More Than Just Cookies

Every other Tuesday for the past year and a half, I’ve spent time with ten little girls; nine of which are not my own. Each girl is unique and I’ve come to love each of them. We talk about school, their weekends, what their favorite animals are and why… and we also, without them realizing it, we talk about current events, marketing strategies, helping others and making the world a better place. I am a Daisy (almost Brownie) Girl Scout troop leader.

And lately, I’ve noticed a bit of noise surrounding the Girl Scouts organization and it peaked my interest. Or more so, peaked my concern. The more I read, the more I listened & the more I recognized – there is little to no knowledge of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America organization outside of cookie sales. With seeing this more and more in the public, this began to irk me. One Facebook user set me over the edge with her declaration: “The Girl Scouts do nothing but sell cookies…”.

My feathers were officially ruffled.

Women all over the country are fighting in wanting equal rights to men – but, to clarify, I do not believe that entails building fires and tying knots. It means women CEOs, it means entrepreneurial women operating their own business, it means being strong on the inside as well as the outside.

The world wants women leaders. The world wants equality. The world wants women to have a voice, have power and have a brain. While Girl Scouts is certainly more than “just selling cookies”, please allow me, as a troop leader, to explain the cookie program in detail to you.

Since the year 1917, the cookie program has been the largest girl-led business in the country. This means, girls (women) were running their own “business” before they had rights (to vote – 1920).

As a “cookie customer”, you may not realize it – but every girl you are buying from, big or small, you are supporting her business.

Even as Daisies (lowest level of Girl Scouting), the Scouts are creating a marketing plan, setting business goals, calculating revenue and putting in the hard work to drive the results they desire.
In short, the cookie program is 100% led by the girl you are purchasing from.

Cookies aside, this organization provides all the outstanding leadership one should expect from a future CEO; beginning with STEM.

I was not introduced to STEM until I was a Girl Scout leader (ironically). For those unfamiliar, such as I was, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering & Math. STEM is traditionally thought of as male-dominated; however, Girl Scouts has a robotics program, a computer science program and a space economics program. All of which are at some point required as patches earned during their career as a scout.

Oh, and don’t worry – we also make time for mother/daughter tea parties and father/daughter dances too. Behind the rock climbing, canoeing and hiking adventures, lies a beautiful girl.

In today’s world, because of the knowledge gained and the experiences shared, I believe Girl Scouts should be more popular than ever as long as the education for the parents is there.

The argument abounds that female CEO’s are hard to come by and even so, they make less money than their male counterparts. Girl Scouts provides the tools to succeed and the experience in leading to level that playing field.

Every female secretary of state has been a Girl Scout. Girl Scout and famous red-haired Lucille Ball made history as the first woman to run her own film production studio. Taylor Swift, also a former Girl Scout, once joked she learned to sing around a campfire. Laura Bush, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton are all, not only former Girl Scouts, but also former First Ladies who made a name for themselves while their husbands took office. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, is a former Girl Scout. I could go on, but I’m guessing you understand my point. Girls in Girl Scouts are empowered to make a difference by making the world a better place. And they truly do.

The next time you see a Girl Scout at a cookie booth sale, please try to remember why she is there. She isn’t there to be a nuisance and ruin your New Years diet resolution; she is there to run her business. She knows that you are her customer. Ask about her favorite cookie, ask what her goal is for cookie selling, ask why she set these goals and what her future plans are. Her answers may surprise you and she will be so happy you asked. Engage her. Set her up for success. These girls are our future and their future is so bright. With engagement from educated adults such as yourself, their future only gets brighter.

Goal setting and achieving at age six. Marketing designing and strategizing at age eight. Money management and planning at age ten. Camping, tea parties, archery shooting, horseback riding, dancing, hiking, canoeing, being a girl. We can, and do, it all.

More than just cookies? Yes. Yes we are.