With a bachelor degree in business, MarcQus Wright is no stranger to the kind of experience, stamina, passion and drive it takes to start up a business – but he knew that for Daddy’s Dough to make it he would need more than just real ingredients and stellar baking skills.
Daddy’s Dough has been around for three years specializing in homemade cookies. Wright shares that making it in Grand Rapids as a Black owned business is about who you know.
“For any business owners, specially black business owners, but I think what happens is you find that there are circles of people that if you don’t run in these circles you are not aware of – you know because for us even trying to find a space is hard.”
Wright explains that for black owned business to be successful they have to depend on the investment from the community.
“And its important for you to support businesses that historically have not been able to be established because of the way society is set up.”
The success of the business has been thanks in part to the $15,000 dollars, Wright took out from his family’s savings account, his wife’s ability to continue to work full time as a lawyer, and his friends who would send them money here and there over the cash app.
“It was going to be on us to invest a lot of our money, and we were prepared for that; and we’ve already gotten the return on that.”
To ensure success for Daddy’s Dough, Wright has been putting over 70 hours per week packaging, marketing and developing the business strategy from the incubator kitchen at Downtown Market.
Daddy’s Dough also makes vegan and gluten free cookies and they are making their weekly rounds at the local farmers markets.
I am Michelle Jokisch Polo, and this is Mutually Inclusive for WGVU News.
