Sunnyside resident Skylar Sullivan has a knack for selling cookies.
She’s been the highest seller at her local Girl Scout Troop — Troop 4283 — for the past two years, according to her father Ty Sullivan. This year, she’s hoping to come out on top again and the money she raises will help fund a troop trip to London in 2019.
Skylar Sullivan, 9, started out as a Daisy when she was 5 years old. The troop, which operates out of St. Sebastian’s in Woodside, serves 27 girls who live in Sunnyside and Woodside.
Last year, Skylar Sullivan set a goal of selling 500 boxes of cookies. She exceeded the goal by about 50 boxes. This year, her original goal was selling 1,000 boxes of cookies.
Though her father said the goal was “awesome,” he also advised his daughter to be a little more practical. She has since set the goal to 800 boxes and began her selling campaign during the first week of January.
Her battle plan includes camping out at subway stations during rush hour, knocking on doors, selling boxes online and visiting local establishments like Lowery Bar & Kitchen to sell cookies to diners.
“She’s really gotta kind of a grasp on this whole marketing thing,” Ty Sullivan said. “She’s a hustler.”
In a video posted on YouTube, Skylar Sullivan excitedly tells her viewers to help make 2018 the “#girlpower year.”
“I like helping the environment, learning computer coding and the empowerment and total girl power you feel in the Girl Scouts,” Skylar Sullivan told QNS. “What I like about cookie sales is learning how to be a powerful businesswoman.”
Though it’s become easier for people to purchase cookies through the web, Ty Sullivan said the old-fashioned method still garners the most results.
“Going door-to-door is where you see a majority of your sales still,” he said. “As powerful as [the internet is], making that eye contact and having that dialogue is really what kind of propels this. There’s been a nice community feel to this as well.“
He also added that he has enjoyed watching his daughter learn leadership skills and is thankful that Skylar Sullivan has had “amazing mentors” like Meredith Maskara, a Sunnyside resident and the new CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York.
“Nowadays with so much happening as you see in the media with women’s issues, really empowering the girls has been the strength [of the Girl Scouts],” he said. “It’s been a terrific journey to witness.”
The last day to physically order boxes from Skylar Sullivan is Jan. 20 but online sales can be made until the end of March.
