For Just Cookies owner and baker Enda Bulford, the independence of being her own boss outweighs any hurdles she has faced. And overcoming hurdles, Mrs. Bulford has for the past four years been baking a variety of cookies that are sold from St. George's to Somerset.

Just Cookies was started in 1998 after Mrs. Bulford quit her job with a local company. Not sure of what to do next, her daughter Melinda Johnston said she should start her own business baking cookies. Mrs. Bulford explained that she had baked cookies for her two daughters and son while growing up, and in particular, her son, Melvin Buddy Joel, who has now passed away, used to demand that she make perfect cookies, “or he wouldn't eat them!” said Mrs. Bulford.

She said she now realises almost ten years after her son's death that he was preparing her for her future business. “He was getting me prepared for this day,” she said. She also explained that before she started Just Cookies, she would help pay for her son's motorcross hobby by baking cookies and selling them at the races.

To get the business going, Mrs. Bulford contacted the health department to find out what she needed to do, and they said she needed to contact the planning department to get permission to run a small business from her home. Several months later, permission granted, the health department gave her the thumbs up and a licence, and she started baking.

Her first outlet to sell Just Cookies was from Warwick gas station. However, in order to expand, her daughter stressed the importance of marketing and made her mother some flyers to take to the stores as well as a sample of her product. She would then return in a few days and see if the store wanted to sell her cookies.

“In the end people were calling me to get the cookies!” said Mrs. Bulford. When she started, she had a mediocre stove and an old mixer. However, as demand increased, Mrs. Bulford installed a brand new stove and got an industrial strength mixer with financial help from her daughter and son-in-law. It has not all been plain sailing for Mrs. Bulford however, she said being in business was very expensive and for a while it was quite tough and she almost gave it all up. As she pointed out: “Small businesses pay the same taxes as big business.”

However, she said her nine year-old grandson asked when she was in doubt: “You want to get a job where someone else will tell you what to do?”

Memories of working for other people and low wages spurred Mrs. Bulford into action with renewed vigour and she kept baking her way to success.

When she started, Mrs. Bulford's daughter did all the back office work of paying bills and making invoices. However, when her daughter and husband made plans to move to Boston, she was faced with doing it herself.

Now Mrs. Bulford has an office with a computer and uses Quicken for her accounting. Skills her daughter has taught her to ensure continued success.

“I'm really proud of myself as I feel that I have come along way as my cookies are everywhere,” said Mrs. Bulford. and she had advice for others wanting to emulate her success. “I wish more Bermudians would look within themselves and see what their gift is. It will happen, and if I can do it, anyone can do it.”

However, a word of caution, Mrs. Bulford added: “It is nice working from home but you have to be self motivated; you only get out of it what you put into it.”

Mrs. Bulford also credited her daughter with much of her success: “If it was not for my daughter, I wouldn't have this business.” Four years after setting up her cottage industry, Just Cookies can now be found in supermarkets such as Arnolds, Haywards and Lindos as well as gas stations in the east end and west end and many in between. She also creates healthy cookies for Down to Earth health store in Hamilton.

Mrs. Bulford explained that she started on a healthy diet several years ago and tried a cookie from the health food store which she didn't find particularly tasty. “I can do better than this,” she told the owners Down to Earth, and so she did.

She created her own recipes for Wholesome Oatmeal Cookies and Wholesome Oatmeal Walnut Cookies, neither of which use any eggs or dairy and are all natural. Other healthy products include Carob Chip Cookies instead of chocolate as well as wholesome ginger bread. She now sell these products through Down to Earth.

For those looking for something a little less healthy, Mrs. Bulford also makes sugar cookies, butter cookies with and without raisins, regular oatmeal cookies and ones with walnuts, chocolate chip cookies also with or without walnuts, white chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies and macaroon cookies.

“I used to make more but I now only make the one's that people buy otherwise they are wasted.” Mrs. Bulford explained that there was no sense selling something you want to sell and nobody wants to buy as she has to burden the loss.

She said she also looses selling for herself as she has to take back any unsold goods as well as broken ones and so on. “It is me taking the cost and it hurts, it gets discouraging,” said Mrs. Bulford. However she also said: “I am really proud of my product and if there are any mistakes I will throw them in the trash before I sell it to anyone.”

Mrs. Bulford credited her daughter and son-in-law with much of her success as they supported her and showed her how to run her own business. She said: “They have been my backbone and my encouragement and all I have learned has been from them.”

While she has had some people criticise her cookies, Mrs. Bulford said you just can't please all the people all the time and added: “Bermudians are hard to satisfy.”

But at the end of the day, Mrs. Bulford said: “This is the best thing that ever happened as I am independent.”