Courtesy of The Yummy Brothers

Be Your Own Boss!

These business owners are sharing their recipe for success.

April 26, 2021

By Karen Kellaher

As You Read, Think About: What steps did the brothers take to start their business?

Flour? Check. Butter? Check. Sugar? Check. The Billingslea brothers of Atlanta, Georgia, are getting ready to bake. But they’re not making themselves a snack. They’re whipping up hundreds of cookies for customers across the U.S.

The Billingsleas—Joshua, Isaiah, Caleb, and Micah—are the proud owners of a successful cookie business called Yummy Brothers. The young entrepreneurs have learned a lot since they started their company. And now they’re sharing what they know with other kids.

Flour? Check. Butter? Check. Sugar? Check. The Billingslea brothers of Atlanta, Georgia, are getting ready to bake. But they’re not making themselves a snack. They’re baking hundreds of cookies for customers across the U.S.

The Billingsleas brothers are Joshua, Isaiah, Caleb, and Micah. They are the proud owners of a successful cookie business called Yummy Brothers. The young entrepreneurs have learned a lot since they started their company. And now they’re sharing what they know with other kids.

Family Recipe

For the brothers, baking began as a fun hobby using family recipes. When they brought the treats to parties, people loved them and often asked for more.

That gave the Billingsleas an idea. In 2017, the boys asked their parents to help them start a company. The brothers worked together to create a business plan. Their first decision? They had to agree on what to sell. They thought about cakes, but they quickly shifted their focus to cookies.

“In three hours, you can make a lot more cookies than cakes,” explains 13-year-old Joshua.

Once they knew what their product would be, they talked about how much to charge. After researching how much other cookies cost, the boys set lower prices.

Then they brainstormed ways to get the word out about their product. They went door-to-door at first, selling cookies to neighbors. They also created a website and social media pages.

For the brothers, baking began as a fun hobby. They started using family recipes. When they brought the treats to parties, they were a hit! People loved the snacks and often asked for more.

“In three hours, you can make a lot more cookies than cakes,” explains 13-year-old Joshua.

Once they knew what their product would be, they talked setting prices. They thought about how much to charge. After researching how much other cookies cost, the boys set lower prices.

Then they brainstormed ways to get the word out about their product. They went door-to-door at first. The brothers sold cookies to neighbors. They also created a website and social media pages.

Sweet Success

Business was soon booming.

“We were getting orders left and right, up and down!” says 11-year-old Isaiah.

The family rented a big kitchen so they could make enough cookies to keep up with the demand (see “Business Basics,” below). The brothers bake there two or three days a week, after their schoolwork is done.

Yummy Brothers now gets hundreds of orders a week. So far, they’ve sold more than a million cookies nationwide.

Business was soon booming.

“We were getting orders left and right, up and down!” says 11-year-old Isaiah.

The family rented a big kitchen. They need the space to make enough cookies to keep up with the demand (see “Business Basics,” below). The brothers bake there two or three days a week, after their schoolwork is done.

Yummy Brothers now gets hundreds of orders a week. So far, they’ve sold more than a million cookies nationwide.

Boss Advice

The brothers use some of their profits to run a program where they teach kids the ins and outs of running a business.

One tip the boys share is to do something you love. They also advise kids to be creative. Once, they forgot to add sugar to a batch of their baked goods. The cookies tasted like dog treats, and that inspired the boys to sell dog biscuits!

“There’s a lot of stuff that goes into a business,” says Isaiah. “It’s important not to give up easily.”

The brothers use some of their profits to run a special program. They teach kids the ins and outs of running a business.

“There’s a lot of stuff that goes into a business,” says Isaiah. “It’s important not to give up easily.”

Business Basics

When customers began ordering Yummy Brothers cookies in a big way, the boys learned about supply and demand, a key concept in economics. Here’s a look at how it works.

The Yummy Brothers are Producers, people who make goods.

Their customers are Consumers, people who buy goods.

In this case, the goods are cookies.

Supply is the amount of something that is available to consumers.

Demand is how much of something consumers want.

When supply is LOW but demand is HIGH, people are willing to pay more to have the product. So prices go up.

When supply is HIGH but demand is LOW, the product is more available and easier to find. So prices go down.

Business Basics

When customers began ordering Yummy Brothers cookies in a big way, the boys learned about supply and demand, a key concept in economics. Here’s a look at how it works.