About the Company
Doughnut Consultants Inc. was founded in 2016. The companies foundation was created from a twenty-seven-year success record established by the founder Derrick L. Lepper. Derrick started in the doughnut business as a doughnut shop owner in the fall of 1989. Starting with one outlet, he began his education of the business and opened multiple outlets with both retail and wholesale sales in multiple cities from 1989 to 2001. During this twelve year period he created and operated food related business such as a pizza shop, frozen yogurt store, and a restaurant with a bakery. In 1996, he apprenticed under the pastry chef Lonia M. Harvey to establish an excellent reputation for pies, desserts and bread rolls in his retail locations. In 2001, after selling his stores, he capitalized on his experience gained and partnered with a venture called OMNI Flour Distribution.
In 2001, OMNI was formed by its partners to provide better quality products to bakeries and doughnut shops at wholesale pricing to store owners. The company established itself as a leader in the niche bakery and doughnut flour distribution business with specialty flour blending. Derrick accepted the position of establishing and implementing training courses for new doughnut shop operators across the United States. Training courses developed used field proven, science-based techniques, recipes and methods. The methods when placed into book form provided an easy comprehensible format for training of both store owners and their employees. Techniques and methods continued revision and improvement forming a higher degree of teaching then previously offered for the doughnut business. During this time he shared the duties for research and development of new flour blends for the company.
Research and development of flour blends for doughnut production was an interest of study for Derrick. OMNI achieved the highest quality finished products possible using the best but affordable ingredients for their flour blends they provided. Over the course of his career with OMNI, he developed and implemented new formulas and initiated the use of natural oils and new ingredients into the flour blends. These oils and ingredients not only increased the flavor profile but lowered the use of synthetic unnatural flavorings used in prior years. The research and development side of his education provided a new perspective in creating flour formulas that created dough easy to form with quality texture and shelf life, providing incredible flavor profiles when cooked.
Between the years 2002 to 2016, Derrick traveled coast to coast and assisted the creation of store sites as a consultant. He trained hundreds of store operators and their employees on proper creation and techniques of doughnut production. During this 14 years he gained knowledge of the training techniques of different equipment that each operation used. Knowledge gained of the equipment was not only on the proper placement creating smooth work flow, but also what brands are affordable for the operators and functioned better in production. During the same 14 year period he was learning aspects of store design and equipment function while assisting architects with questions and local code enforcement for floor plans.
In 2016 with the collective knowledge gained over 27 years in the industry, he formed Unity 2 Bakery Supplies and Doughnut Consulting Inc.;
The company Unity 2 Bakery Supplies provides support of quality ingredients, selling their products to doughnut shops across the U.S. (coast to coast). The flour blends and fillings have become the foundation of many success stories.
Doughnut Consulting Inc. was developed for individuals desiring to gain knowledge of how to start and operate successful doughnut shop concepts. D.C.I. allows their clients to receive quality, affordable support similar to high priced franchises, for an affordable flat rate of service. D.C.I. provides their services and support for doughnut shops ranging from small individual store operations to large high volume wholesalers with retail store outlets. Doughnut Consultants Inc. and Unity 2 provides support before and after their clients store has opened and will not require any term agreements of purchasing of their product. They provide discounts to their clients for equipment and supplies with online retailers such as Donut-Equipment.com and Bakerywholesalers.com for additional savings. Similar levels of support would have required use of a franchised system with much higher levels of investment cost before D.C.I was offered to the public.
Doughnut Consultants Inc. understands clients and operators risk tens of thousands, to hundreds of thousands, of dollars on being the best doughnut operation in their markets. Doughnut Consultants Inc. provides an environment to their clients that removes a large portion of this risk that the client could have experienced. The company approaches each project with the desire to save their clients more money than the companies services cost.
In 2001, OMNI was formed by its partners to provide better quality products to bakeries and doughnut shops at wholesale pricing to store owners. The company established itself as a leader in the niche bakery and doughnut flour distribution business with specialty flour blending. Derrick accepted the position of establishing and implementing training courses for new doughnut shop operators across the United States. Training courses developed used field proven, science-based techniques, recipes and methods. The methods when placed into book form provided an easy comprehensible format for training of both store owners and their employees. Techniques and methods continued revision and improvement forming a higher degree of teaching then previously offered for the doughnut business. During this time he shared the duties for research and development of new flour blends for the company.
Research and development of flour blends for doughnut production was an interest of study for Derrick. OMNI achieved the highest quality finished products possible using the best but affordable ingredients for their flour blends they provided. Over the course of his career with OMNI, he developed and implemented new formulas and initiated the use of natural oils and new ingredients into the flour blends. These oils and ingredients not only increased the flavor profile but lowered the use of synthetic unnatural flavorings used in prior years. The research and development side of his education provided a new perspective in creating flour formulas that created dough easy to form with quality texture and shelf life, providing incredible flavor profiles when cooked.
Between the years 2002 to 2016, Derrick traveled coast to coast and assisted the creation of store sites as a consultant. He trained hundreds of store operators and their employees on proper creation and techniques of doughnut production. During this 14 years he gained knowledge of the training techniques of different equipment that each operation used. Knowledge gained of the equipment was not only on the proper placement creating smooth work flow, but also what brands are affordable for the operators and functioned better in production. During the same 14 year period he was learning aspects of store design and equipment function while assisting architects with questions and local code enforcement for floor plans.
In 2016 with the collective knowledge gained over 27 years in the industry, he formed Unity 2 Bakery Supplies and Doughnut Consulting Inc.;
The company Unity 2 Bakery Supplies provides support of quality ingredients, selling their products to doughnut shops across the U.S. (coast to coast). The flour blends and fillings have become the foundation of many success stories.
Doughnut Consulting Inc. was developed for individuals desiring to gain knowledge of how to start and operate successful doughnut shop concepts. D.C.I. allows their clients to receive quality, affordable support similar to high priced franchises, for an affordable flat rate of service. D.C.I. provides their services and support for doughnut shops ranging from small individual store operations to large high volume wholesalers with retail store outlets. Doughnut Consultants Inc. and Unity 2 provides support before and after their clients store has opened and will not require any term agreements of purchasing of their product. They provide discounts to their clients for equipment and supplies with online retailers such as Donut-Equipment.com and Bakerywholesalers.com for additional savings. Similar levels of support would have required use of a franchised system with much higher levels of investment cost before D.C.I was offered to the public.
Doughnut Consultants Inc. understands clients and operators risk tens of thousands, to hundreds of thousands, of dollars on being the best doughnut operation in their markets. Doughnut Consultants Inc. provides an environment to their clients that removes a large portion of this risk that the client could have experienced. The company approaches each project with the desire to save their clients more money than the companies services cost.
10 Step Process To Opening Your Store or Concept
- Step One- Free guide on determining budget and deciding to start. This is listed on the website under Information-determining your budget.
- Step two – Creating a business plan
- Step three-Finding your location, determining what to look for and negotiating your lease.
- Step four- Drafting of floor plans and creation of equipment list with pricing
- Step five-Hiring of contractors and construction for development of interior and exterior space
- Step six- Installation and approvals
- Step 7- training of kitchen and staff
- Step 8- open store location
- Step 9-promotions and advertising
- Step 10- Day to Day operations and scheduling
Doughnut Consultant Inc. clients understand that the small initial investment at the beginning of their journey sets them on their pathway to success. This investment will also guard and protect the larger investment of which you are making in the pursuit of opening your business. If you wonder why so many food establishments seem to fail while others have lines of consumers waiting outside their door with a larger share of the market, this is no mystery to us and we are able to teach you our methods in order to ensure your business the upper-hand.
The food industry has a better success rate than other business options you may have available. This higher success rate is due to the high demand associated with the business; those that reside and travel within your area inevitably eat meals several times a day. According to information obtained from the internet, Cornell University performed a study in which they found that 80% of all the small businesses started then failed within the first 3 years. In this same study, they found that food establishments only have a failure rate of 50% in the first three years and out of the 50% that go out of business in the first 3 years, over half dropped out in the first year. This is great news for you, and anyone considering the food industry, due to the fact that this provides you a 1 out of every 2 chance of succeeding compared to the 80% failure rate projected by other small businesses. When you hire Doughnut Consultant Inc. to assist you in protecting your investment, the chances for your success are incredible.
What are the 3 main reasons that will cause businesses to fail, and how Doughnut Consultant Inc. can help avoid this failure?
Failed food establishments are often guilty of attempting to sell too many products in pursuit of pleasing everyone instead of creating an excellent quality product with cost based pricing and focusing on individual attention. Usually when this method is evaluated, it is often determined that 80% of their sales come from only 20% of the items offered. Your product offering must be re-evaluated and changed in the order to be an efficient business plan for production and selling. It does not matter how many of the items you sell if the product is not correctly priced or if you have too much labor in providing the products.
Often we observe new entrepreneurs seeking out their perceived competitor in order to compare and create their pricing without regard towards the fact that they have determined their budget for better or worse. Your prices must be calculated for your individual budget and must be based upon your products unique food cost. Doughnut Consultants Inc. will teach you how to calculate your real food cost and help you determine the offerings and pricing for your store opening. This information will create menu items and pricing that will bring repeat customers and success to the business.
The food industry has a better success rate than other business options you may have available. This higher success rate is due to the high demand associated with the business; those that reside and travel within your area inevitably eat meals several times a day. According to information obtained from the internet, Cornell University performed a study in which they found that 80% of all the small businesses started then failed within the first 3 years. In this same study, they found that food establishments only have a failure rate of 50% in the first three years and out of the 50% that go out of business in the first 3 years, over half dropped out in the first year. This is great news for you, and anyone considering the food industry, due to the fact that this provides you a 1 out of every 2 chance of succeeding compared to the 80% failure rate projected by other small businesses. When you hire Doughnut Consultant Inc. to assist you in protecting your investment, the chances for your success are incredible.
What are the 3 main reasons that will cause businesses to fail, and how Doughnut Consultant Inc. can help avoid this failure?
- Location- Location by itself will not ensure or determine failure. If the store location is in the back of a dead shopping center, it may indicate that the area is not sufficiently supportive of small businesses, or that the traffic flow does not stop at the center. The rent may be low per month, but without consumer’s low rent will not matter. Another aspect in regards to success associated with location which is often seen is that the distance between your competitor’s location is not a sufficient enough distance to set your store apart. If you are providing a service with your business while competing with an established business of the same type, you must acknowledge that you will inevitably take some of their business but in turn they will take some of yours. In many cases, using demographic data, you can be in the area you desire, but with an advantage of placement which gives your business a better chance of success.
- Staffing- The investor spends their time and money on opening their location with dreams of success. They now are ready to open the best store and location that their budget will allow. The crucial step of hiring their staff starts, and for most entrepreneurs this is the first time that this task of hiring an employee will be experienced. The staff you hire to represent your establishment will be the face and voice of your investment, and in most cases, will represent your establishment more than the product that you serve. As important as this step is, it usually is approached with simply placing a help wanted advertisement and interviewing the respondents accordingly. The interview requires no proof of skills, and in most cases the applicant is hired out of desperation to fill the position rather than the belief that they are truly the best applicant for the job. The people you hire will touch every aspect of your customer’s experience from the food they eat, to the conversation they have with your business and the visual aspect associated. Doughnut Consultants Inc. has formulated techniques in order to teach you to avoid the costly mistakes of hiring the wrong staff members. Once you hire the best applicants, Doughnut Consultants Inc.’s staff helps you train your initial staff and position you on the correct path for success.
- Menu- Every year, investors risk their financial well-being with the poor strategy of creating a new business which offers similar products, prices and concepts as similar business of which they frequently come across within the same town or city. They rely on a relative or someone they know without the insurance of having proper experience in the trade necessary to teach them. Basing the start-up of a large financial investment on an individual who has no professional training in order to adequately advise the investor and their staff on the products of which they should produce and sell is a negligent approach to the food industry.
Failed food establishments are often guilty of attempting to sell too many products in pursuit of pleasing everyone instead of creating an excellent quality product with cost based pricing and focusing on individual attention. Usually when this method is evaluated, it is often determined that 80% of their sales come from only 20% of the items offered. Your product offering must be re-evaluated and changed in the order to be an efficient business plan for production and selling. It does not matter how many of the items you sell if the product is not correctly priced or if you have too much labor in providing the products.
Often we observe new entrepreneurs seeking out their perceived competitor in order to compare and create their pricing without regard towards the fact that they have determined their budget for better or worse. Your prices must be calculated for your individual budget and must be based upon your products unique food cost. Doughnut Consultants Inc. will teach you how to calculate your real food cost and help you determine the offerings and pricing for your store opening. This information will create menu items and pricing that will bring repeat customers and success to the business.