Written in Partnership with Amir Bakian
There’s a reason why Bennett Maxwell, founder of Dirty Dough Cookies, was invited to join the Forbes Leadership Council. He takes pride in both what goes inside his cookies, but also in what they can help him do in giving back to local communities.
Dirty Dough Cookies surprises customers with show-stopping and unique cookies and recipes. These vary in all different kinds of flavor pairings, combinations and concepts, keeping it close to home under the moniker, ‘It’s What’s Inside That Counts’. In fact, customers are even encouraged to take to the website each month to vote for their ‘fan favorites’. Each high-vote getter makes it into the following month’s rotation.
“Businesses should be driven, first and foremost, by a higher purpose,” Maxwell said. “I love Dirty Dough because it’s perfect for showcasing that life isn’t perfect. It’s okay to not be okay, life gets Dirty, and it’s most definitely okay to have a cookie once in a while!”
Having already sold 60 locations, with the first five opening in June of 2022, Bennett and Co. have made it their mission to launch 52 additional locations, across 13-different states, in just three months before the end of the year.
Cookies and Charities
Prior to launching Dirty Dough Cookies, Maxwell realized early on that he wanted to attach a purpose to whatever was next. Having tuned into a Jonathan Haidt podcast that talked about the direct correlation between self-harm, self-deprecation and social media in young girls, the statistics startled him, especially being a father.
“He said one of the reasons regarding the drastic self-harm increase was in the unrealistic comparison that young people make between influencers and themselves,” said Maxwell. “These girls look at the seemingly-perfect women (and girls their same age) on social media and think, ‘Why can’t I look, feel, think, be like that?’ But they have no idea how those influencers got there — photoshop, dangerous diets, a poor non-digital social life, or a combination of those.”
As the leader of Dirty Dough, Bennett has made it his mission to make valuable contributions to local communities that house franchises. His company loves to give back and, in conjunction with franchisees, donates sales proceeds to benefit mental health education and suicide prevention among teenagers and young adults.
“There is an unfortunate correlation between social media and self-harm, which has only increased since the rise of social platforms,” said Bennett. “People tend to often compare themselves and target their imperfections or flaws because of what is portrayed on social media. Dirty Dough has the potential to be the solution in helping reducing suicides.”
The mission for his non-profit organization is to pair the corporate office with individual franchisers, while teaming with the cities they are in, to help schools build wellness rooms. The purpose of these rooms is to allow students to decompress, while providing them with a safe space to both gather their thoughts and talk about their mental health.
“Nobody can be you but you. The name Dirty Dough refers to the inside of the cookie being ‘dirty’ with more goodies and fillings than any other cookie,” Maxwell stated. “A Dirty Dough cookie is messy and imperfect, exactly how it was meant to be. Our cookies embody our life motto: ‘It’s What’s Inside that Counts’.”
His charitable efforts are a means to combat the suicide epidemic, promote positive mental health across the board and help provide youth with a willing ear and services. Additionally, Dirty Dough Cookies will guide local schools, providing valuable resources, like counselors, program structure maps and how to build and maintain the program to ensure success.
About Bennett Maxwell
Bennett Maxwell, Founder of Dirty Dough Cookies, started selling franchises in December 2021 and, in the first 3 months, has built franchises in 13 states. Passionate about building purpose-driven companies, Bennett believes businesses should be driven first and foremost by a higher purpose. He saw the potential of Dirty Dough to show others that life isn’t always clean and perfect. Sometimes it is Dirty and imperfect. Find out more about impacting lives with Dirty Dough Cookies at https://dirtydoughcookies.com/
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.