It’s that time of year when millions of young girls learn what it takes to be an entrepreneur—Girl Scout cookie season! Selling cookies can be challenging, but for one 6-year-old, reaching record-breaking sales is a piece of cookie cake. All it took was some clever social media buildcrafting and algorithm exploits.
Pim Neill is a Daisy Scout in Pittsburgh. On Sunday, she finally made it to a whopping 100,000 cookie box sales in just a single season, blowing past the national record. A modern girl in a modern world, Pim and her family made social media posts to promote her cookies to wild success.
“Hi, my name is Pim. Do you wanna buy some Girl Scout cookies?” Pim asks in a TikTok, holding a box of Thin Mints. Her blue glasses match her Girl Scout vest, and she ends the video with a gracious, “Thank you.” The TikTok has over five million views.
While her astronomical success may be attributed to the internet, that isn’t stopping Pim from also putting in the work the traditional way: going door-to-door in her neighborhood.
“Pim wanted to join the Girl Scouts because when she was 3, she saw the girls selling cookies,” Luke Anorak-Neill, Pim’s dad, told CBS Pittsburgh. “This whole thing started by her observing girls performing what most people think is the only thing Girl Scouts do, and that’s sell Girl Scout cookies.”
At first, Anorak-Neill had trouble finding a troop for Pim to join. “Our first troop, unfortunately, when we tried to join and ask questions about joining, the lady said that Pim’s disabilities would hold back the troop, and they didn’t want her to join,” he said. “And that was really disappointing, but I decided she must not speak for all Girl Scouts as a whole.”
Pim was turned away from another troop for being too young. But finally, her family eventually found a match: a kindergarten-only troop where she is now a Daisy Scout with 10 other girls. She began her history-making cookie campaign at the start of January. “We’ve had so much support from Girl Scouts navigating it,” said Anorak-Neill. “We’ve had a lot of support, and we’re just excited that we’re inspiring so many more girls.”
Pim’s favorite cookies are Thin Mints, but she has also grown a liking for Samoas. You can buy Thin Mints, Samoas, and more from Pim’s digital storefront until March 22.