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Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Saturday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world’s most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself. 

Today, we’re covering Debbi Fields and her journey to cookie empire fame.

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Debbi Fields started with nothing but a dream and a cookie recipe. Born in 1956, she grew up in a working-class family in California. Her father was a welder for the Navy, earning just $15,000 a year to support a family of seven. Money was tight. Luxuries were rare.

But Debbi had something special - a passion for baking. "I would bake my own using imitation chocolate, margarine—nothing real, because we couldn't afford to have that in the house," she recalls.

At 13, she got her first job. Her first paycheck went straight to buying real butter, chocolate, and vanilla. Quality ingredients. It was a small act of rebellion against a childhood of making do.

The turning point came in her early 20s. At a dinner party, she was humiliated for misusing a word. "If you can't speak the English language, you shouldn't speak at all," the host told her. Ouch. But it lit a fire.

"I realized I wanted to be somebody," Debbi says. That somebody turned out to be Mrs. Fields.

Starting a cookie business wasn't easy. No one took her seriously. Banks laughed her out of their offices - after eating all her samples. But Debbi was stubborn. "Somewhere, there's a person who wants to say yes," she told herself each morning.

Finally, she secured a loan. At 21% interest. It was a start.

Opening day was a disaster. No customers. Zero sales. So Debbi did what entrepreneurs do - she adapted. She took to the streets, handing out free samples. By closing time, she'd sold $75 worth of cookies. Small victory. But it was enough.

Growth came fast. Within a few years, Mrs. Fields was a multi-million dollar operation. But Debbi never lost sight of what mattered. "I knew I loved making cookies and every time I did, I made people happy. That was my business plan," she explains.

Her approach was simple: use the best ingredients, bake fresh daily, price competitively. And never stop innovating. "I'm willing to try everything. I'm a bit of a renegade," Debbi admits.

By the 1990s, Mrs. Fields had over 650 stores in the U.S. and 80 more internationally. Not bad for a housewife with no formal business education.

But success didn't come without sacrifice. Long hours. Constant travel. The strain eventually ended her first marriage.

Today, Mrs. Fields Cookies is a $450 million empire. Debbi has stepped back from day-to-day operations, but remains the company's public face. She's written cookbooks, mentored young entrepreneurs, and given back to her community.

Her advice to aspiring business owners? "You have to have passion when you're finding a recipe for a career. If you love what you are doing, you'll never work a day in your life."

Lesson 1: Treat rejection as a game. Fields got turned down by bank after bank. But she didn't mope. She made it a challenge. "Somewhere, there's a person who wants to say yes," she'd tell herself each morning. It's not about the nos. It's about finding that one yes.

Lesson 2: Reframe your questions. Fields has a rule: "Never ask a question that can be answered with the word, 'no.'" It's not just for business. It's life advice. It forces you to think differently. To be more specific. More creative.

Lesson 3: Be willing to look silly. On opening day, Fields had zero customers. So she took to the streets with a tray of samples. It wasn't dignified, but it worked. By closing time, she'd sold $75 worth of cookies. Sometimes you have to put your ego aside and do whatever it takes to get your business off the ground.

Lesson 4: Set impossibly high standards. Fields' company motto was "Good enough never is." She insisted on using only the best ingredients and baking cookies fresh daily. This obsession with quality set her apart from competitors. Don't settle for mediocrity in any aspect of your business.

Lesson 5: Stay hands-on as you grow. Even as her company expanded, Fields remained involved in operations, new product development, and customer service. Don't lose touch with the day-to-day realities of your business as it scales. Your personal involvement can maintain quality and culture.

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On customer experience: "I've never felt like I was in the cookie business. I've always been in a feel good feeling business. My job is to sell joy. My job is to sell happiness. My job is to sell an experience."

On perseverance: "Never give up. The bankers and financial people did not take me seriously initially. Everyone thought I would fail. My attitude was that 'No' is an unacceptable answer when it comes to financing."

On quality: "I use nothing but the best ingredients. My cookies are always baked fresh. I price cookies so that you cannot make them at home for any less. And I still give cookies away."

On competition: "There is always competition. Whatever you do, there will be competition, and you have to decide how you're going to play. For me, I had to be the very best."

On innovation: "Don't stop at the first no. You have to be a risk taker. If there weren't room for creativity, the patent office would close down."

On customer service: "The principle was right there – you couldn't miss it. The more we did for our customers, the more they did for us."

On personal growth: "Because what nobody ever understood is that I, too, wanted to be a somebody. But how do you go through life wanting to be a someone and not knowing how?"

On standards: "Good enough never is. Set your standards so high that even the flaws are considered excellent."

That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.

Have a wonderful rest of week, all.

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