Ep (58) Ashley Jacot De Boinod: From Pastry Chef to Small Business Owner Thanks to Creativity and Unconventional Flavours
When Ashley was in chef school, one of her teachers said something in class that stuck with her - "do something really well."
This is hard to do in this day and age because we have so many choices. It's so easy to get distracted, or end up with what I like to call, shiny object syndrome.
But Ashley knew that she loved being a pastry chef, and more than that, she realized that she truly enjoyed working with yeast.
For you and I, that might sound a bit odd. However, it makes complete sense for someone that works in the dessert world all day long.
She always knew she wanted to own her own company at some point in her life. She was working long hours in the restaurant business, had moved around from one establishment to the next, and was sought after in the fine dining industry.
But her love for food and community stemmed from when she was a kid. She comes from an extremely large family - her father was one of 11 kids in (you rarely hear of that anymore) and her parents and other family members owned a restaurant growing up. So some might say it was already in her blood.
But opening up a brick and mortar Doughnut shop wasn't exactly the plan.
Glory Hole Doughnuts originally began as a wholesale business. She was a one-woman shop for quite some time, until it started to grow faster than she could make the doughnuts.
Everyone loved them. They loved the designs, the taste and the unique flavours. Now it was up to her to figure out the next step in her entrepreneurial journey...
Check out the podcast to hear how Ashley created her vision for what is now, Glory Hole Doughnuts and where she plans on taking it in the future.
SOME QUESTIONS I ASKED:
What was the beginning of being an entrepreneur like for you?
Where did the idea for the name come from?
How did people respond when you first opened your shop?
Where do you get the inspiration for your doughnut flavours?
What is the process of making the doughnuts like?
How do you hire the right team who will help you bring your vision to life?
What's been the biggest struggle of being a solo-preneur?
Do you ever pinch yourself that this is your life?
From an entrepreneurial standpoint, what are the apps that you absolutely can't live without
How do you see the business growing in the future?
And so much more...
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
Where Ashley's love for yeast stems from
How she ended up working in the restaurant industry
What she is doing now to stay healthy, as a doughnut shop owner (find out how many she eats a week :))
Her secret sauce : the reason why her shop has quickly become a go-to for Torontonians
Wise words an old boss said to her years ago, that still influences how she runs her business to this day
How she has managed to create some type of balance in her life
Why she has learned to let go of control and delegate
And lots more...
OTHER LINKS:
CONNECT WITH GLORY HOLE DOUGHNUTS
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM| FACEBOOK| TWITTER
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Edited by: James Nicholson