1 Develop a strong business plan.
2 Secure the necessary financing to open and operate the shop. BTW we offer financing on all equipment sales.
3 Choose a location that will attract customers.
4 Purchase the right equipment and ingredients. We carry both top quality equipment and ingredients.
5 Develop a creative and memorable brand.
6 Purchase quality ingredients at the best prices.
7 Monitor your food and employee costs closely. Determine whether your goal is to produce high quality products or the cheapest donuts and price your products accordingly to keep your food costs in line.
8 Track your sales and costs to determine profitability. Keeping track of your time also affects costs. You can save a lot of time using quality pre-made ready-to-use icing instead of making icing from scratch.
9 Develop an effective marketing and promotion strategy.
10 Create an inviting atmosphere in your shop.
11 Offer a variety of donut flavors and styles but be careful not to try to offer everything. What you offer needs to be clearly better than your competition.
12 Create unique and delicious donut toppings. There are dozens of flavors (like peanut butter) that many people haven't tried. When you combine 2 flavors on different parts of the same donut you can create hundreds of variations.
13 Create a loyalty program for repeat customers. Give out customer loyalty cards where every tenth visit gets 2 or 3 free donuts.
14 Utilize online ordering, delivery, and catering services.
15 Offer other breakfast items in addition to donuts. Many donut shops have greatly expanded their business by just adding sausage rolls.
16 Use social media to promote your shop and products. Use Facebook and Instagram to make sure every one in your area knows about your store.
17 Develop relationships with local businesses and organizations. Let local corporations and churches know that you can cater breakfast meetings.
18 Wholesale your products to other area food establishments. You can use this to expand the number of places you can sell. e.g. kiosks, convenience stores, sub shops, etc.
19 Participate in special events and promotions to attract customers. Setup booths at fairs, carnivals, and festivals.
20 Keep your store clean and organized.
21 Offer catering services to local businesses and organizations.
22 Utilize customer feedback to improve your products and services.
23 Establish relationships with cafes, coffee shops, grocery stores, and local convenience stores.
24 Reassess your business plan at least once a year. Are you hitting your goals? What areas are lagging and which areas a thriving. Do you need to rework you strategy, change your product line, increase your prices, etc.
25 Join a local business network or chamber of commerce.
26 Offer discounts and deals to attract customers.
27 Train your employees on how to offer quality customer service.
28 Monitor the quality of your ingredients and products. Since the price of labor has risen considerably it is now cheaper to buy ready-to-use icing than to make icing yourself.
29 Do a taste test on your product every week. You don't need to eat the donut but take a bite and judge the taste, texture, and flavors.
30 Be consistent with your frying and baking processes. Write down the specific steps. The temperature of the water and the mix should be measured every time. The temperature of the fryer oil and the proofer should be consistent. The more variation there is in your frying process the bigger the variance will be in your donut quality.
