Dominique Ansel Bakery opened with four employees and just $2,000
Dominique Ansel · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · Jun 17, 2024 · at 23:14
Pastry chef Dominique Ansel describes the lean bootstrapping conditions during the 2011 launch of Dominique Ansel Bakery in Soho, New York.
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“So we opened with four employees. We had no managers, no, like, I remember like looking at a bank account once it was like on a business bank account had like 2000 dollars left.”
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Ansel lost friendships enforcing a strict no-VIP line policy for Cronuts
“Yes, I mean, I lost a few friends in the process, but I wanted to be true to myself, you know. I was out of respect of people coming as early as two o'clock in the morning. If you want to try, you have to go in line.”
Ansel: Viral success cannot be bought, planned, or manufactured on demand
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