I Left The Music Industry To Make Doughnuts For A Living & Here’s How I Did It

Ditching a seemingly stable job to go out on your own and do things differently is always a difficult feat — especially when it's in an industry you've put years of passion and dedication into.

For Grumpy Donuts owner and founder Elise Honeybrook, leaving the music industry was emotional. However, her lifelong love of music and burning desire to be part of the industry was intrinsic to her identity.

"I had put so much of my time and energy into building opportunities for myself in music over so many years that it was terrifying to think it had all been for nothing," she told Refinery29 Australia.

However, after a lot of soul-searching (and a few sage words of wisdom from celeb baking extraordinaire Katherine Sabbath), Honeybrook knew it was time to take the plunge.

"I just felt there was another place in the world for me that would bring out the best in me. I honestly wasn’t sure what that was, but the only way to find out was to give myself that space from what I had always thought was my end game and my passion."

Since then, Honeybrook has launched Grumpy Donuts — arguably Sydney's most iconic (and 'grammable) doughnut location, Valentina's — an all-day diner in Marrickville serving up authentic American soul food and the hospitality group Deep Fried Hospo.

Let's dive deeper into her story...

Elise: Looking back, I learned a lot about creative workplaces and how they can operate successfully with a different organisational approach to the average corporate workplace. 

While working as an intern at Dine Alone Records in Toronto, Canada, I absorbed knowledge from Joel Carriere and his team. They similarly began with a couple of young kids from humble beginnings. Seeing how much growth was possible for people like that if they had enough grit, determination and willingness to make sacrifices, no matter where you started or what you started with, was inspiring. 

Having several mentors in those early days, such as Joel from Dine Alone and Ian Bennett at Shock Records, who saw something special in me, gave me a head start in feeling like I was absolutely capable of achieving incredible things well before I realised myself.

Elise: I always tell people of the origins of Grumpy Donuts being a joke between Scott (my partner) and me, and that’s the truth. We fell into this position initially, and had to make the call to sink our teeth in and grab the bull by the horns, which we did.

Doughnuts (and all fried foods, to be frank) have always been a passion of mine. However, I never envisioned this love turning into a legitimate career path for me.

Elise: I’m so glad that I dug deep and trusted my gut instincts because it’s led me to where I am right now, and I truly believe no other path could have made me as happy and fulfilled as this one has. A few things made it easier, though.

For example, using systems like Square gave us detailed reporting on our sales and sales staff performance (and did not cost us an arm and a leg to set up), which made the business side of things a lot easier to manage. It was super approachable for people like us who'd never owned a shop before — it integrated with our business so seamlessly, was easy to use and felt safe.

The fact that we started our first shop with Square and continue to use Square well into our business expansion is really testament to their product being suitable to all levels of sellers.

Elise: The hours you put in, especially when starting up, are endless. There are no shortcuts when trying to set up a solid foundation for a business you want to have longevity in any industry. Work leaks into your life and can quite often completely take over. As a 23-year-old, it was a really lonely position to be in — prioritising work over everything, especially when we were starting work at 4am and finishing at 6pm for many years. This kind of experience was quite isolating, especially when your peers were studying and living fairly carefree, balanced lives full of socialising and rest. A lot of people don’t understand why you’ve disappeared, why you’re absent from parties and why you’re constantly flaking on dinner plans, and they can take that personally. 

When you’re focusing so hard on your business, it’s on your mind 24/7 and taking up all your energy with no days off.  It took years for me to realise we needed to set boundaries with work and allow ourselves time to rest once we were in a position to do so. Shifting your mindset like that at such a young age was a tough one but something we had to learn and adapt to.

Elise: There was no clear moment where I thought, ‘This is going to work, and we are confident this is the right decision’. The industry shift was fraught with uncertainty and anxiety, and in hindsight, I think it would have been strange if that wasn’t the case. We weren’t even that confident in the longevity of this idea when we opened our orders and sold out six months ahead overnight or when we opened the doors of our first store and had a line reaching to the far corner of the block. 

It’s taken a long time to build confidence in myself and my capabilities.  All you can do is take it a step at a time, reflect on what’s been achieved and continue to set new goals for yourself. Every new step we take in business feels the same to this day. I’m just more prepared for the sleepless nights each time we take another step forward!

Elise: There is nothing I’ve come across in this world that compares to the feeling of creating a safe workplace for ourselves and our team. To be a part of the lives of our employees and have the platform to provide support and opportunities for them is by far the most rewarding part of the journey thus far. 

I’m constantly in awe of how much growth, both personally and professionally, we see in each member of the Deep Fried Hospo family.  Being in a position to help young people see themselves for all they’re worth, no matter their background or the challenges they face in life is an incredible experience. Building this hospitality group from nothing wouldn’t be half as sweet if we weren’t sharing its successes with such beautiful individuals as the ones we have the pleasure of working with every day.

Elise: The shopfront we opened the first Grumpy Donuts in was a very old corner store that had been owned and run by a family for 30 years before us. They were passing through the area after we had opened and popped in to say hello. We gave them a grand tour of our little space to show them what we were creating and all the changes we had made to what once was their shop. It was a really lovely exchange, as small business novices, to sit down and speak with them about their history and experiences. They were so thrilled and excited for us and really proud to see the shop looking so good, it was really beautiful to connect with them. 

We have so many wholesome stories about fellow hospitality business owners brimming with excitement for us and offering their advice and help whenever they could. We tend to be the same now when speaking with people who are just starting out. Being able to lend a sympathetic ear or a piece of advice where we can feels really good.