Thriving family business with a tale of sweet succession

A simple ring doughnut, still warm from the fryer and tossed in granulated sugar, served in a white paper bag from a kiosk on O’Connell Street was love at first bite for Lisa Quinlan.

Her father Michael set up The Rolling Donut in 1978, and since 2012, Lisa has taken the business to new heights, expanding beyond the kiosk where it all began.

Beginning in the 1970s, Michael sold doughnuts from a trailer at festivals and gatherings around the country, before eventually pitching up at the famous O’Connell Street outlet. And when Lisa and her sister were old enough, they were right beside Dad at the counter.

“We went to festivals and garden shows, aprons on, ready for action behind the counter — it’s all I knew growing up. So much so that I’ve always been known as ‘Lisa Donuts’.

“There was never any doubt that I’d follow Dad into the business.”

Lisa readily admits to being “my father’s daughter”, having learned the basics at his elbow serving patrons six deep on many a sunny afternoon in the heart of the capital.

“I idolised Dad in every way and wanted nothing more than to be like him and have my own business when I grew up.

“I did little school projects about owning my own donut trailer just like my dad when I grew up and to this day that passion for the business and desire to work hard is as strong as ever. It’s in my blood,” she adds.

A font of good advice, Michael mentored his enthusiastic daughter in the finer points of dealing with an often demanding public.

“He is an unbelievably patient man and always has very sound advice. He has always taught me to be the bigger person in every situation and I think it has stood to me.

“He really is a true gentleman, but a massive risk taker - nothing phases him. The older I get the more this is rubbing off on me. Life is simply too short to sweat the small stuff.”

Listing the key advantages of getting into business through a family business, Lisa points to being given a very good grasp of what business is all about from a young age, from conversations around the dinner table and watching her Dad day to day.

“We loved to discuss different projects and ventures he was working on - some successful and others not. But I had a huge advantage because of this and learned from my dad’s mistakes. I believe this gave me a huge headstart in my career and saved me a lot of time.”

The fact that there were contacts within the family was another elbow up the learning tree for Lisa - people that Michael had already built trusting relationships with over the years that she could turn to and ask for help or advice along the way.

“This helped kickstart things massively for me.” Lisa is clearly a people person: “I thrive off peoples’ good energy and I truly believe this is one of the key components to a successful retail business. I care more about my staff and customers than I do about myself at times, which sounds crazy but I really do want people to have the best experience when they visit our shops or try our products.

“I equally want my staff to enjoy working for the company as it will shine through when they come work. Whether it is making the donuts in our bakery with great care and attention to detail or helping a customer choose their favourite donut - it all matters massively.”

Even though the business has expanded considerably, Lisa still turns to her Dad for advice and assistance.

“Absolutely. My Dad is my best friend and my sounding board - we have a very good ying and yang and I’m just so extremely grateful we have gotten to experience this donut journey together. He’s still the first person I call anytime we have an exciting new business opportunity pop up and he still loves to hear about everything that goes on day to day.”

There was never any doubt that I'd follow Dad into the business

As she looks to condense the most important advice learned at her father’s knee, Lisa goes straight to the bottom line.

“He taught me from a young age to always pay people on time and when you’re out there working hard doors will always open and opportunities pop up. These two phrases have resonated with me more than ever over the last year - a 12 month period that was extremely challenging,” she says with feeling.

“Juggling the paying of rents, suppliers and tax has been really tough during the dark days of the pandemic. But at the same time that I was working so hard to keep the whole operation on an even keel, many new opportunities popped up and I feel really lucky to have kept things going with online orders.

“Best of all, I got my new business, ‘Very Berry’, up and running just last month, and which thankfully is absolutely flying. This never would have happened pre-Covid as I would not have had the time.”