dozens of other brands that day at an ECRM Session, for example. Whether it’s unique eyewear, a specific way of interacting, or even just being “loud and having cookies,” as Blakeley says about herself, you must create an impression that lasts beyond the 10-minute meeting.
Make research and innovation fun – and inspired
Molly Bz is known for its unique gourmet cookies, featuring unexpected ingredients like Hot Cheetos and Boba (or moon pie in the case of The Founder). Blakeley comes up with these ideas by doing her research, staying on top of trends, and having fun with all of it.
“I do a lot of research with the ingredients people at Puratos,” says Blakeley. “They do tons of research and development and let everyone know what’s on trend when it comes to bakery foods.”
Blakeley also attributes her success to a more unconventional source. “Honestly, I pray a lot, and so I get a lot of stuff divinely,” she says. “That’s where I came up with the air fryer cookie. I just woke up and I saw an Air fryer Cookie across the top of a package.”
The lesson here is to always keep your antennas up, and pick up ideas wherever you can, since you never know where inspiration might come from.
Embrace a ‘pivotal’ mindset
Entrepreneurship is rarely a straight line. For Blakeley, the ability to pivot is to her the most valuable skill a brand owner can possess, and it’s one in which she has a lot of experience. She launched more than a dozen entrepreneurial ventures before Molly Bz, everything from a service that put rhinestones on people’s jackets when she was in junior high school, to a dress buying business, to a flower shop. She got the bug from her parents, who were entrepreneurs.
This ability to pivot helps her to quickly shift gears and always find the win in any situation, including buyer meetings. “You don’t take no for an answer,” says Blakeley. “You just pivot and make it a yes every time. So I’m like, okay, that’s a no from you, but what will be your yes? The very best comeback is, try me in a hundred stores, try me in 50 stores. Let’s just see how we do. Give them an opening.”
Leverage the power of ECRM and RangeMe
Of course, being memorable doesn’t help you if you are not putting yourself in front of people to remember you, and Blakeley maximizes her exposure by being active on RangeMe – where she is a Premium and Verified subscriber and participates in a ton of Immediate Opportunity campaigns – and at ECRM Sessions, where she has the opportunity to engage with buyers in-person.
“ECRM is a vibe,” says Blakeley. “We get to sit down and have one-on-one conversations, and it’s such a great thing to not waste time. If I go to an expo, a great buyer can walk right by me because they are looking the other way across the aisle. But with ECRM, we get to sit down and have one-on-one conversations. Plus you include the hotel, you feed us, you have fun events, and I get to mingle with all the people; you could be sitting next to someone from Kroger at breakfast.”
Be quick, flexible and scalable
You can be the most flashy and colorful brand in the world, yet if you can’t deliver, you will certainly be remembered – but for the wrong reasons. Blakeley has developed a supply chain that is quick and agile on the back end as she is on the front end. Not only can she scale up fast, but she can turn on a dime when needed – such as when a divine inspiration results in a quick deal with a short runway.
Molly Bz works with eight different co-packers across the country, an approach that allows her to remain nimble, using different facilities for specific product lines. “I work with different co-packers all over the nation, from Atlanta to Detroit, California and Washington,” she says. “Some only do the Boba Doodle, some only do the indulgent cookies and some do the stuffed cookies. One thing that’s helped us to be successful is that I can recipe and develop in 24 hours.”
Yes, you read that right. Twenty-four hours from idea to creation. Talk about agility!
Be relentless!
Don’t be afraid to chase after things that will get you closer to your goal. “If you are thinking of launching a brand or you are right smack in the middle of developing one, never be afraid to reach out and call people who can help you on your journey,” says Blakeley. “And always follow up. I follow up like a stage-5 clinger. Never give up. The only people who don’t succeed are those who give up. So keep going. Don’t give up no matter what it looks like. You got this.”
Editor’s note: Want to learn more about RangeMe customer successes? Click here!