We had the good fortune of connecting with Shane Quillin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shane, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have had a handful of goals in my career, starting a business by the age of 30 was on the top the list. I was so set on the goal, it wasn’t a matter of if but when. If you would have asked me 2-3 years ago I would have been confident in starting a transportation optimization company (heavy background in transportation during my 8 year post college career). There was one problem, I didn’t love supply chain/transportation. The old saying, you must start a business that you truly love is 100% accurate. My thought process for running a business was solving a problem, the one that should be the forefront of any business. The problem: offering a gourmet cookie in Atlanta, GA. I had trouble finding a worthy cookie in a city filled with quality food (since starting Sugar Shane’s I can confirm two other gourmet cookie spots that are further out in the greater metro Atlanta area 1). A Haute Cookie  2). Heidi’s Heavenly Cookies). The second was finding a gourmet dessert/bakery open late. The problem was clear after quite a bit of research to back my initial thinking. However, my business wasn’t fully launched until I was all-in on cookies. The days are long, but I still enjoy baking/working every day.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Sugar Shane’s has a few unique characteristics that set us apart. We offer multiple molds/styles of cookies (flat & soft throughout, flat & crispy exterior + soft interior, thick and soft throughout, and thick and crispy exterior, soft interior). We rotate cookies every week and attempt to release 2-3 new cookies each week. We converted an underground commercial space (underneath a Subway) into “the lab” which provides a rare in-kitchen atmosphere with a funky vibe thanks to our amazing murals and music. We got where we are today but staying discipline each day. The discipline includes long hours, consistent quality work, and amazing customer service experiences in every piece of business we touch.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My spots in the city are as followed:

Breakfast/Brunch: Toast on Lennox, buttermilk kitchen
Lunch: upbeet, Aviva by Kameel
Dinner: mushi ni, rumi’s
Dessert (other than Sugar Shane’s): ahaute cookie

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout the man who got me to believe in myself as an entrepreneur, Ibrahim Summer. Ibrahim began “grinding” early and often.

He would clear trash at hotels/restaurants downtown by picking up trash and taking it on the Marta, going down a few stops, and dumping it in a trash bin. He then worked his way up at Japanese restaurant in high school before opening Bilt Coffee (beans originate from family farm in Ethiopia) and Catering Company before 20 years old. Ibrahim used to ask me everyday for 6+ months when I would open up a company. I would critique one of his coffee stands in my office building each day. He always stated I was shooting myself in the foot by not starting a company on the side. Finally I pitched the idea of selling biscottis through his stand last February before finalizing a LLC in March (away form his stand). For the first 2 months he texted me every day to see if I was up working at 4 am. He repeatedly told me the first 12-18 months would be hell and that I would want to quit 100 times. He wasn’t wrong.
He also repeatedly mentioned that my work ethic and skill set would be enough to make it. Fast forward 20+ months, 100 hours week repeatedly, working a full time job at Amazon (finally left in July 2021), canceling my social life, losing friends, less time with family, selling my house, and no longer be able to travel…. it finally seems to worth it.

Website: Sugarshanes.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sugar_shanes/

Twitter: @sugar_shanes

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/sugarshanesatl/

Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/sugar-shanes-atlanta

Image Credits
All images are my own!

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.