Photo via Alan Goodman - agoodmansdesserts.com
Alan Goodman of A Goodman's Desserts
Alan Goodman of A Goodman's Desserts
While working in corporate America for 25 years, Alan Goodman yearned to do something different. A desire to try something new, along with a passion for baking, led to A Goodman’s Desserts. He currently offers two products: bourbon bread pudding, and glazed butter cookies, the latter of which led to a catering deal with the Milwaukee Bucks during their 2021 NBA championship home games.
A Philadelphia native, Goodman recalls that one of his earliest kitchen experiences resulted from a childhood punishment. “I snuck out to play basketball with my friends when I was supposed to be at the library,” he shares. After his parents found out, they made him stay indoors while his friends played outside, and he had to help his mother cook. “It turned out that I really liked cooking and became good at it.”
Goodman’s mom introduced him to baking, and his aunt and godmother shared family recipes. Among his first desserts was a 7Up cake, a pound cake with a lighter texture due to the addition of lemon-lime soda, which acts as a leavening agent. He became skilled at making layer cakes, banana bread and carrot cake.
Goodman’s baking hobby continued into adulthood as he worked in corporate leadership roles and as a Lean Six professional, a specialized certification that helps organizations improve efficiency. “It got the point where I wanted to do something I love and work on my dream, rather than somebody else’s dream,” he says.
Scaling Up a Dream
With a goal of forming a baking business, Goodman accessed resources such as FaB Wisconsin. He formed A Goodman’s Deserts in October 2018 and sold baked treats through his website and at farmers markets. He still kept his corporate job but had a strategic five-year plan where he could gradually grow the business into a fill-time venture. “A month after I started it, I got laid off,” Goodman reflects.
With little revenue from his new business and a family to support, Goodman became an instructor and department chair at Milwaukee Area Technical College and ran A Goodman’s Desserts outside of his new job. He entered and won the 2019 Rev-Up MKE competition that awards winners with cash and in-kind business support services. From there, he rented commercial kitchen space at the Ambassador Hotel.
Goodman also won a Project Pitch It competition, open to Wisconsin entrepreneurs. He was one of four winners of an AARP Make Your Move Entrepreneurship Contest, where he won a consultation with Daymond John from “Shark Tank.”
Through a networking event, Goodman introduced himself to Milwaukee Bucks president Peter Feign, which led to the opportunity to have his cookies served in the suites at Fiserv Forum during the Milwaukee Bucks 2021 NBA championship series.
He got many compliments on his cookies, but one in particular from a Fiserv Forum employee really resonated with him. “She said she could taste the butter and the vanilla, and they tasted like they came out of someone’s kitchen.”
Goodman has since made cookies for Marquette University and has catered the Greater Milwaukee Urban League’s Black & White Ball benefit. He continues to scale up his business through a partnership with Melody Cookies, in Oak Creek, to co-manufacture the cookies and bourbon bread pudding per his recipes.
His products are made from family recipes and are in their natural state, with no artificial preservatives. “I always want people to feel good about what they just ate. A good dessert leaves you feeling happy, with a good memory about being in the kitchen with your mom or grandma.”
Goodman has had many successes since forming A Goodman’s Desserts, but he also emphasizes the challenges of running a small business; aspiring entrepreneurs have to be realistic about expectations and also plan for unexpected hardships or traumas.
“Life is going to happen,” he affirms. “When something unanticipated happens and you have to step away from or pause your business, you have to be able to do that because you will not be able to function at your best. You have to be prepared financially but also to take care of yourself emotionally and physically.”
Goodman often shares his stories and offers advice to upcoming entrepreneurs, believing that eating good and feeling good inspires doing good for others. He looks forward generating more partnerships and is evaluating retail distribution strategies. He offers catering and online sales.
For more information, visit agoodmansdesserts.com.
