In 2012, I had an idea for a website that would allow the Girl Scouts to sell cookies online – so I built it.
My mom was a Girl Scout leader and I remember, as a 12 year old, hauling boxes of cookies into the house, stacking and sorting them.
I knew everything about Girl Scout cookies, especially which ones were the best – Samoas!
As online storefronts began to grow, I couldn’t help but wonder why there wasn’t a website to purchase cookies online.
In 2013, I purchased the domain name ‘GirlScoutCookiesOnline.com’, designed and developed a full e-commerce website on my own dime and began socializing it.
People HATED the idea.
I shared it with Girl Scout leaders, members and employees. There was a common agreement that my idea was unethical and went against everything a Girl Scout stood for, that it would contradict the experience of running her very own cookie sale, working with others, and building a lifetime of confidence – so I stopped.
I finally let the idea die completely in 2016. Later that year, the Girl Scouts launched Digital Cookie® – a platform that helps girls superpower their cookie sales as they go beyond the booth with mobile and online channels.
Moral of the story: If you have an idea that you believe in – stick with it!
#FailForward
Jacob Brown is a former NFL athlete turned transformational and motivational speaker with almost a decade of experience leading humans to overcome fear and fail forward in business, leadership and life.