Who's That Gal: Maura Duggan, Founder and CEO of FancyPants Baking Co.

Name: Maura Duggan
Age: 44
Occupation: Founder, CEO Fancypants Baking Co.
Currently living in: Boston, MA
Hometown: Boston, MA
Currently reading: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Favorite workout: Lifting weights
I never leave home without: Grapefruit Spindrift

Let’s start with the basics. What made you want to become an entrepreneur? Why a baked goods company?

I have always loved the idea of creating something of my own - even when I was young. I loved having multiple jobs. By the time I was 9 years old, I had three different paper routes. There’s something really satisfying about deciding what you want to do, and then doing it. But, honestly, I hadn’t planned on a career in food. But, when I decided to start, I thought about what I really loved to do, and that was baking! I looked for an opening in the market and realized that no one made decorated cookies that were nut free, and with a clean label (ingredients). We are lucky to have so many amazing shops around Boston, like Russo’s, Wilson Farm, City Feed & Supply and Roche Bros. that gave me a start.

Your education is in Neuroscience with an advanced degree in Education. That doesn’t seem like the typical educational background for someone looking to create a clean label cookie company. What did you originally think you were set out to do?

It’s definitely unique! I had originally planned to combine my love for behavioral neuroscience with my love for my first post-grad job, which was working with students who were deaf-blind at the Perkins School for the Blind. I figured I’d do something related to neuropsychological assessment and testing, or research in brain-based educational techniques. I actually started Fancypants as a side hustle - and then just decided to dive right in.

Of all the different dietary philosophies and restrictions, your products and brand advocate ‘nut-free’. What factored into making that a focal point of your company?

We’ve been baking without nuts of any kind since our very first cookie. One of my best friends has children with severe nut allergies. She was one of our biggest supporters of my crazy idea to launch a business, so it was important to me that her and her children to be able to eat what we baked. Fancypants aims to make sure that everything we bake is delicious for anyone to eat, but at the same time, we are absolute in our dedication to sourcing every single item from nut-free suppliers.

How did you meet your business partner, Justin, and when did you decide to go into business with him?

We met through mutual friends in NYC (my college roommate married his college roommate). The idea to start and run a cookie company was mine, and initially, he was totally committed to sticking with his teaching career. After a year of me working on the business, and seeing that Fancypants was gaining some traction in the Boston area, we decided it might be fun to give it a try together. It worked!

Any quick tips or words of encouragement for someone else thinking about a substantial career change or starting their own business?

Go for it! First, ask lots of questions about the parts of the business that you don’t understand. Second, do a significant amount of research to make sure your idea can be profitable. Embrace that you’re going to work A LOT and expect to face rejection on your way to success. Lastly, it’s important to surround yourself with friends and/or family who will always have your back.

You’ve been vocal on social media about the work that you do in partnership with the Whole Planet Fund. Why is their foundation important to you?

After I graduated from college, I spent several weeks in Kenya helping to build homes. The people I met there were truly incredible! They were the most welcoming people I’d ever met. But, they also lived on just a few dollars per week, harvested tea leaves by hand, and didn’t have nearly enough access to healthy food or medical care. The Whole Planet Foundation is dedicated to giving people, and especially women, business loans so that they can start or grow their business. That in turn, gives them a much stronger opportunity to live healthy, safe lives.

How do you balance your career and your personal life?

That’s a work in progress but, mainly, I have an amazing team of people who work every day to keep our business healthy and strong. Having my team of people has allowed me to step back when I need to, to spend more time with my two boys, to squeeze in some workouts, and to hang out with friends.

What’s next for Fancypants? What’s next for you personally?

We are very excited about some new products that we’re launching this year. In May, we have two gluten-free/grain-free cookies hitting stores; they’re completely different from any other cookies we’ve made before and we can’t wait for people to try them. They’ll be at most Whole Foods and on Amazon in May! Soon after that, we have another new line. It’s still in the works but was inspired by my personal passions about reducing food waste, recycling, and sustainability.

For me personally, I want to keep focusing on how we can continue to keep our team healthy and engaged, how we can operate efficiently as we grow, and how we can give back to our community. It is my goal that Fancypants ultimately becomes a B Corp, a business structure that commits to placing equal value on profits, people and our planet. It’s a big commitment, but it’s one I feel passionate about and am excited to keep working toward.

If you had to pick one of your cookies, what would be your favorite?

Peppermint Chocolate Chip - it’s one of our winter holiday limited edition flavors. It’s like a Girl Scout Thin Mint, but better!

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Julia Blanchard is a content contributor for JUGs by night, by day she works at Amazon on some of Alexa’s feature expansion programs. You can follow her @jcblanchard6 on Instagram.