Episode Details

Jenna Sanders was 21 years old, a single mum with two kids…

And decided to buy a bakery.

No systems. No tech. No real plan.

Just grit, fresh product, and a vision to turn a small country bakery into a destination people would drive hours for.

Fast forward 10 years:

4 locations. 140 staff. Thousands of donuts sold every single day.

And one viral moment that changed everything.

In this episode, Jenna breaks down the real story behind Kenilworth Bakery. From $500 days and handwritten notebooks… to going viral with a kilo donut… to building a scalable, profitable business without losing the “magic” that made it special.

This is a masterclass in branding, social media, team culture, and knowing your numbers.

You’ll hear:

00:00 – From single mum to buying a bakery at 24

05:00 – The early days: $500 revenue and starting from scratch

08:00 – The kilo donut that went viral (3.5M views overnight)

12:30 – Handling explosive demand with no systems in place

16:00 – Using social media as free marketing (before it was normal)

20:00 – Why going viral means nothing without a great product

24:00 – Bringing in structure: the role of Jenna’s brother

27:30 – The simple data shift that made the business profitable

32:00 – Expanding to multiple locations (and the challenges)

38:00 – Hiring for personality over experience

42:00 – Creating “magic” in-store that keeps customers coming back

46:00 – Building culture, team morale & making work fun

50:00 – Why most businesses are underutilising social media

54:00 – Jenna’s advice for anyone starting from scratch

Key Takeaways

• Going viral is powerful — but only if your product makes people come back

• You don’t need fancy systems to start, but you do need them to scale

• Hire for personality — skills can be taught, energy can’t

• Data and numbers are what turn growth into profit

• Social media is still one of the most underused tools in hospitality

• Creating a memorable customer experience is what builds long-term success
  

If you’re ready to turn your venue into a profitable, scalable business, book a call with the Foodie Coaches team at:

www.foodiecoaches.com

Follow along behind the scenes: Instagram: @foodie_coaches Instagram: @tim.kummerfeld

New episodes every Wednesday.