Cory Nieves – Mr. Cory’s Cookies

Cory Nieves, who is now 20, started a business when he was six years old.

Nieves became an entrepreneur after complaining about having to take the bus to school and wanted to ride to school in a car instead. This pain led him to sell hot cocoa as a way to help earn money for his mom to buy a new car. Following this, his mom encouraged him to continue selling cocoa to contribute to his college fund. Nieves, with help from his mom, soon expanded his business to selling lemonade and cookies, eventually creating original cookie recipes. Although Nieves faced hardships, such as having to shut down until he could secure a commercial kitchen in order to meet health requirements, he kept going.

The commercial kitchen gave Nieves the capability to mass-produce his cookies and ship them nationwide. One way he was able to gain a national footprint was making a connection with Marcus Lemonis of The Profit, an NBC show. Lemonis invested $100,000 in Nieves’ company to become a part-owner to help bring the company to the next level. Lemonis brought his expertise to the company, helping it with eCommerce, packaging, and product development.

The investment worked. Mr. Cory’s Cookies, the business Nieves began as a six-year-old, became a $1 million company with a nationwide presence. Mr. Cory’s Cookies has been on the shelves of stores such as Whole Foods, Macy’s, and even Mercedes-Benz. Nieves grew his business from a hot cocoa stand into a $1 million company selling cookies made from natural ingredients in stores nationwide, all while being under the age of twenty.