Beyond SEO®
Doughnotts started with £10 and a side hustle mindset. Now it is multiple retail stores, big expansion plans, and a franchise model built around customer service. In EP11 of Beyond SEO, Glen and Kevin sit down with Wade Smith to unpack the real story behind building one of Nottingham’s most recognised doughnut brands. This episode covers the unglamorous bits people skip: learning by doing, brand naming battles, domain drama, retail economics, why business rates crush stores, and why Wade believes customer service outweighs product. Chapters 00:00 Intro and guest welcome 00:55 Who Wade is and what Doughnotts is 02:12 The real origin story. Man vs Food, broke beginnings, first sales 07:19 Early lessons. Persistence, learning by doing, staying honest 08:14 Ego check. The Ferrari story and “business money is not your money” 13:57 Naming, rebrands, cease and desist letters, domains, trademarks 16:26 Becoming the face of the brand and managing public identity 25:26 Scaling decisions. Physical stores, supermarkets, and why Co-op did not work 26:40 The kiosk-on-wheels model. No rates, lower risk, faster expansion 29:04 Why experience matters. Lighting, vibe, and what brands like 200 Degrees get right 34:51 Online sales as a data engine, not just revenue 38:06 COVID. The bakery gamble, survival mindset, and the cookie pivot 40:05 If Doughnotts disappeared tomorrow. What Wade would do differently 42:28 UK investment reality. Due diligence, negotiations, underpromise and overdeliver 43:29 Franchising model, economics, and “customer service franchise” thinking 55:17 Where to follow Wade and Doughnotts 55:48 Outro Follow Wade: @wadey_doughnotts Doughnotts: https://doughnottsofficial.com/ Instagram and TikTok: @doughnottsofficial Growthack: https://growthack.io/ Beyond SEO playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmk-iXDeDmI&list=PLyRi3SnB4M7bqeTm2Ku_kNhypxZeuUiSW #BeyondSEO #Doughnotts #WadeSmith #Nottingham #Entrepreneurship #Hospitality #Retail #Franchising #BrandBuilding #CustomerExperience Growthack.io [https://growthack.io/] helps brands go Beyond SEO, specialising in building SEO systems that drive revenue: combining technical, content, data-driven insights and AI-ready strategies to help businesses scale smarter. Practical, award-winning SEO that helps your brand stay discoverable, trusted, and ready for what’s next. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.
16 episodios
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