Editor’s Note: October is National Women’s Small Business Month, a time to celebrate women who are their own bosses, and build businesses that make their communities better. As the month comes to a close, we’re sharing the story of the women behind Glam Doll Donuts, based in Minneapolis. For free lessons on how to grow your business online, head to our Grow with Google hub.
Teresa Fox and Arwyn Birch have been best friends since they were 10. Growing up, one had dreams of being in fashion, the other in the music business—but it was their shared sweet tooth that eventually made them business partners. One day when on vacation together, they saw a donut shop with a line around the block and realized that they could bring some of that sweet goodness (with lots of paying customers) to their hometown of Minneapolis.
They were sold on the idea, but had to figure out how to actually make the donuts (and come up with a business plan). They spent a year watching donut-making tutorials on YouTube and testing recipes (everything from a classic glazed donut to a bourbon-infused apple fritter with caramelized bacon). They relied on resources they found through Google Search to create a business plan. When Teresa and Arwyn finally opened Glam Doll Donuts, they had just seven employees. Over time, they built a following (locals often dress up as “Glam Dolls” for Halloween!) and rely on products like Google My Business and their reviews on Google to introduce themselves to new customers.
Arwyn and Teresa with Tedd and Evan, two local fans who dressed up as Glam Dolls for Halloween.
We became entrepreneurs because we never quite fit in to other people’s world so we had to create our own. This was our chance to leave a legacy and something for the future that was exciting and meaningful to us and our community.
Today, they employ a diverse team of 50 people, have opened a second location, and still find time for the fun stuff—decorating donuts, coming up with new recipes and making Minneapolis a little sweeter.
