Down to an art – Marinette County woman balances business, family

Heather Graves

Staff

April 5, 2023

PEMBINE – Wrapping up her first year in business, Erika Dunne – owner of The Tattered Whisk, LLC – said the growth she’s had in the last 12 months has been nothing short of crazy.

“I started out making a few hundred cookies,” she said. “I’ve probably made close to 15,000 cookies this year. It’s been insane, and I don’t see it stopping. It keeps growing and growing.”

Add a husband and a house full of kids – seven to be exact, including one-year-old twins – Dunne has balancing multiple roles down to an art.

How it started
The San Diego native said she’s always had an interest in baking, but the hobby took on a whole new meaning when she turned 40 last year.

“I just had my twins, and I was looking for something to do outside of always doing stuff with the kids, cleaning the house or cooking meals – I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for forever now,” she laughed.

That led to an online class on cookie decorating.

“I then had hundreds of cookies just sitting here,” she said. “So, I packed them all up in gift boxes, took them to our kids’ school and gave them to all the staff. Then orders just started coming from it. That was last April.”

Although new to the custom cookie decorating world, Dunne said she has experience in running a small business.

“I was a competitive figure skater for 18 years and then was a figure skating instructor for about 12 years,” she said. “So, I ran a successful business before I became a stay-at-home mom.”

Jumping back into entrepreneurship, Dunne said, wasn’t necessarily her plan – “it just kind of happened.”

“I honestly did not plan for this to turn into what it has turned into,” she said.

Although in completely different sectors, Dunne said her two endeavors – cookie decorating and skating instructing – have many similarities.

Erika Dunne – owner of The Tattered Whisk, said she has always been an avid baker. Dunne hand cuts, hand bakes and hand decorates all cookie orders. Submitted Photo

“They’re similar in the fact I worked for myself as an independent contractor,” she said. “I do all of my business with my clients. I have been out there hustling. Obviously, I think the difference would be the type of work I am doing – other than that, I think it’s similar.”

Finding the balance
A lot has changed for her on the personal side of things since the last time Dunne owned and operated a business – balancing it all, she said, is sometimes difficult.

“I work pretty much from the moment I get up to the moment I go to bed,” she said. “Finding the balance between keeping up with the house and keeping up with being a mom and not letting that fall apart can be challenging. I work late a lot – until 2 a.m. sometimes, so I can make sure I’m there for dinner and not missing the things I need to be there for – making sure my kids are still a focus while running a business.”

Dunne said she knows the success of The Tattered Whisk depends entirely on how much she puts into it – especially being a newer business.

“Whether I’m on my phone dealing with clients or doing new invoices or creating posts for social media – I’m constantly working,” she said. “So, you have to be willing to sacrifice some things in the beginning, I think.”

Dunne encourages other new small business owners or entrepreneurs thinking about giving it a go, to not get discouraged by the ‘noes.’”

“You will have people who say ‘no,’ but you are going to get a lot of people who say, ‘yes,’” she said. “We have to keep pushing through the noes, get excited about the yeses and then one thing will turn into another. You only get what you put out. If you’re not willing to work at it, and you’re not willing to give all this energy and effort into it, then it’s probably not going to work.”

Custom-decorated cookies
Dunne said The Tattered Whisk primarily focuses on custom-decorated sugar cookies.

“They are decorated to whatever your theme is – whether it’s a wedding, a baby shower or a birthday,” she said. “That is what I specialize in – creating a cookie to go with that theme.”

All Tattered Whisk cookies, Dunne said, are handmade with Grade AA butter, premium vanilla extract and King Arthur Flour. 
Gluten-free options are also available.

//s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1680726378779x220253361138937440/richtext_content.webpThe Tattered Whisk specializes in custom-designed sugar cookies. Submitted Photo

Dunne said each cookie is hand cut, hand baked and hand decorated by her, personally.

“I pride myself on making a high-quality and delicious-tasting cookie,” she said.

Dunne said the purchase of an edible printer was a game changer for her business.

“That has also helped to grow my business, allowing Tattered Whisk to move in a different direction,” she said. “I can work with more commercial businesses for things like events – providing something that’s super custom you can’t find anywhere else.”

Last football season, Dunne partnered with Delaware North – the Green Bay Packers’ food service partner – to provide cookies for its suite holders.

“I had randomly sent an email to Mark Murphy, and he passed it along to Delaware North – so, I worked with them making cookies for their suite holders,” she said. “It was a great experience, especially for my first year.”

Dunne said she isn’t sure yet if that will happen again this season.

“I’m trying to get (other) bigger clients (as well),” she said. “I’ve reached out to the (Milwaukee) Brewers because they’re also part of Delaware North, so I’m in talks to do some stuff with them.”

Dunne said a handful of opportunities are coming her way, and “I’m trying to pick and choose what I can and cannot do.”
One of those opportunities, Dunne said, is cookie-decorating classes.

“I started teaching a lot of classes,” she said. “I am teaching classes in Green Bay, Appleton, Pembine and Iron Mountain (Michigan). That has been successful, and people love coming to the classes. So, that has been a good addition to this business also.”

//s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1680726417286x385936988866660860/richtext_content.webpLast football season, The Tattered Whisk partnered with Delaware North – the Green Bay Packers’ food service partner – to provide cookies for its suite holders. Submitted Photo

During each class, participants are shown step-by-step cookie-decorating instructions. 

Classes are two hours in length and open to anyone eight years old and up.

Dunne said she also offers Mommy & Me classes for children under eight.

The Tattered Whisk offers in-person monthly classes and private in-home classes, as well as a one-on-one class option.
Class details are available at thetatteredwhisk.com.

Dunne said this year, The Tattered Whisk will potentially start offering online classes as well.

She said she is also looking at other partnerships to add consistent orders/projects.

“We’re trying to work in different target areas, so I can work smarter and not harder,” she said.

Dunne said she’s excited to see what happens with The Tattered Whisk in the future.

“When I started this business, $2,000 was my initial investment, and I turned it into this huge thing,” she said.

As the business continues to grow, Dunne said she has no intention of leaving Pembine.

//s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1680726469002x721674651339370400/richtext_content.webpErika Dunne

“I know Pembine is a small area, but I’m trying to keep my business here because we love living up here,” she said. “The community has been great. Everybody around here knows about me.”

Dunne said she does a lot of business in the Green Bay and Appleton areas.

“When delivering products, I try to plan them when I’m coming down to do my grocery shopping because I’m in Green Bay all the time,” she said. 

Dunne said her husband also helps with deliveries.

The Tattered Whisk also offers delivery throughout the country.