Josh Goodman shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Josh, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I love playing with legos with my son!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name’s Josh Goodman and I’m the owner of Heritage donuts (along with my wife). We are a mom & pop donut shop specializing in yeast and cake donuts. All of our donuts are made fresh daily, by hand by the 2 of us! Even though we’re located in the Heritage area of Wake Forest, we actually picked the name Heritage Donuts because donuts is our heritage. Our family owns and operates 10 different donut shops in different areas of North Carolina. They are all mom & pop shop style, just like us – although some may have an extra son/daughter/aunt/uncle helping them out. Maybe we’ll have a bit of family help in 10 years!
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
My mother taught me about work ethic. She led by example, rather than teaching directly, as she raised myself and my older sister on her own for most of our adolescent lives. She was always early to work and on time to pick me up after – while still working through out the evenings at home and helping us whenever needed.
When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
Star gazing while swinging at my neighborhood park. Every time I wanted to run away from home, I never made it beyond that swing.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
If you work hard and be nice to people, everything will work out. All of us come from different circumstances, face different challenges, and pursue different goals. Many people achieve their goals by stepping on others and sometimes it feels like the “nice guy” always finishes last. Sometimes it feels like luck just isn’t on your side. But I believe that if you work hard enough, you can make your own luck. And I believe that the nicer you are to those around you, the more everyone will be willing to do things big, and small to help you succeed.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When have you had to bet the company?
We had to bet the company a few months before we opened. We hit every possible delay and snag along the way to opening in 2022. It was post-COVID and supply chains were a mess. We couldn’t get building supplies on time. Companies were being, lets say, less than honest with their pricing, their time frames, their quality of work, and it started to feel hopeless. We saw our project go way over budget and we knew we were going to run out of money if things didn’t change. We nearly had to close our doors before we even opened. We bet on ourselves though. We were able to will ourselves through that time with the belief that we could make some of the best donuts around.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/heritragedonuts
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/heritagedonuts
