When Diya Mehta, now 14, was six years old she decided to join the Girl Scouts. Her mother had been a Girl Scout and at the time a friend of the family had just started a troop for her age group. Dhriti Mehta (10), Diya’s little sister, joined the family tradition three years ago. The sisters have had many opportunities through the organization, one of which is learning how to run their businesses by selling Girl Scout cookies.
The 2024 Girl Scout cookie season will begin on Sunday and run through March 10.
“Everyone loves Girl Scout Cookies—but the program is about so much more than cookies,” said Leanna Clark, CEO of Girl Scouts of Colorado. “When you purchase cookies, you are helping girls power their Girl Scout Leadership Experience and you’re supporting female entrepreneurs.”
Diya and Dhriti Mehta said they have learned so much from setting up their own cookie businesses. The sisters learned quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic that the traditional ways of selling cookies would not work. They could no longer go door-to-door and meet people face-to-face.
The Girl Scouts printed door tags with QR codes that directed people to their cookie sales websites. Community members could order cookies from the site and the Mehta sisters would drop off the boxes without coming into contact with people.
The change in tactics worked for the sisters so much so that they have kept it. Last year Dhriti Mehta sold 420 boxes of cookies. She has set her sights on selling 450 this year.
“Every year I try to sell a few more than I did last year,” Dhriti Mehta said.
Diya Mehta hopes to sell 700; 50 more boxes than last year.
Although the sisters have found success in their plan, they have also discovered a few challenges.
“It’s a challenge because there are two of us, so we can only sell to our family and friends once,” Diya Mehta said.
Money management in school was confusing when Dhriti Mehta was first introduced to it in school. She said she became more comfortable with managing money by selling cookies and now understands how it will help her later in life.
Both girls said the best skill they have learned through the experience is how to talk to people.
“When I was younger, I was really shy. Now I have kinda grown out of my shell because I have to talk to people to be able to sell cookies,” Diya Mehta said.
The proceeds from cookie sales stay in Colorado and support experiences for Girl Scouts such as service projects, troop travel and summer camps.
Visit www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/cookies or use the official Girl Scout Cookie Finder app for free on iOS or Android devices to find booths in your area.
