“It's not enough to be a hospitality business anymore,” small-business owner Shelley Pippin says. “You need to be an event business.”
Here’s why Brewnuts has been so successful at using events to carve out a niche for themselves, and what small- and medium-sized business marketers can learn from “Ohio’s first and only doughnut bar,” regardless of your industry.
When you think of bar food, you probably think of things like burgers and sandwiches.
But Cleveland-based Brewnuts has a different vision: As Brewnuts’ “Ohio's first and only doughnut bar,” as co-owner and founder Shelley Pippin puts it, the business pairs a carefully curated selection of beer and coffee drinks with a rotating selection of homemade doughnuts.
Photo credit: Shelley Pippin
“I love creating things, and I see my job as being responsible for surprising and delighting people,” Pippin says. “That's why I love the hospitality industry. It’s a place where you have the opportunity to create experiences for people. It really is about providing that little slice of escape and joy.”
Takeaway: Don’t underestimate the power of surprise, delight, and joy. Whether you’re selling doughnuts or databases, think about what experiences you can create for people.
Divide and Conquer
Pippin cut her teeth working in partnership marketing, sponsorships, and client work, so she excels at handling the creative ideation side of Brewnuts — a job that encompasses things such as menu development, event planning, and social media content creation.
“I love the inspiration part,” she says. “Those things tend to just pop into my brain, and I'm like, ‘Yep, and here's 25 ideas about how I want to do that.’”
But from a business standpoint, Brewnuts is well balanced because co-founder (and Pippin’s husband) John has a background in accounting and finance.
“He handles a lot more of our operations,” she says. “It's great to have all the ideas in the world. But if you don't understand how to run a functional business in terms of making the numbers work, it's all for naught.”
Takeaway: Even the scrappiest marketing team can't do it all. Lean into your strengths, and join forces with co-workers (or co-founders) who will provide some balance.
A Hospitality Mindset
Pippin and her husband are hands-on owners who stay connected to guests via many different channels. For example, Brewnuts sends out a monthly newsletter and maintains a robust social media presence.
“We're definitely not absentee owners,” Pippin says. “We're very much present in our space and in our social media.”
By staying so connected, Brewnuts has a deeper understanding of their audience — and how to reach new customers.
Photo credit: Emily Drapp
“In a lot of ways, we try to throw events that are for groups of people that maybe don't feel like they have a home base,” Pippin says. “I like trying to spot niche groups that maybe feel, like, ‘Hey, nobody throws an event for us.’”
At the end of the day, Pippin stresses the importance of gratitude and shares that she never takes any support for granted.
“It is never lost on me that someone is choosing to spend any of their hard-earned money at my place,” she says. “[This] is really important to keep in the forefront at all times.”
Takeaway: Maintain a hospitality mindset. Brewnuts doesn’t throw events just for the sake of having a Halloween tie-in; it uses newsletters, social media, and customer interactions to segment its consumers and make them feel welcome.
