There are few things better than breakfast food, but cookies may just be one of them. So just imagine how good a combination of the two would be? Well senior Miranda Scott and her business, The Waffle Cookie, did just that – creating and selling unique cookie creations made in a waffle iron. On top of that, for every 10 waffle cookies sold, The Waffle Cookie donates a meal to a person in need in Detroit, Michigan through its non-profit partner, Forgotten Harvest.

Scott founded The Waffle Cookie fueled by a desire to create a business that would benefit her hometown of Detroit.

“I love waffles and started experimenting with putting different things in my waffle iron at home. I knew I wanted to create a social business that would give back to Detroit so I did some experimentation to come up with a new product,” Scott said.

Scott has worked with Thought Into Action (TIA), Colgate’s entrepreneurship guidance program. TIA’s mentors work with students to help develop ideas into real-world entities. In 2016, Scott participated in TIA’s Entrepreneur Weekend’s Shark Tank competition. Scott, along with other TIA students, presented their companies to a panel of renowned business leaders for their cut of $20,000 in funding.

“TIA has been immensely helpful in developing my business. They’ve provided me with an incredible network of mentors who dedicate so much time and energy into helping us with anything we need,” Scott said.

Scott’s favorite parts of running The Waffle Cookie are seeing people enjoy her product and giving back to Detroit. 

“I love being able to create my own work schedule and set my own goals. It’s definitely a lot of responsibility and can be very challenging at times, but it’s so rewarding to see people enjoying a product that you created and knowing that you’re giving back to your community. I also recently hired ten interns and it’s been so much fun building a team and learning from everyone else,” Scott said.

As a Sociology minor, Scott has been able to put her understanding of how society influences individuals’ behavior to use in navigating the business world. 

Scott’s advice to other students interested in starting their own business is to take advantage of the amazing opportunity and resources Colgate provides. After graduation, Scott plans to get more experience and insight by pursuing a job in the food industry in order to continue to work on The Waffle Cookie. 

Contact Tessa Ruff at [email protected].