Life is full of setbacks and challenges, but for those who are born with a disability, those challenges are often far greater than for the average person. Mainstream society and culture do little to communicate available opportunities--often showing differently-abled persons as incapable of achieving big goals.
For Collette Divitto, an entrepreneur, activist, and thought leader, her Down syndrome did the opposite of hold her back. Rather, it propelled her passions forward full force. One of these passions is entrepreneurship, and next week, her love for business will be on full display in the TV show Born for Business, aired on Peacock and Crave networks on August 23. Collette held a "Premiere Party" at The Ridgefield Playhouse on August 26. You can watch the episodes here.
Growing up in Ridgefield, Connecticut, Collette developed her passion for business in high school when baking cookies that everyone raved about. She then went on to Clemson University and finished her three-year LIFE program in just two years and decided to move to Boston to secure a paying job. After being told “she was not a good fit” after many job interviews, she looked for another solution. Not letting rejection stand in her way, she decided to persevere and turned her passion into a business.
In 2016, with the help of her mother Rosemary Alfredo, she founded Collettey’s Cookies. Her drive is the foundation, the spark needed to ignite the path to becoming an entrepreneur.
“After years of rejection, I would not give up and let people bring me down, so I decided to open my own company! I always said I deserve the best for me, so I thought it was going to be up to me to make it happen!” commented Collette.
Because of it, she ended up selling 100 bags of cookies within the first week, which quickly turned into a spotlight segment on the news and now, just a few years later, the opportunity to inspire the world with her grit and passion on TV. As a star ambassador at the United Nations for the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, this next step in her career comes naturally.
The goal is to shine light on the great minds that thought of stepping out of the box and proving that nothing is impossible.
Being an entrepreneur is part of who Collette is. Inspiring others who face the same challenges motivates her and makes it all worth it. One person who’s been inspired by Collette from the very beginning, of course, is her mother Rosemary.
“I hope Collette’s journey shows people that anything is possible if you are determined. We are all a product of our environment so if the bar is set low, the odds are so are your accomplishments, but if the bar is set high you will strive to make things happen.”
To date, with over 550,000 cookies sold, she gives back to the community in any way she can, employing fifteen people, several with disabilities. She wants to encourage people to focus on what they can do, rather than what seems too difficult to accomplish. Her ultimate goal is to work with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to create policies that would increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
To learn more about Colette and her business, visit her website here.
Collette Divitto was born in 1990 with Down syndrome and is the owner and founder of Collettey’s Cookies and a nonprofit organization, Collettey’s Leadership. Today, her cookie company employs 15 people and her cookies ship nationwide. Collette is also a published author, has spoken on stages throughout the country, and has been seen in People Magazine, The Mighty, ABC News, CBS Boston, and countless other outlets. In September, she will be seen throughout the United States and Canada in the reality TV show Born for Business. Her ultimate goal? To spread kindness and empowerment far and wide.