Time to Make the Donuts: The Founder of Dunkin Donuts Shares an American Journey
by William Rosenberg
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Book Summary Information
Author: William RosenbergCollaborator: Jessica Keener
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-09-21
ISBN: 0867308613
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Lebhar-Friedman
Book Reviews of Time to Make the Donuts: The Founder of Dunkin Donuts Shares an American Journey
Book Review: Building a Restaurant Empire One Donut at a Time
Summary: 4 Stars
Bill Rosenberg's rise to the top is one filled with passion and drive and this aggressiveness is captured in "Time to Make the Donuts". Like many entrepreneurs, Rosenberg wasn't blessed with an bottomless bank account or a wealthy family to back him up. He was born into a lower- middle class family and he worked hard to achieve his dreams.
Rosenberg's business encounters are many and some of them are interesting to read about. In 1962, for example, he received a call from a guy named Jim McLamore, a young entrepreneur in his own right, who was looking for someone to become business partners with him while he tried to grow his hamburger business. He came to Rosenberg because he had heard about Bill's reputation for successful franchising. He asked Rosenberg to invest $150,000, which would make the two men 50/50 owners in the business. Rosenberg went over the business plan with his associates, but they decided to decline the offer because McLamore's business was in Florida, which was far away, and they wanted to concentrate on making donuts. McLamore's new business was called Burger King. Had Rosenberg accepted the offer, his $150,000 investment would have been worth more than $8 million just three years later! Rosenberg's Dunkin Donuts still grew into a highly successful business but it's fascinating when you think about how differently the course of business history would have played out if this and other decisions had gone the other way.
Besides business, Rosenberg's personal life and his problems with his health are discussed at length in this book. He talks about his marriage to his first wife, Bookie, along with his divorce and remarriage to wife #2, Ann. He also discusses his children and his relationship with his parents and three siblings.
On the issue of health, Rosenberg successfully fought off cancer on two occasions and this greatly affected his outlook on life. On one of the occasions, he was told that he had only a few months to live. While lying in a hospital bed, one of his best friends showed up at his bedside. He gave Bill his crucifix to wear, claiming that it had always brought him good luck. Bill accepted, and in return he gave his Catholic friend his Jewish Chi to wear. Within days, Rosenberg was told by the doctor that the cancer had completely cleared up. Rosenberg jumped out of bed so excited, he claims that he "almost hit the ceiling". He had narrowly escaped death again. This, and other stories like them, are found throughout this book and while they have nothing to do directly with the Dunkin' Donuts chain, they add a more human, personal dimension to the writing.
Rosenberg writes this book as both a personal biography and a lesson plan on how to successfully run a business. He provides tips and insights into what worked and what didn't in his quest to be the best that he could be. Jessica Keener is the editor of the book. She writes for the Boston Globe and has written several articles over the years about Dunkin' Donuts and its founder. She does a nice job with her editing work, making the book read like it was written by a professional writer.
Rosenberg's storytelling could bother some people because he does come off as a little arrogant at times. Throughout the book, one will find quotes like "I was proven right", "my methods worked", "I built a successful operation", etc. But however conceited Rosenberg may seem, he deserves credit for pointing out the fact that many other people were responsible for his success, from his business associates all the way down to the individual store managers and cashiers. Also, it's hard to deny that Rosenberg is a success story. Can we really blame the guy for pointing out that his methods, more often that not, were successful?
"Time to Make the Donuts" is a worthwhile book to read. It's full of good advice, good business tips, and inspirational wisdom. Rosenberg's rise from a working class neighborhood to the king of donut making is an enjoyable discovery, both in the business sense and in the personal sense. He proves over and over again that great results can be achieved in the restaurant business with hard work and an insistence on quality and customer service.
Summary of Time to Make the Donuts: The Founder of Dunkin Donuts Shares an American Journey
It all started when Bill Rosenberg took a leap of faith and bet his future on a donut.Company Profiles Books
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