Brodie and Taylor Kirsh take class lessons to the marketplace. by Julia Leconte
Brodie and her sister, Grade 12 student Taylor Kirsh, noticed something was missing. 
“Taylor and I saw a kind of void there, because it was really directed towards the parents,” says Brodie. Adds Taylor, “We’ve always wanted to do something at Deck The Hall because it’s been so cool. There were no student booths at the School and it just seemed right.”
Right for what? The sisters had been cooking up a business idea for awhile.
The Cookies Stand is a sweet tooth’s dream. Currently the brand markets three treats. It started, however, with one chocolate dipped idea. “My family and I are innovators and we’re always thinking of new ideas,” says Taylor.
Brodie expresses a similar sentiment, saying the Kirshes are often brainstorming in the car or at home. “One day we were just trying to figure out what to make,” she says. “So we put all our creative minds together and came up with this, and it tasted delicious, so we decided to sell it.” The product was an Oreo cookie on a stick, dipped in chocolate and covered in sprinkles, dubbed The Cookies.
“We wanted to make something inexpensive, presented nicely that tasted delicious,” says Brodie. Like Coco Chanel, Mary Kay, Martha Stewart and Spanx founder Sara Blakely before them, Brodie and Taylor had found an untapped market and a product for it to, quite literally, devour.
Aiming to target the student attendees, the Kirsh sisters set up shop with The Cookies Stand at Deck The Hall 2009. The treats were a hit amongst students, teachers and parents, and the sale was a success. Mostly though, the enterprise was just for fun.
The next year however, everyone in Brodie’s EB class was required to undertake her own venture. So, armed with two new products Pringles half dipped in chocolate with various toppings called The Hip Chip, and Caution, a box of sweets covered in chocolate and icing sugar (beware, once you start, you can’t stop) The Cookies Stand returned to Deck The Hall. The Cookies sold for $2, Caution for $5 and The Hip Chip for $3. For ten bucks you could have one of each and possibly, depending on your willpower, a blissful sugar overload. Brodie and Taylor sold out of Caution and The Hip Chip (they had only a few of The Cookies remaining) and doubled their profits.
A couple of winning capitalists, Brodie and Taylor should be just as recognized for their charitable efforts. The sisters decided to donate a portion of the business’s profits to the Zama Zama orphanage project in Swaziland a cause the BSS students have been raising money for six years.
Brodie found the marketing unit in her EB class to be particularly instrumental in The Cookies Stand’s success. “We’re learning about the importance of product placement, price, promotion…That’s really been helpful,” she says. “If they look like the dog’s breakfast, no one’s going to buy them. They’re packaged very nicely, that’s our thing.” The sisters have put a lot of thought into packaging, and Taylor’s creative brain has certainly helped. “Brodie’s more of the business person, she has a lot of ideas,” says the elder sister. “I’m an arts student so I try to think outside of the box a lot of the time.”
While the EB class was a driving force and a shaping tool for the budding company, The Cookies Stand also has the BSS learning environment to thank for its success. “I can’t think of a better place as a high school student to start your own business,” says Brodie. “The administration and teachers are really open to it because it’s a great opportunity for the girls to learn. It’s practice basically, and we have a huge support system.”
Its products made great stocking stuffers, but The Cookies Stand has proved a success beyond the holiday season. Brodie and Taylor have accepted orders at various times of the year, most recently an order for Caution boxes to be used as loot bags.
Though Taylor will be attending university next fall, the business will remain in tact, at least for Deck The Hall 2011 (Taylor plans to return for the three day event), and likely beyond. “I think it’s really cool to be able to do what you want, rather than what other people tell you to do,” says Taylor. “I thought it was great that Brodie and I were able to make our own decisions.” The sisters have discussed pitching their products to at least one major business, and in the meantime, they’re happy to take requests.
“It actually takes us a few hours to make the products, but once we have the two of us working together, it’s not that difficult,” says Brodie. “All businesses take work, so this is just our time that we have to put into it.”
“Just ask us,” says Taylor. “We’re totally willing to make extra product at any time, so if we get a phone call or email or text message, we’re down to do business.”
Spoken like a couple of budding tycoons.
