Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Donley.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve actually never been much of a baker! I’m a Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS). I’ve enjoyed working in hematology and microbiology the most on the bench, but when I left the field, I was working as a safety and compliance coordinator for the hospitals lab. I decided to leave the workforce to be home and raise my two girls, Mila and Kenzie. While making cookies for my daughter’s preschool Christmas party, I was so frustrated with how terrible my cookies kept turning out, and I was like, ya know what…I need to learn how people do this. I found tutorials and a great recipe and just started from there. It brought back my love for art, that I haven’t touched on since high school. It’s let me be creative, make a little extra money, and connect with so many people. I’ve been able to be home and also still have a creative outlet.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Time management was the hardest thing for me. Since starting and finding my niche, I’ve decided to slow down the orders so I can make sure I’m not overwhelming myself. I still want to learn and hone in on skills I’m developing as well as be able to spend the time I need to on each order to make sure they’re perfect. It’s super hard for me to turn down an order, though, so please know if I say no, it’s because I absolutely cannot, but I look forward to working with you in the future!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So my name came about because my younger brother, Joey, passed away 7 years ago in 2016. My dad passed 3 years after him. They were always so supportive of me, so proud of me (my mom, husband, family, in-laws are too! Thank you guys!) but my brother and dad were always saying that I was tough. I couldn’t come up with a more perfect name than One Tough Cookie. It fit. My niche is more of an alternative, edgy look, but I am open to any and all orders that I can fulfill and do a good job on. I do corporate orders, baby showers, birthdays, weddings, etc.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success used to be the initials in my signature. Jackie Donley MLS, ASCP. After coping with great loss and having children and a family, success is only happiness. Whatever I did in life led me to my beautiful family, knowing the love that I had for my brother and dad and being able to teach my kids as I watched them learn and grow into wonderful humans. It’s being able to do things to bring happiness to others.
Pricing:
- Standard dozen $48 (3-4 colors, 2-3 designs)
- Detailed dozen $51 (3-4 designs, 3 colors+) simple florals, may include some airbrush, some metallics, basic “extras.”
- Elaborate dozen $57 -all airbrushing and stencils, metallics, colors, sprinkles, etc, needed to achieve the look requested.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://onetoughcookiecollc.square.site/
- Instagram: One.tough.cookie.co
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090769500099&mibextid=LQQJ4d
