While other little girls her age were playing with an Easy-Bake oven, Alexa Martinez was already learning how to bake. Her years in the kitchen paid off, as she now runs a flourishing cookie business called AlexasGoodies. “I have been baking since I was a little girl and I have always enjoyed being in the kitchen,” says Martinez. “The Christmas that I received my Kitchen Aid mixer was when I really grew a passion for it. It definitely has been a great investment!”
Created in 2016, her current business Instagram account used to solely be a creative outlet where she posted her desserts. Now her Instagram is being shared among FSU students, as her giveaway post with a college cleaning service Tidy USA has almost 400 likes.
Originally from Miami, Martinez’s business started in her hometown. “In the beginning, my friends and family helped me by posting on their Instagram stories about my account and it gained a lot of attention.” Now with almost 700 followers on Instagram, Martinez’s audience has grown from just her close family members and friends. Another form of social media Martinez sells on is Facebook, which is popular among her Tallahassee customers. Martinez explained, “When I got to Tallahassee, my account was posted to an FSU Facebook Mom’s group which has also brought a lot of attention to my business here.” Mothers who are looking for a gift to send their college students often buy one of Martinez’s cookie boxes to be delivered.
The drive to start her business came from the immense encouragement she received from fellow family members and friends. However, Martinez definitely had her doubts about selling her creations. “I had always thought about it but I never thought I would actually go through with it. I was skeptical about it because I really loved to just bake for my family and friends and treat them whenever I baked up something in the kitchen.” For Martinez, her passion also helped her financially, as an internship she was pursuing had gotten canceled due to COVID-19.
Her picture-perfect Instagram account and Facebook page are not run by any social media manager. While balancing college coursework, Martinez is in charge of all aspects of her business. While she finds it to be extremely rewarding, it also can be difficult to manage at some points. “I think one of my challenges is running this alone. But I personally would not want it any other way, at least for right now. I buy all the ingredients, make the cookies, run the social media accounts and deliver each and every order myself.” Even after a tiring day of school and running her business, she still hasn’t lost any of her love for baking. “It’s definitely challenging but I do enjoy what I do.”
While Publix does make some really addicting chocolate chip cookies, AlexasGoodies beats Publix in the variety of cookies sold. “You got ROASTED” and “The Pregame” are just two names off of the menu. When browsing the selections on her goodie menu, I noticed that each flavor has a special name. For this fall season, there’s even a limited-time flavor called “Maple Bacon.” With the number of orders she has, Martinez often has leftover dough but usually refrains from eating it all the time. “There will be days where I can be really craving one and other days that I just won’t care to eat them at all. At first, my favorite flavor was the ‘You got ROASTED’, but now my favorite is the ‘Triple Threat’.”
As a junior at FSU, Martinez is conveniently majoring in marketing. When asked about her major she said, “I do love my major because I think it will really benefit me for the future if I plan to make this into a larger business.” Even with its booming success in both Tallahassee and Miami, Martinez’s mind is not set on growing the business just yet. “I have thought about this a lot and if it is possible, I would love to make Alexa’s Goodies into a larger business one day when I have all the right resources for it. Right now, I’m balancing school and running the business all by myself, so I plan to wait to see where this path leads me to.”
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