Tanya & Mike Clowers live in Williamsburg, IA and sell custom-decorated cookies and other baked goods with their cottage food business, South Street Cookies.

Tanya & Mike’s cottage food story has truly humble beginnings. Just a few years ago, Mike became very ill and lost his job, leading them to rely on a local food bank to get by while Tanya worked 4 different part-time jobs.

But as their cottage bakery became more successful, she was able to quit her other jobs and focus on this business full-time.

Tanya has now grown not only a strong customer base, but also a huge social media presence. She now has over 100k subscribers on her YouTube channel, and in this episode, we discuss how to use YouTube to boost a cottage food business.

Tanya & Mike’s journey is quite remarkable and is a great example of how a cottage food business can literally be a life-changing opportunity.

• Start With What You Have and Grow From There: Tanya had never baked or decorated cookies before watching a few videos online and giving it a try. At the same time, she was juggling multiple jobs and caring for a one year old. There was no perfect setup or clear plan. She just kept showing up and practicing. This is a great reminder that you do not need everything figured out before you start. The skills, confidence, and momentum come from doing the work.
• Create Multiple Streams of Income for Stability: Because of hand pain from carpal tunnel, Tanya knew she could not rely on decorated cookies alone. So she and Mike added farmers markets, simple baked goods, mystery bags, classes, and even social media income. This flexibility allowed them to protect Tanya’s health and still grow the business. For you, this could mean adding one extra product or sales channel that makes your business more sustainable long term.
• Use Social Media to Build Real Community, Not Just Views: What started as short cookie decorating videos turned into a huge YouTube following. People now travel long distances (even from other states) to attend Tanya’s cookie classes. This shows how sharing your process and your personality can do far more than build views. It can build trust, community, and real customers for your business.

South Street Cookies website (Youtube | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok)

Iowa Cottage Food Law

Host David Crabill’s Cottage Food Pro membership is a great opportunity to get personalized feedback directly from David and other members.

The membership includes monthly group calls, plus tutorials designed to grow your business without breaking the bank. Learn more at cottagefoodpro.com

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/156