Meet Chloe Coman

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chloe Coman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Chloe, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout

In any industry, but in the food industry especially, burnout is very real and all too common. I grew up thinking that if I worked as hard as I could, it would eventually “pay off”. That there would be this end goal I reached and would finally get to enjoy life. But after working endless hours for years with very little to show for it, I started to rethink my strategy. I was stuck in a burnout cycle that I didn’t even realize existed. I was always “pushing through”, working while sick, and getting very little sleep for YEARS! I didn’t realize the impact it would have on my body long term. For consistently being sleep deprived and not properly nourished. For poor quality of sleep and lack of real exercise. I reached a point in my career about 8 years in when the costs started to greatly outweigh the benefits. I still wasn’t seeing a return from these companies I had worked so hard for. The stress was becoming unmanageable thinking about the effects of burnout from employers who couldn’t care less about me. Once I recognized what burnout was, I was able to see how deep I was in it. So I decided to make a change. A scary change, but one that I knew needed to be made in order to live a more regulated life. This chronic stress and lack of sleep took its toll, so I decided to quit my corporate catering general manager position. There were a number of other contributing factors to the decision, but a big one was focusing on healing my body from the intense burnout. I took a step back and I focused on rest, like REAL rest. I used to have every minute of my day planned or filled with something productive, even if it was “rest” time. I’ve learned over the last year that it’s okay to sleep in if your body needs it. It took a lot of time letting my body tell me what it needs before I could hear it again, so it basically took a lot of time resting and resetting. It was hard, but it was worth it. I’m not saying everyone who needs to heal from burnout should go quit their jobs to start their own business, but you should definitely start prioritizing your needs above your work, especially if you work for someone else. Once I started giving my body the undeniable rest it needed, I started to have signals again telling me when I need to rest and when I have energy. Healing from burnout has been an ongoing process, but so worth it. My business is stronger when I can give 100%, and the only way to do that is to listen to my body without feeling guilty about the lack of productivity. Rest is productive!

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I started Chloe’s Colorado Cookie Co. with one goal in mind: to make a shippable chocolate chip cookie that tasted as fresh as they day you baked it by the time it arrived. Working in the industry for years, I saw a need for not only a quality shippable product, but the ability to send a smaller quantity. Many bakeries, especially ones that focus on quality, have order minimums making it more expensive to send a gift to a friend or loved one. I became a pastry chef because I love seeing the joy it brings others. So I created a product and a system that allows customers to ship as little as one cookie anywhere nationwide. My products focus on gift and special occasion packaging that can be completely customized to your specific needs. I also invested in an edible image printer that can print direct from a computer to an edible surface with edible ink making logos and other branding/customizations a breeze. I created a recurring order program for clients who want to make gifting easy for their own clients or employee birthdays. I also specialize in decorated sugar cookies that go beyond just the logo customization. As a small business owner and a classically trained pastry chef, I have the ability to make almost anything! My other priority when starting the business was being conscious of the environmental impact that company would have. I have spent time investing in recyclable and compostable packaging where possible and partnering with The Park People, and non profit organization that helps reforestation efforts in Colorado.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think my strong work ethic, loyalty, and drive were a huge factor in my career journey. Although I don’t recommend others to follow in my steps that led to burnout, I learned a lot about myself and the world around me when I was truly giving it my all. I was always putting in my maximum effort in the hopes it would get me recognition and help me move up in the company I was working for, whoever it was. Doing that for so many years and being faced with so much hardship helped me see that most employers aren’t ultimately concerned about the wellbeing of their employees. There was no doubt in my mind who the problem was because I was raised to always work my hardest, and I sure was. My advice for people early in their careers is to focus on what fills your cup first and the rest will come. An employer will never be able to give you what you need to be happy in life, even if that’s a raise. They are there to take advantage of hard workers, it’s honestly how they make money. So find something you like to do, and make sure you have a work life balance you feel good about, because it’s the only way to survive in the long run.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

A major challenge as a small business is reaching my customers. Since I am fully licensed as a bakery out of a commissary kitchen, this means I don’t have my own brick-and-mortar for people to stop by. This limits how I reach customers, especially as a bakery since people are used to picking up items fresh, day of. I offer free custom samples of my logo sugar cookies to any potential clients as a way to introduce them to the product. In a digital age, it can be hard to track down the right contact person to even send free cookies! I am always looking for ways to collaborate with other small businesses, especially locally. This helps expand my reach and potentially find new clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chloescoloradocookie.com
• Instagram: @chloescoloradocookieco