Life & Work with BERGEN GIORDANI of YOUNGSTOWN, OH

Today we’d like to introduce you to BERGEN GIORDANI

Hi BERGEN, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2013 I was a single mom working a full time job and a part time job and thought that there has to be a better way to support myself and my daughter. I had always loved baking but more importantly I loved eating sweets. I took a chance and opened a cookie shop in Downtown Youngstown that was experiencing a revitalization of sorts. The business grew, and instead of working 2 jobs I was working 3. But, I knew that I was betting on myself and showing my daughter that there is nothing you can’t do with hardwork and belief in yourself. The business continued to grow and prior to COVID we had 5 locations for One Hot Cookie, my first business. The portfolio continued to grow to include other “sweet brands” ODC Cafe/OH Donut Company*, Sweet Sips (a mobile bar company), Snacky Paws, a dog boutique that will open in 2o24 and the acquisition of Gorant Chocolatier* in 2023, a 75 year old chocolate company. In 2019 I left my full time job (outside of the business) and formed a marketing and management company Sweet Marketing and Management, which works with outside clients as well as our internal brands.

*ODC Cafe and Gorant Chocolatier are owned with a business partner.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Bootstrapping a business while working a full time and part-time job was an obvious challenge from the beginning but I find myself to be inspired by adversity. Failure is a part of life and obviously business and I liken it to when you drop a ball (literally and figuratively) it’s not about the drop, it’s about the bounce and how you can rebound from that failure. It’s important to bounce higher than when you fell as you learn and grow from your mistakes. Knowing when to close a store is always a challenge and feels like a failure, but continuing to fail is worse than taking the hit.

Quitting a full-time job with state benefits was a difficult decision but I knew that betting on myself was something I needed to do in order to grow the company.

Laying off our entire team during the forced COVID closure while we regrouped and figured out a path forward was a challenge but one that strengthened our vision and purpose and helped guide us through the pandemic but also through to the other side into bigger ventures.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have 20+ years in marketing and a sweet tooth and have been fortunate to combine my passions into a career and work alongside my daughter every day. Teaching her that she can do whatever she wants to do and has the ability to create the life that she wants is my “why” and I strive to be a role model for her and other aspiring female entrepreneurs.

My portfolio of businesses includes: Sweet Marketing and Management, Gorant Chocolatier, One Hot Cookie, ODC Cafe, Sweet Sips Mobile Bar, and Snacky Paws, a gourmet dog boutique and barkery.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I fully believe in the quote that fortune favors the bold and think that you have to make bold choices in our to see good fortunes (luck) come your way. Of course, there is always failure, but I like to think that when you drop a ball (fail) it’s what happens on the bounce that determines your next move – I have failed but I have always pushed through and bounced forward aiming higher than I was.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gorant.com, www.onehotcookie.com, www.ohdonutcompany.com, www.sweetmarketingmgmt.com, www.sweetsipsohio.com, and www.snackypaws.com
• Instagram: @gorantchocolates @onehotcookie @sweet.marketing