It was largely my OB crew, and even my co-founder, that believed in me and invested in Nomad when we hit hard financial times. While we think of the entrepreneur as this self-made person with superhuman drive and work ethic, the reality is that it takes a village. Nomad has given me a great appreciation of my friends and family. There I was giving media interviews as this magnanimous business owner when I’m just a guy who understands, first hand, how close homelessness is for so many of us. The irony is that I was a “technically homeless” guy defending another homeless guy. Ray and I would joke about how I was at the high end of homelessness. Eventually, a friend and investor in Nomad, let me move into his studio office behind his house. The year before I couldn’t afford to pay rent and lost my apartment. Probably the most interesting of those was when a Yelp review where a customer complained and one starred us over Ray, homeless man living outside the shop, went viral. There were times I was on the receiving end of social media and online anger. There were years where I could barely pay myself and some very dark mental health moments. From the cost of the move to the management team we needed to run the new business, I underestimated it all.Īll mistakes come with costs though and I’ve paid for them all. The biggest mistake I made was to underestimate how much moving from the original location to the current one on University Avenue would change the business. I’ve made many mistakes but fortunately the company, brand and I were strong enough to survive them. Short of writing that book here, we’ve struggled to get loans and raise money, to control costs, with employees, with managers, HR issues, partnerships and so much more. My friends often say I should write a book, it would not be a boring read! There were so many struggles and obstacles that I don’t even know where to start. To the outsider, it probably looks great, but it has been a struggle from day one. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat, but if given the chance I might do a few things differently.Īlright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome? It took a ridiculous amount of risk taking, hard work and more sacrifice than I could have ever imagined. How we have survived this long sometimes amazes me. In 2016 we started construction on our 3102 University Ave location and today that is our home and only shop. Also, about that time my co-founder realized that the donut dream wasn’t for him and I bought him out so he could move on. That location does hold a special place in my heart, but we realized after a few months that the shop was too small, so I started planning for a larger location. We opened our original shop in 2014 after building out a space in the 4500 block of 30th St. In December of 2013 we filed the incorporation papers and that was the birth of Nomad Donuts. When I insisted, he gave his blessing if I agreed to be involved in the day to day of the business. I did the financial projections and decided to invest in the company. His answer started it all, “I want to own a gourmet donut shop!”, I offered to help him with the business plan thinking it would help him now and me later when I would need to do this for myself. One day I went surfing with a friend and between waves, I asked him what he wanted to do with his life. Looking to make a change I began thinking about starting my own business. Three weeks later, with some paperwork, I moved to San Diego to work for a startup software company.Įventually, I ended working for another software company for another 9 years, but it was a 90-100% travel job and inevitably I burnt out. After a couple of conversations, I changed my flight, extended my stay an extra week, drove my friend to the airport for the honeymoon and began a job search. In 2000, I was finishing up an MBA program in Toronto when I came out to be the best man at a long-time friend’s wedding. I’m incredibly grateful for the sacrifice they made, leaving all they knew, to give me the gift of opportunity in Canada. My parents were immigrants who fled apartheid South Africa. I was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba and educated in several Canadian cities. Hi Brad, so excited to have you with us today. Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad Keiller.
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