Corey Smale has a way of creating brands and experiences that make you feel special and part of something bigger. Our discussion covers his entrepreneurial journey, including that moment of doubt that keeps many great ideas from ever seeing the light of day. (Spoiler: Take risk, jump. The journey's going to be difficult no matter what so give it everything you've got.)
Meet Corey Smale
Corey is continuing his entrepreneurial journey having previously had a successful Kickstarter project, Strange Donuts, a Chinese takeout concept called Good Fortune. He's also a family man and gives anything he's involved in his all.
Visit Corey's Website"Love it or hate it, you can't deny it."
Corey Smale
Show Notes
In 2013, we signed the paperwork and opened the Almanac office in downtown St. Louis. We decided to host an opening party, and looked for inspiration from two trends happening in St. Louis at the time.
The first, was the craft beer scene, which was booming, with new breweries opening every couple of weeks. The second was a super successful Kickstarter project for a donut shop that everyone was talking about. We reached out to this new donut concept to see if they could help us tap into these two trends and create some donuts infused with different beer flavors—peach ale, chocolate stout—you get the picture. And they made it happen! The party—and the donuts—were a huge success and the rest is history.
Well, the person who created those beer infused donuts is Corey Smale and the shop is of course, Strange Donuts. It seemed like overnight, St. Louis was experiencing full-on donut histaria. Everyone wanted to sample Strange’s fun and exciting flavors and combinations. In a short amount of time, Corey and his team organized donut festivals, launched a nonprofit, opened new locations (including selling their donuts inside Busch Stadium!), and grew an Instagram following of over 40,000 people.After Strange, Corey spent several years working on a Chinese takeout concept called Good Fortune, complete with a run-up to the opening with pop-up dinners inside a gothic church turned skatepark. After years of planning, he decided to close the restaurant after only 10-months to focus on his health and his family.
Our discussion covers Corey’s entrepreneurial journey, including that moment of doubt that keeps many great ideas from ever seeing the light of day.
Ok, enjoy!