Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandi Pelley.
Hi Brandi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
GoodyGram started as a very real problem I was trying to solve from 1,200 miles away. I was living in Texas, my mom was back home in Ohio, and I was searching online for a local birthday gift that didn’t feel like the same old flowers, a virtual gift card, or something shipped last-minute from Amazon. Nothing felt personal enough. I remember thinking, ‘Why aren’t there more thoughtful, local gifting options?’ On top of that, I couldn’t even find a bakery to place an order on their website and have treats or a cake delivered; I couldn’t find anything convenient.
At the same time, I was baking all kinds of goodies for customers in my Texas city. It was fun, but the huge menu was overwhelming. I realized I wanted to take the heart of what I loved, which was baking, gifting, and making people’s days, and streamline it into something simple, sleek, customizable, and truly meaningful.
That’s when the idea of a ready-to-gift cookie box clicked. Fresh-baked cookies. Impressive, ready-to-gift packaging. Personal touches. A gift that felt warm and human, not mass-produced.
While there are plenty of great cookie companies out there, GoodyGram was never just about cookies. It’s about the experience. I wanted people to be able to send a box that felt special; something thoughtful and intentional, even when they couldn’t be there in person to give it. That’s why every box is baked to order, wrapped beautifully, and includes an in-box QR code where you can attach a personalized video message, and you can even include a gift card to the recipient’s favorite store. It creates closeness, even across miles.
And now, I get to do all of this from Medina, Ohio, where I bake the world a sweeter place, one cookie at a time.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Building GoodyGram has definitely come with its share of learning curves, but the good kind that force you to get better. One of the biggest challenges early on was maintaining freshness during transit. Since every GoodyGram is baked to order, I had to experiment with packaging, sealing methods, and shipping timelines to make sure the cookies arrived as soft and delicious as they left the kitchen. My first few test boxes were stale and crumbly, and that was not ok with me.
Then came the summer heat. This taught me real quick that cookies have no interest in staying cute when temperatures hit triple digits. I had to rethink insulation, test different materials, and adjust processes to keep everything from melting before it reached someone’s doorstep.
Another major challenge was the tech behind our custom video messaging. I knew I wanted that moment (the scan, the smile, the moment of connection experience), but making the tech foolproof required a lot of trial and error. We had to streamline the upload system, ensure the QR codes always worked, and make the entire thing easy for customers who aren’t necessarily tech-savvy.
And then there was the website. I wanted a process so simple that anyone could build a GoodyGram without second-guessing a single step. Getting to that level of clarity took time: rewriting copy, reorganizing flow, simplifying choices… basically redesigning it until it felt effortless; though there are still some tweaks I’d like to make.
So no, it hasn’t been effortless, but every challenge pushed GoodyGram closer to what it is, and what it is still becoming: a gifting experience that feels warm, personal, and incredibly easy on the customer’s end. The goal was always to make sending joy simple, even if building the system behind it wasn’t.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At my core, I’m someone who loves to make things, especially things that bring people joy. I’ve always been a big trial-and-error person. Whether I’m baking, cooking, writing, making art, or learning a new hobby, I actually enjoy the process of messing up, tweaking, trying again, and finally getting it right. That challenge is fun for me. I love that moment when an idea I dreamed up becomes something you can actually see, taste, or hold. Bringing big ideas into the 3D world is my favorite thing.
I’m also someone who just genuinely loves to make others happy. I get such a rush when someone raves about something I baked. It really fills me with pride. Knowing I made someone happy with something I created from scratch? That feeling never gets old.
GoodyGram ended up becoming the place where all those parts of me came together: my love for experimenting, my obsession with bringing an idea to life, and my desire to make people smile. But at the end of the day, it really starts with who I am as a person: a maker at heart, a problem-solver, and someone who gets joy out of creating little bright spots for the people around me.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
For me, the best networking has always come from being genuinely supportive of other people and showing up with kindness – mentors or not. I love cheering others on, sharing what I’ve learned, and being someone people can come to for honest help. When you show up that way, connections happen naturally and the right people tend to find you.
I’ve learned that you don’t always need one official ‘mentor’ to grow. Sometimes you learn a ton just by putting yourself in rooms (or group chats, or communities) with people who are trying things, building things, and figuring it out the same way you are. I pay attention to how other small business owners handle challenges, celebrate wins, and stay creative. That’s mentorship too.
What’s worked best for me is staying open and being curious. People are usually happy to share their experiences or let you bounce ideas off of them if you approach them with respect and genuine interest. And on the flip side, I try to be just as generous, whether it’s encouraging another creator, sharing a resource, or simply letting someone know they’re not alone in the hard parts.
I think networking works best when it doesn’t feel transactional. It’s really just about building relationships, supporting each other, and staying connected to people who inspire you. When you lead with kindness and authenticity, you end up attracting the right kind of community around you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thegoodygram.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodygramcookies/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegoodygram/
