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Daniel and Mariam on how Doughbies is delivering oven-fresh Cookies in 20 minutes- Startup Story #10

By Guest User 10th March 2015

“Empty?! You took all the cookies!”

“They were crying to get out of the jar… Cookies get claustrophobia too, you know!”

(by Charles M. Schulz)

We have all made some of the most genius yet silly excuses to explain ourselves and our sweet encounter with Cookies. After all, they are cookies! How can one not lose control and etiquettes over them? They are delicious, warm, and deserve all the love in this world.

With On-Demand Startups spoiling the world with instant gratification, we now have Doughbies to satisfy its sweet tooth. This On-Demand Cookies Delivery startup sends happiness to its customers in form of freshly baked cookies and confections in just 20 minutes (and even less!). Featured in the ‘9 best apps for couples’ by Business Insider, it is part of the 500 Startups batch.

In conversation with Mariam Khan and Daniel Conway, co-founders of Doughbies.

Q: Tell us about Doughbies?

A: Doughbies delivers freshly baked goods on demand – in 20 minutes or less. Everything is handmade by our own team of local bakers who care about quality and method. It’s truly the most delightful way to send a gift or get something delicious for yourself.

Q: How does Doughbies work?

A: We deliver cookies on demand, Monday – Friday between the hours of 12-4 pm. Currently, we deliver to select San Francisco neighborhoods.

Q: What made you and fellow co-founders decide to come up with the idea of On-Demand Cookies?

A: We decided to follow an on-demand model after talking to our customers. Having something delivered is a huge convenience in busy, everyday lives.

Q: What sets Doughbies apart from the competition?

A: We stand apart because of a better experience, quality, and taste.

  • Experience: We are vertically integrated and own the entire process, from baking, to packaging, and delivery. This allows us to ensure a quality experience for every delivery.
  • Gifting Experience: Gifting is a large part of what we do every day. Our drivers are carefully trained and read out each gift note, making the experience personal and unique
  • Taste: Doughbies cookies are created by our own team of bakers. Everything is made in small batches with careful attention to detail.

Q: Put some light on the technology used to build Doughbies?

A: We have used a combination of existing, and our own technology to build a product that allows users the simplest possible user experience. We are an experience-led company and are actually just about to re-launch our platform with many new and exciting features.

Q: What was technically the most challenging part of developing Doughbies?

A: Logistics & demand are always tricky. It’s a fine balance between gauging demand and balancing it with delivery logistics.

Q: How are you marketing Doughbies to make it a first preference in the market?

A lot of our marketing is word of mouth. Also, since we are so local we often partner with different companies for fun packages for our customers, as well as attend community events.

Q: How is Doughbies contributing towards revolutionizing the on-demand sector?

A: By bringing you the freshest, most personally delivered cookie in 20 minutes or less. Our brand is about a sense of warmth, a feeling of home, and our cookies bring that to you in each hand-wrapped box.

Q: How are you planning to position Doughbies against the prospective competition, and how will you sustain your USP?

A: For all the reasons stated above. We believe that our model will prove our space in the market and continue to sustain us.

Q: Where do you see Doughbies 5 years down the line?

A: We intend to expand to other cities.

Q: If given a chance to go back, what would you want to do differently that you could have done earlier?

A: That’s a tricky question. We might have timed things a little differently, perhaps launched our MVP earlier than we did. But then there are so many variables attached to that.

Q: What is the biggest hurdle that you faced or are still facing?

A: I wouldn’t use ‘hurdle’ to describe anything because we face and solve unforeseen issues every day. A startup will face new challenges almost every day, some reoccur and others are new, and the only thing you can do is to take each day and challenge as it comes and keep plowing ahead.

Q: Which Entrepreneur do you admire the most?

A: We admire a couple of different companies and the founders that built them. Instacart and Lyft to name a few.

Q: Any word of advice for all the startups out there who are trying to make it big like Doughbies.

A: Always remember to talk to your customers. We closely track feedback and speak to our customers every day. This may seem like obvious advice but it’s really easy to get busy with your day-to-day tasks and forget to check in.

Wanted to create a similar business? Don’t worry, Jungleworks is here for you.

Jungleworks offers a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) system, such as Online Marketplaces, Delivery Optimization software, and Marketing Automation software that allows users to create a new product using the SaaS’s abilities and features without writing even a single line of code, designing, and testing.

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