WEST LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Arlana Brooks is not only a cookie-lover, she’s an expert at making them. She learned how to bake when she was 7-years-old, encouraged by her mother.

“I said, 'I want some cookies,' and she said, 'just go in there and bake it yourself.' She says, open up that cookbook and I did!” Brooks said.

When the Los Angeles native got to college, she baked as a hobby and word spread about her cookies. People wanted to pay for orders.

“I used to eat another cookie and it was too sweet, so I reduced the sugar a little bit and that is kind of my tweak,” she said.  

Brooks realized she had a knack and a passion for making them and eventually created “Arlana’s Gourmet Cookies,” learning about the bakery business over many years. She initially made 25 different types of cookies but eventually pared it down to six types. She also juggled life as a full-time civil engineer and a single mom to her daughter.

Brooks would get up early to go to work and when she finished in the late afternoon, she would bake.

In 2019, she partnered with a baking facility to help her fulfill more orders and hired a publicist to spread the word about her company. 2020 was supposed to be a big year for Brooks because she had plans to create a team so she could eventually run her cookie business full-time.

“It was at least to be able to hire people to be my eyes and ears, especially at the baker, do my packaging, the shipping, do my website, handle the orders,” she said.

But those plans were sidelined during the pandemic. Brooks had to juggle child care and remote learning with the demands of her engineering job. Her mother stepped in to help but she also dealt with the passing of her father in the fall. Her projected cookie sales fell by 75%. Still, Brooks was not giving up on her dream.

“It was a little disappointing but at the same time, I accept any challenge so having to sit and figure out, OK, now, what can I do during this pandemic?” Brooks said.

She’s not alone in her struggle as a female entrepreneur. A new survey by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce shows women-owned small businesses have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic compared to male business owners.

Results show fewer female-owned businesses ranked the overall health of their business as “good” compared to male-owned businesses. The study also found female entrepreneurs were less optimistic about revenue and hiring plans compared to male-owned small businesses.

Brooks decided to give back to the community and inspire her customers during the pandemic. She created gratitude cookie boxes that include positive, inspiring messages and 10% of the proceeds go to myCovidMD, which offers free drive-thru COVID-19 testing and telehealth in underserved communities.

Brooks says everything she makes from her cookie sales go back into her company so she hasn’t been able to pay herself, yet. But she’s not letting that stop her and encourages other entrepreneurs to keep pushing forward.

“Don’t stop what you’re doing and keep moving forward on your passion and don’t let anyone get in your way,” she said.