I’ve been trying to get this store going for nearly a decade so that I can have work that I’m passionate about and in control of my own destiny. I’m in a market that is craving cookies but does not yet have strong competition here in Poland. There are several U.S. Army bases that would love a taste of home, but I also have, amongst my 115 various recipes, unique flavors to celebrate many cultures of the world.

I threw the toughest Hail Mary pass that I could, as the world was crumbling beneath my feet and now I need the Barry Sanders of miracles. Opening the store to single-digit sales over the first weekend despite working 12-hour days in the center of the city, giving out free samples, and dancing in a Cookie Monster suit is not helping - also getting half the funding from the bank I requested.

I need help to keep a roof over my head and to ride out this initial business hump. I’m already here, and without this, I lose my apartment. I lose my store. I’m bankrupt with bad credit in two countries. Unable to find work in the country where my kid is, please help me be with my family and run a business that I know can thrive, and then I can pay it forward instead of being the mooch.

I am not just selling cookies; I am providing an experience of joy and customer service, the likes that Poland has never seen. I trained at In-N-Out Burger’s management program. I pride myself on being the hardest-working person I know. Now it is my time to put that effort into myself instead of another corporation.