W7: A Lesson In Perspective From Collettey’s Cookies
It’s easy to start to feel sorry for yourself when things aren’t going your way. Sometimes the best way to snap out of it is to take a look at someone else pushing through adversity larger than yours, and thriving. This Wednesday’s episode is about the perspective I gained from learning about Collettey’s Cookies, and the grit and determination of the woman behind the brand. Not only is she thriving, but she’s also lifting up other people as she bakes.
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W7: A LESSON IN PERSPECTIVE FROM COLLETTEY’S COOKIES
AS I WROTE THE OUTLINE TO THIS EPISODE, I WAS SITTING IN A MEDICAL OFFICE WAITING ROOM. MY WIFE WAS UNDERGOING A MINOR MEDICAL PROCEDURE SO SHE WAS UNDER ANETHSTESIA AND NEEDED A RIDE HOME. I HAD JUST SCRAMBLED FROM AN EVENT AT MY KIDS’ SCHOOL AND I WAS WAY BEHIND ON WHAT I NEEDED TO DO. I SAT DOWN IN THE WAITING ROOM IN A CHAIR DESIGNED TO COMFORTABLY SEAT A CINDER BLOCK, ONLY TO HAVE A MOUTH-BREATHER SIT RIGHT NEXT TO ME. INHALING. EXHALING. ARM DRIFTING ONTO MY CHAIR’S ARMREST. INHALING. EXHALING. I MEAN…REALLY? I LOOKED AT MY WATCH. I HAD 47 MINUTES TO WRITE BEFORE GETTING MY WIFE INTO THE CAR, AND DRIVING ACROSS TOWN TO GET THE KIDS FROM SCHOOL OR WE’D BE CHARGED $40 FOR AFTERCARE. I TAPPED MY FOOT ON THE FLOOR AND FURIOUSLY CHEWED MY GUM, TRYING TAKE MY MIND OFF THE DYING FISH OUT OF WATER SITTING NEXT TO ME.
IT'S SO EASY TO LET FRUSTRATIONS PILE UP QUICKLY WHEN WE’RE STRESSED. AS I SAT UNCOMFORTABLY IN THE WIATING ROOM, FEELING PICKED ON BY LIFE, ALL IT TOOK WAS READING ABOUT COLLETTE FROM MASSACHUSSETTS TO MAKE THAT FEELING FADE AWAY.
THIS IS A STORY ABOUT PERSPECTIVE.
EPISODE
AFTER COLLETTE DIVITTO GRADUATED FROM CLEMSON UNIVERSITY, SHE MOVED BACK HOME TO BOSTON TO LIVE CLOSER TO HER FAMILY AND GET HER CAREER STARTED. WHILE COLLETTE WAS BORN WITH THE GENETIC DISORDER DOWN SYNDROME, SHE HAD NEVER LET IT SLOW HER DOWN, SO SHE IMMEDIATELY SET OUT ON HER JOB SEARCH, AIMING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE BOSTON COMMUNITY.
ONE REJECTION FOLLOWED THE NEXT, WITH EMPLOYERS REPEATEDLY SAYING SHE “WASN’T A FIT,” ….AND WHILE SHE COULD SECURE VOLUNTEER POSITIONS, THEY NEVER LED TO HER BEING HIRED FULL-TIME. THIS CONTINUED FOR THREE YEARS.
COLLETTE ISN’T SOMEONE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT LIFE NOT BEING FAIR, SO AS SHE INTERVIEWED AND TOOK REJECTIONS IN STRIDE, SHE STARTED A LITTLE SIDE PROJECT. BACK WHEN SHE WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, SHE HAD LEARNED TO BAKE, AND SHE WAS ALWAYS DRAWN TO BAKING COOKIES, SPECIFICALLY, HER SIGNATURE CINNAMON CHOCOLATE CHIP, WHICH SHE CALLED “THE AMAZING COOKIE.” SHE MADE SEVERAL BATCHES AND SHARED THEM WITH PEOPLE AND GOT SUCH GOOD FEEDBACK, SHE AND HER MOM, ROSEMARY, WHO WAS AN ENTREPRENEUR HERSELF AND WHO CAME FROM A FAMILY OF ENTREPRENEURS, DECIDED TO GET THEM INTO A LOCAL STORE.
THE GOLDEN GOOSE MARKET WAS IMPRESSED AND QUICKLY ORDERED 100 PACKAGES. BEFORE COLLETTE AND ROSEMARY KNEW IT, THEY WERE WORKING OUT OF A COMMERCIAL KITCHEN, RUNNING A BUSINESS. AS NEWS SPREAD, THEY WERE INTERVIEWED BY WBZ NEWS, AND THEN THAT STORY WAS PICKED UP NATIONALLY, AND SUDDENLY, AFTER ONE WEEK, THEY HAD 4,000 ORDERS TO FULFILL…A GREAT PROBLEM TO HAVE.
IN A FEW SHORT WEEKS, COLLETTE HAD GONE FROM A DISAPPOINTED JOB SEEKER TO A BUDDING ENTREPRENEUR WHO OFTEN STARTED WORK AT 4AM IN ORDER TO STAY AHEAD OF THE GROWTH. THE BUSINESS EXPANDED WITH A LOAN FROM A BANK, AND THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY TO GETTING THE COOKIES INTO REGIONAL STORES. AFTER THAT FIRST YEAR IN BUSINESS, COLLETTE WAS NAMED NEW ENGLANDER OF THE YEAR.
AND WHILE THIS IS ALL VERY IMPRESSIVE, IT’S NOT EVEN THE PART THAT GETS ME MOST ABOUT THIS STORY.
AS COLLETTE FOUND SUCCESS WITH HER COOKIE BUSINESS, SHE DIDN’T FORGET WHAT IT FELT LIKE TO BE NEURODIVERGENT AND LOOKING FOR A JOB, ONLY TO HAVE EMPLOYERS LOOK PAST HER BECAUSE OF HER DISABILITY. WITH ONLY AROUND TWENTY PERCENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES EMPLOYED IN THE UNITED STATES, COLLETTE WAS DETERMINED TO HELP, SO WITH EACH HIRE, SHE MADE SURE SHE INTERVIEWED PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, AND IF THEY WERE A FIT, THEY WERE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVE THEMSELVES. IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE HAD A FAIR SHOT, COLLETTE TRAINED ALL NEW EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES ONE-ON-ONE.
BEFORE LONG, COLLETTEY’S COOKIES EMPLOYED DOZENS OF DISABLED EMPLOYEES, AND SHE WAS COACHING OTHER COMPANIES ON HIRING EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES AND COACHING DISABLED ENTREPRENEURS.
AS IT STANDS, COLLETTEY’S COOKIES CAN BE FOUND IN GROCERY STORES AS WELL AS TJ MAXX AND MARSHALLS STORES IN 11 STATES, FROM CALIFORNIA TO BOSTON. THE COMPANY HAS GENERATED MILLIONS IN REVENEUE AND IT’S MAKING A PROFIT, WITH PLANS TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND TO EVERY STATE IN THE COUNTRY AND CONTINUE TO HELP SOLVE EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
BY THE TIME I HAD READ ABOUT COLLETTEY’S COOKIES, IT WAS TIME FOR ME TO LEAVE THE WAITING ROOM AND ASSIST MY WIFE AS SHE RECOVERED FROM HER PROCEDURE. I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE MOUTH-BREATHER NEXT TO ME, THE UNCOMFORTABLE CHAIR, AND THE TIME CONSTRAINTS AND DEADLINES THAT HAD BEEN DERAILING ME EARLIER.
COLLETTE’S STORY PROVIDED PERSPECTIVE…A REMINDER THAT LIFE IS UNFAIR AND HARSH. FRUSTRATIONS AND CHALLENGES ARE EVERYWHERE. BUT WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO? THE INSPIRING ONES MAKE IT WORK REGARDLESS OF THE CHALLENGES WITHOUT WASTING THEIR TIME COMPLAINING ….AND LIKE COLLETTE, AS THEY SUCCEED…THEY MAKE A POINT TO CORRECT INJUSTICES THEY DEALT WITH SO LIFE IS BETTER FOR PEOPLE JUST LIKE THEM.