There are some things that just inherently go together: Peanut butter & Jelly. Ross & Rachel. Macaroni & Cheese. Beer & Donuts.
That’s right…Beer & Donuts. Local Clevelander, Shelley Pippen, struck gold one night many years ago when she thought to combine two of her favorite things: donuts and craft beer. She and her husband, John, were struck by the creative idea and decided to form ‘Brewnuts‘ – a Cleveland-based donut shop serving up tasty treats and delicious craft brews. We recently caught up with Shelley to learn more about how she created her wildly successful business and discover how this innovative woman stays inspired!
SavviHer: Tell us about you – who is Brewnuts?
Shelley: Brewnuts is the lovechild of two Clevelanders – Shelley & John Pippin – who gave up their jobs working for “The Man” to pursue their three favorite things: donuts, beer and Cleveland.
Long story short, one night Shelley bolted up in bed and asked John what he thought about the idea of making craft beer based donuts. After a long pause he said “I like that.” The next day we went out and bought a countertop fryer and got busy hatching our plan to make Cleveland’s most unique and delicious donuts.
SavviHer: What was your inspiration for starting your business?
S: There wasn’t a specific inspiration… more a recognition of a great idea that we couldn’t stop thinking about. After spending 8+ years as a corporate consultant, I was burnt out from travel and climbing the corporate ladder, so I was noodling on the idea of developing some sort of hobby on the side that my then boyfriend (now husband) and I could work on together. When we started talking to people about it, it was clear there was a real idea there that needed to be explored, so off we went!
SavviHer: Take us through a day in the life!
S: Every day is extremely different and there is more of a life cycle to my weeks than there is to my days. I wake up anywhere from 3:15 a.m. (on days I am in our kitchen for our morning baking shifts) to 9 a.m. if it’s a day I’m trying to hoard some zzz’s. If it’s a baking day, I’m off and in our kitchen by 3:30 a.m. – I literally brush my teeth, throw on a hat and walk out the door. Then I work in our kitchen and shop until I’ve accomplished my to do list and/or adequately set the team up for success. This can be anywhere form 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. depending upon our event schedule. On days I am not in our kitchen, I can generally be found behind a computer working on answering emails, sending out invoices, coordinating our special events and wedding calendar, creating our marketing materials, doing our weekly donut photoshoot, etc.
I try to exercise a few days a week and attempt to get to bed before 11 p.m. but I’d be a flat out liar if I told anyone I had this down. Each day is a different adventure and some are really long days that aren’t exactly realistic or sustainable. I’m pretty excited that we’re reworking our staffing plan and hours to support a more healthful work-life balance and that’s probably going to be one of my biggest wins of 2019.
SavviHer: What is your favorite project to work on/client to work with?
S: My background is in partnership marketing and sponsorship so bringing this expertise to Brewnuts has been a very natural and rewarding piece of our marketing mix. I really feel we’ve blazed a trail as being one of the most creative and collaborative businesses in Cleveland and we are constantly working with brands of all types to do unexpected events and food offerings that surprise and delight Clevelanders.
SavviHer: How do you stay inspired?
S: Travel is the great inspirer. I don’t do it as much as I’d like to, but when I do, I find that I can kick into a different gear and gain so much creative insight. I also have a very overactive brain… this is sort of a blessing and a curse. It keeps me constantly scheming, dreaming up new ideas and drawing parallels to other exciting interesting things I see happening in other industries. I think it’s important to not be pigeonholed by the industry you’re in… there’s great ideas everywhere with inspiration that you can pull from. Gotta keep your eyes open!
SavviHer: If you could give your younger self some advice, what would it be?
S: Self-care. Self-care. Self-care. There can never be too much of it. If I could change one thing about the process of building a business, I would not have been such an asshole to myself along the way. I would worry less. Then again, I realize I had to earn those lessons, so it’s pretty hard to say I’d want to change anything. I do know I would like to have realized a lot sooner that people are resilient and it’s not my job to save everyone and everything. Also, it’s always good to remember that my business is not a cross to bear but a creation to be celebrated. The small business community doesn’t need another martyr. It’s a bad look and I would’ve been a lot kinder to myself a lot sooner. It’s beer and donuts. Seriously, lighten up and smash a done and drink a beer, Shelley.
SavviHer: What has been your favorite thing you’ve worked on?
S: I love designing spaces. Creating the physical embodiment of Brewnuts was hugely exciting and rewarding from a personal standpoint.
SavviHer: How do you prioritize your financial health?
S: This sounds trite and sort of sarcastic, but I honestly don’t have much free time to spend money. We reinvest in Brewnuts constantly with the money that it makes and we take about 2 modest vacations a year. I used to have a fancy wardrobe (being in my corporate career) and I aspired to have really nice things… now I am pretty financially conservative since I truly don’t have the same priorities I once did. The one thing I look forward to prioritizing financially in the future is getting out of the condo Mr. Brewnuts and I have been in for a loooong time and getting into a home that we plan to make our personal sanctuary. That will be a huge financial step for us, but one that I feel proud we’ve earned through hard work.
SavviHer: What are your financial goals for 2020?
S: Build a home. Continue to pay down our business debt, cut our costs through smart and efficient menu management, adjust Brewnuts offerings to respond to customer desires and generate new revenue streams. There are some specific financial goals with numbers attached, a few that would personally mean a lot to hit, but numbers are arbitrary if you don’t feel good about the way you’re doing the work you’re doing, so I try not to get too hung up on that. For instance, if Brewnuts hits some revenue goal but we feel completely depleted bringing it across some subjective financial marker, how is that true success? It’s not.
SavviHer: How can others get involved with or learn more about you?
S: I am a diligent social media marketer and Brewnuts is super active on Instagram and Facebook. Keeping up with us there is the best way to stay in the loop of all things Brewnuts in real time.
We would like to thank Shelley for sharing her story and for her time in helping create this post! For more on Brewnuts, check out their website or follow along on Instagram or Facebook!
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