Student Enterprise Spotlight: Decent Donuts
Business Management student Anthony Polanowski talks about their business Decent Donuts and how this was made possible through enterprise funding:
My name is Anthony Polanowski and I am a Business Management student at the University of Liverpool. I currently live at home in North Liverpool and commute to the University. I really enjoy the outdoors, hiking and the tranquillity of nature. In contrast, I appreciate different cuisines and enjoy eating out. I would also love to travel more as I hope to explore South East Asia once the pandemic has settled down. I have also developed a passion for baking which has led me to a complete career change.
Tell us more about your business idea.
After working for John Lewis & Partners and often having to travel to London for training, I noticed the amount of Donut and coffee shops that seemed to be here there and everywhere. This made me reflect on our own city and I could not think of any specialist Donut shops besides the usual large chains. This led me to create Decent Donuts which is a brand that specialises in hand crafted artesian Donuts and sweet treats. All our products are made and freshly baked each day which ensures maximum freshness and quality. We are consistently pushing the boundaries by creating new flavour combinations and breaking stereotypes.
Since our launch in June of 2021, we have gained a Social Media following of over 15,000 that has helped to establish our brand. In addition, we have a huge amount of repeat customers that regularly buy and love our products that has enabled us to sell thousands of sweet treats. We have also been able to support our community by offering donations to local Hospitals and hosting our own McMillan Coffee morning. We have also hosted pop-up stalls at The Sefton Palm House and The Baltic Market. Currently, we are working on refining our online ordering platform and partnering with Uber Eats to increase our brand exposure.
One seminar that was extremely useful for me was one that focused on Marketing and how powerful packaging can be for a product. It highlighted how customers perceive products in luxury packaging and how packaging can make or break a product. Consequently, our packaging is very on-brand, environmentally friendly and practical. This experience helped me when looking at different types of packaging for my businesses as it highlighted the importance of choosing the right one. It has also helped when creating a brand identity, packaging can also be a good marketing tool.
I have applied for enterprise funding to hopefully develop my business premises further and create a space for students work from. The application process has helped me to plan my idea and evaluate what costs may occur. This process has also enabled me to grow my business organically, as opposed to rushing to enable sustainable development.
Do you have any top tips to share with future and current students looking to bring their idea to life?
My one tip would be to not give up even if it isn’t a success the first time. Not every idea will be successful, you will face obstacles that will test you but it’s about getting up each day and pushing past these.
What is the next step for you?
As we are a new business, we are still learning every day. I hope to continue to grow my brand and establish my premises with the hope to create a safe space for students. Long-term, I hope to create my very own local market to give local small businesses an opportunity to sell their own amazing products as I believe we have so many talented people within our community that may not necessarily be seen.
You can find Decent Donuts at 232 Smithdown Road, Liverpool, L15 5AH or get in touch with them on Instagram here and Facebook here.