It was a concept that brought so much joy to their own family on vacations in the past, Heather and Jeff King knew that it was a business ripe for success in the Berkshires. After nearly three years open, a second location and further expansion into other locations, Shire Donuts just continues to put smiles on the faces of happy customers. And why not? Who doesn't love a great donut? It's just one of the recent ventures that Heather and Jeff have taken together after decades of working the traditional salaried 40-hour per week jobs. The other, being real estate, came when they were nudged along by their friends and colleagues Jay and Jennifer Nocher. True to form, Heather and Jeff work as a team leading with their own particular strengths as they focus on building long-term relationships for buyers and sellers. As they look to expand Shire into other retail locations, they are also considering the move into south county, and Great Barrington, in particular. We also cover in this episode: managing customer service with, often, long lines of customers (especially when the shops first opened), quality control "Heather-approved" donuts and training their workers ("donut artists), the product marketing and selling itself through social media and world-of-mouth, Heather and Jeff's first date at Ye Olde Forge, the dynamics of the current real estate market, tricks to keep donuts fresh after purchase (hint: it includes a container and a piece of bread), the value proposition of being open just three days per week, Dunkin' and Donut Man, expanding offerings of coffee with their partner Currency Coffee, working with their daughters Lauren and Chloe and more.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Jeff and Heather King.