Dirty Dough Cookies founder Bennett Maxwell came up with a sweet business plan — and it’s not just that the cookies he sells are delicious. His company, launched late last year and already recognized by Forbes, quickly sold 89 franchises with plans to partner with hundreds of entrepreneurs seeking passive income to open thousands of locations over the next five years.
The company crafts cookies far beyond the standard chocolate chip, creating oversized bakery showpieces stuffed with unexpected fillings and sometimes called “cookies bombs.”
As Maxwell likes to say — about his uniquely delightful recipes and the people he works with — “It’s what’s inside that counts.”
The founder looks to work with other business people whose values and goals align with his own. Namely, those looking to make relatively passive income on a great product, and do good for the communities they serve at the same time.
Meet the Cookie Founder
Bennett wasn’t always a cookie man — but he has been a sales and business professional for years. One of his earliest sales experiences was selling cookie dough in high school as a fundraiser for his rugby and wrestling teams.
He became a professional salesperson in 2016 in the pest control, smart home, and solar power industries. He quickly advanced to recruiting and managing teams closing over $1 million in quarterly sales.
By early 2020, he knew he was ready for a new challenge. So he partnered with his brother to found Switch To Solar. Despite the global pandemic, they did several million in sales, and sold the company 18 months after founding it.
He took over Dirty Dough in January of 2021, knowing he was ready to launch his own company. He spent almost a year on R&D, refining recipes, creating the franchise model, finding his business purpose, and building a food industry dream team to support him.
The first franchise sold in December of 2021; over 89 have been sold today, and another five are opening next month.
About Dirty Dough Franchises
Bennet calls the franchise opportunity with Dirty Dough a relatively passive investment that offers excellent ROI.
“We hope to have multiple stores under one owner instead of thousands under different owners. It’s the perfect opportunity for someone looking for a relatively passive income. It is one of the lowest-costing food franchises, and I believe the most-simple food franchise to run. Just think of what you could pass down to your kids!” he enthused.
In addition to a great passive income stream, Bennett wants to share his mission of doing good for kids and communities with his franchisees. His brand is warm and approachable, a feel-good company that creates high-quality, innovative desserts.
“The name Dirty Dough refers to the inside of the cookie being ‘dirty’ with more goodies and fillings than any other cookie,” Maxwell shared, “A Dirty Dough cookie is messy and imperfect, exactly how it was meant to be.”
Being purpose-built is key to success for Bennett. He sees his cookies as mirroring life and teaching an important lesson: life isn’t always clean and perfect. Sometimes it’s dirty and imperfect. And that’s just fine.
How Dirty Dough Helps Kids
Maxwell must be doing something right. Thanks to his exponential growth and commitment to doing good for youth, he has already been invited to join the prestigious Forbes Business Council.
One issue close to his heart is the harm caused to kids by the unattainable images and lifestyles they see on social media, an escalating problem that sometimes even culminates in self-harm. As the father of two young daughters, he decided to take on this issue with Dirty Dough, earmarking a percentage of his own proceeds for local mental health initiatives such as wellness rooms, where young people can go to learn about mental health and try techniques to keep their minds strong and healthy.
“At Dirty Dough, we spread the message of proudly owning who you are, imperfections and all. We stand for authenticity, self-acceptance, and encouraging others to come as they are, knowing that just like our cookies, what really matters is on the inside,” he said.
For those interested in doing good while introducing delicious cookies to your community, please email franchising@dirtydoughcookies.com
About Bennett Maxwell
Bennett Maxwell, Founder of Dirty Dough Cookies, started selling franchises in December 2021 and, in the first seven months, has franchised over 89 stores. Passionate about building purpose-driven companies, Bennett believes businesses should be driven first and foremost by a higher purpose. He saw the potential of Dirty Dough to show others that life isn’t always clean and perfect. Sometimes it is Dirty and imperfect. Find out more about impacting lives with Dirty Dough Cookies at https://dirtydoughcookies.com/