The Real Story Behind Donut Digest

Happy two years to Donut Digest! And happy birthday to me (tomorrow)!

As I reflect back on the past two years, I wanted to share the why behind this blog. This is gonna get real and kinda raw, so bear with me. I first started Donut Digest as a creative outlet. We just moved to Texas for Mike’s job, we didn’t know anyone in Fort Worth, and I wanted something to do while looking for a full-time job.

I typed up an Excel spreadsheet of all the donut shops in the metroplex, and began my quest while Mike was working odd shifts at the hospital. My initial pictures were BAD. Cringeworthy. But it gave me something to do. Because the truth is…I was lonely. I missed my family. And it was a bit of a culture shock moving to Texas from Mike’s hometown of Chicago.

Exhibit A: Taken about 2 weeks after I started the Instagram account. I’ve come a long way!

 

Breakfast is served @paradise.donuts . . #donuts #breakfast #cheerios #blueberries #dfw #instadfw

A post shared by Donut Digest • Dessert News (@donutdigest) on Jul 31, 2016 at 8:54am PDT

While I got in plenty of photography practice (see my feed lately), I struggled with what I wanted this blog to become. Originally, it was meant for honest donut shop reviews; a niche version of Yelp. Then I quickly realized that the decent donut shops in the metroplex were far less than advertised online. After I sorted out the top dozen players, I was like, k…what’s next?

Plus, as an extroverted introvert, I preferred going on these excursions on my own. Sure, we had Mike’s co-residents and their wives as new friends, but I just didn’t feel comfortable dragging people along and making small talk while I “worked.” It wasn’t until early 2018 when I quit a overly demanding job that I realized I needed to put myself out there.

How does Costco relate to all of this?

So the job was essentially a management-in-training program for direct marketing. We set up pop-up events within Costcos and Sam’s Clubs, selling wares on behalf of a dozen or so different clients. My parents thought it was hilarious that I signed up for a position that required me to talk to people all day. I considered it sweat equity, thank you very much. After going through the field, you hire and build a team to then open up your own territory. At first, it was exciting not to have a typical desk job. I was hoping the change in scenery would help with my migraines. I wanted a challenge. I liked the emphasis on coaching and training. And it sounded like a cool way to own your own business.

The reality: I was probably working 60 hours a week, between mandatory morning meetings, set-up/tear down, all-day shifts on your feet, and optional-but-really-required team nights….not to mention the individual, late-night coaching sessions for those I managed. The pay was shit. Bottom line, I was constantly exhausted. I was emotionally drained. I hated not having weekends free. And I wasn’t truly progressing in the program.

So last December, after much deliberation, I just quit. I felt like a quitter too. As in, what am I doing with my life?? I have no back-up plan. I hate giving up…and yet, I’ve quit jobs before when I felt overwhelmed. Is this a pattern of mine? Serious insecurity set in, along with a lot of tears. Mike and my family were super supportive throughout it all. And looking back, quitting was the best thing I could’ve done for my health and well-being. 

The funny thing is, my best days were when I didn’t care about the sales quota. I was just having fun, being weird with customers and dancing to 90’s music in the aisles. I saw first-hand how no one wants to be sold to, but everyone wants a human connection. I legit laughed and cried with customers, and held a lot of babies. And then there are customers who tell you how much your product makes a difference in their lives. Wow. What a humbling experience.

The Silver Lining

While the training program was stressful, I surprised myself with my ability to pick up sales skills. I earned a few accolades and became a national mentor for one of our skincare campaigns.

More importantly, we were all encouraged to keep a student mindset, which lead me to a ton of books. Here’s one of my favorite passages from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson:

Improvement at anything is based on thousands of tiny failures, and the magnitude of your success is based on how many times you’ve failed at something. If someone is better than you at something, then it’s likely because they’ve failed at it more than you have […] If you think about a young child trying to learn to walk, the child will fall down and hurt itself hundreds of times. But at no point does that child ever stop and think, ‘Oh. I guess walking just isn’t for me. I’m not good at it.’ 

Another thing I took away from the program was being comfortable with rejection. All day you’re tasked with approaching strangers, interrupting their shopping with “touch this!” “hold this!” “it’s super quick, we’re showing everyone!” Most people will say no. But if you ask enough people, you will hear yes. There’s a phrase from Jack Canfield that goes along with this concept: SWSWSWSW (Some Will, Some Won’t, So What, Someone’s Waiting).

I’ve carried that approach over to Donut Digest and to my daily life. I’m willing to ask, to try, to experiment, knowing that I won’t always get the green light. If I didn’t pitch my TV segment, I wouldn’t have been featured on WFAA last month! You never know until you ask or try.

After I left, I started freelancing, eventually doing remote marketing work for a professional services firm. In my free time, I joined some blogging groups. I listened to a shit-ton of podcasts. I met some fellow bloggers. I asked questions, and pitched more ideas. It’s been fun to collaborate with others, and I have some exciting events coming up that you don’t want to miss!

What’s Next?

If I’m being honest, I continue to struggle with my identity in Texas. The weather is great, and the laws are favorable for Mike’s career in medicine, and yet…I miss my family and friends deeply. I doubt I’ll ever like cowboy boots and line dancing. Will we ever get back to Philly? Man, I hope so. For now, Mike and I have decided to move from Fort Worth to Dallas next June for his first job post-residency. I drive to Dallas ALL.THE.TIME. for donuts, among other things, so might as well see what it’s like to truly live there. I’m hoping this move will make me feel part of a rooted community. And a bigger Jewish community too. In the meantime, I’m committed to making the best of our circumstances.

Exhibit B: My gorgeous fam (minus my hubby)

From left to right: my mom (Brucie), sisters (Hannah and Graeme), me, my bro (Zach), and my Dad (Ed).

If you made it this far…that’s really cool. For so long, I was afraid to put a face on the Instagram page because I only wanted to showcase donuts. I mean, why would anyone care about me? My typical days consist of working from my home office, going on walks, talking to my parents or sisters on the phone, plotting where I’ll eat next, and dancing with Mike in our kitchen (in an eccentric and unbecoming manner, no less). If I had a Twitter account, my bio would probably be reduced to “Lover of donuts, chai tea, yoga, and dogs.” YIKES. It kinda pained me to type that. But hey, maybe it’s this basic-ness that’s relatable. Maybe I should share more about the days that I honestly don’t feel like eating donuts, but feel obligated to. The days I experience anxiety for no logical reason. The days I’m really homesick or moments I waver between puppy and baby as our next life phase.

I’ll end with this: When I first started Donut Digest, I would get bashful about it. I would make excuses for this so-called hobby of mine, waving my hands while exclaiming, “Oh, it’s just something I do to pass the time!” I am just now getting comfortable with saying that this is not only a passion, it’s a business. I’m ready to treat it as such.

What’s YOUR story? I’d love to hear at info@donutdigest.com.

Happy weekend, my friends.