Mikhail Laptev and Hana Bae are an ambitious young couple that operate their own Donut King store situated within Brookside Shopping Centre in Mitchelton, Brisbane.

The pair opted for a franchise because they wanted to be their own boss yet sought a sense of financial security at the same time.

While they researched a number of franchises, and are coffee fanatics themselves, a combination of factors encouraged Mikhail and Hana to opt for Donut King.

“We were interested in owning a coffee related small business.

“After researching several coffee franchises thoroughly, we came across Donut King and were sold because it is an Australian owned brand and we loved the combination of the coffee with cinnamon donuts,” they explain.

Mikhail and Hana say Donut King’s training was vital considering their lack of experience in operating a small business.

“Without the training, we would not have survived. For people like us, owning a small business for the first time, the training and support systems provided have given us the tools and skills we need to make our business a success.”

They admit working together was a slight challenge at first, however over the time the pair has established a well-oiled system.

“To be honest, we both have different working styles, so in the beginning, it was difficult to adjust into each other’s management style.

“As the time went on, we quickly worked out what is best for each other.”

Mikhail prefers working on the operations side of things and so he became a frontline manager, meanwhile Hana handles administrative tasks and matters relating to human resources.

In the early stages, Mikhail and Hana devoted their lives to setting up their store, and now they enjoy the best of both worlds.

“We put all of our effort into seting up the system in our store – it was almost 24/7 for us. Thanks to the great support from RFG and our hardworking staff, we were able to set the store up the way we wanted in a short period of time,” they say.

“Now we manage to give ourselves more personal time and can really enjoy operating the business with a good work/life balance.”

The couple is keen to work hard on their business, and they believe their efforts will be rewarded.

“Our goal is to continue to develop and expand our current franchise, with a focus on increasing both sales and customer counts.

“We both believe that if we work hard now, we will be able to enjoy the benefits in the future,” they explain.