Are You a Corporate Doughnut or a 5 AM Doughnut?

My friend Adam takes his daughter on a doughnut run every Sunday morning. His favorite store is called “5 AM Doughnuts.” Adam always goes out the door chuckling "I love it. 'When do you open?' (5 am) 'What do you sell?’ (doughnuts).”

Adam is an entrepreneur and as part of his integrity and authenticity he patronizes only locally-owned stores. As a business owner, he also admires the name of this store so much, he tells me about it every time.

I must admit, it’s stuck with me as well. That’s exactly and all I need to know about my doughnut store and the big sign popping out as I go by on the highway has been helpful. (Like I need help finding doughnuts.)

Now, what’s a “corporate doughnut”? That would be a doughnut store that’s a franchise, ultimately owned by a corporation.

And what do you get when you get a corporate doughnut?

Exactly the same thing every time. It’s highly predictable. In a Mississippi bayou or downtown Manhattan, you can pull into a McDonalds and know what you’ll get, which in some cases is definitely a relief.

And which are YOU – a corporate doughnut or a 5 AM doughnut?

If you’re a corporate doughnut, when we meet you, we recognize you as familiar; in fact we start to complete your sentences for you, because it isn’t “you” it’s the program coming out.

Corporate doughnuts are hiding behind the corporate label. I can be a relief, because it’s predictable; we’re more likely to be bored than shocked. But when we walk away we will have tasted a corporate doughnut, something we could find anywhere.

If you’re a 5 AM doughnut, you’re an original, made from scratch. We know right away we aren’t talking to a formula product. We hang on every word, because we haven't heard from you're saying before -- it's got new spice and flavoring to it. We hear a real person coming out, with original thoughts, unique perceptions, and a personal point of view. We hear the authenticity of someone who has created themselves and their own live. We know what you sell, and what time you open, so to speak.

A 5 AM doughnut is an authentic original, which will bring some urprises and we sure as heck won’t be completing your sentencesfor you.

And when we walk away, we’ll know we never met you before, and never will again.

What a gift!