A woman who once worked at McDonald’s is now the owner of a successful doughnut business - turning over £4.5million in one year.
Kristy Bannister, 37, is the face behind Dr. Dough Donuts in Australia, having saved “every cent” for two years with husband Geoff to afford the start-up.
But despite making huge sacrifices and even living off noodles to fund her dream, Kristy - dubbed the “donut queen” - credits her job at McDonald's for helping her gain the skills to run a business.
She started at the fast food chain at the age of 15, taking on the role of crew trainer before progressing to manager at 19.
Kristy also found herself running the McCafé department - and this is where she first started building her
doughnut-making business.
"I studied marketing and had always thought that when I completed my degree I would be pursuing a job in that field,” she told 7Life.
“But I actually found that I really loved learning about how the business operated, and how to lead a team.”
Kristy, who met husband Geoff while working at McDonald’s, said their original business plan was to open a café that sold doughnuts.
But after struggling to find a suitable doughnut option, the pair decided to have a go at making their own - and they turned out to be a huge success.
Kristy deliberately branded and marketed the doughnuts separately from the café to see which business had more potential for growth.
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She says this turned out to be a “smart move” as Dr. Dough quickly emerged as the more scalable brand of the two.
The couple then started working out of a "ghost kitchen" in Sydney while saving every penny to expand their new venture - all while still working at McDonald’s.
"We had savings up our sleeves because we didn’t know what to expect. Our savings were used up very quickly," Kristy said.
"There were many dinners of two-minute noodles and we lived above our café for two years in a small room.
"We’d forgone a steady income and superannuation for a long time, no annual leave, sick leave and definitely none of the perks of a corporate position.
"We made a decision to reinvest every single cent back into the business.
"We went through a tough few years but we wouldn’t change a thing. We still make sacrifices everyday but that’s all part of running a business."
Fast forward to 2021, and Dr. Dough is on track to make a whopping £4.5million this financial year.
But Kristy claims she wouldn’t have been as successful without that first gig with McDonald's.
She said: "McDonald’s gives you the opportunity to run a $10 million dollar restaurant, responsible for 200 staff members, workplace safety, profitability, everything, with the added potential of progressions.
"Not many businesses give you that responsibility or opportunity. It gave me the grounding of how to run a business the right way."
She added: “When we first started I could have only dreamed about where we are now and our future plans, but once you arrive at that point it just becomes the new normal and you keep going and keep setting new goals.”
