Earn Your Leisure Podcast

Episode: "From Baltimore to Soho: The Rise of Cloudy Donuts"

Date: February 10, 2026
Hosts: Rashad Bilal & Troy Millings (iHeartPodcasts)
Guest: Owner of Cloudy Donuts (with mention of partner Zoditu)

Overview

This episode dives deep into the remarkable entrepreneurial journey of the owner of Cloudy Donuts, tracing his transition from running a brunch restaurant in Baltimore (Homemade) to opening a celebrated vegan donut shop in New York’s Soho. The conversation is rich with insight about pivoting business models, leveraging life experiences (including lessons from street hustling), and the intentional choices behind store location and brand positioning. The episode’s core focus is on transparency in entrepreneurship, scaling a product-focused business, and building community impact.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. From Baltimore Restaurant to Soho Donut Shop

• Recap of Previous Success: The guest previously founded the acclaimed restaurant Homemade in Baltimore, known for its transparency around finances and innovative business modeling (02:11).

• Pivoting the Business: After reflecting on the complexities of running a full-service restaurant, he decided to focus on a single, streamlined product—donuts (03:03).

  "Once you over the excitement of being legal, you gotta deal with the excitement of ambition and wanting to get some money. And I always tell people, once you get over the good look, you get some good money, right?"
  — Donut Shop Owner [03:46]

• Product Simplicity & Scalability: The guest emphasized how donuts—uncomplicated and quality-driven—allow for easier scaling without the traditional restaurant headaches of staff and service management (04:00).

  "If you get a donut right, you don't need ketchup, hot sauce, mayonnaise, mustard. You're not looking for a refill. You're not looking for a waiter ... It remind me of the game. It's straight product driven."
  — Donut Shop Owner [04:25]

2. Transitioning Markets: From Baltimore to New York

• Business Mindset: The move was described as pure "hustling," leveraging both grit and strategic community building (05:28).

• Community Engagement: The guest highlighted how crucial his partner Zoditu was in connecting to the new city and customers, using unconventional outreach methods learned from street hustling days (e.g., giving out free product samples or "dropping teas," akin to handing out testers in the drug trade) (05:41).

  "My tease was complimentary donuts. It was like, yo, I believe in my product. It's phenomenal. Let's just give it away. And that created word of mouth."
  — Donut Shop Owner [06:18]

• Role of Partnership: Recognition of the importance of partnership in laying the groundwork in a new community—ensuring not just product quality but also authentic local impact.

3. Strategic Location: Soho and Cultural Positioning

• Challenging Stereotypes: The guest intentionally rejected assumptions that as a Black entrepreneur, he should open his business in traditionally Black neighborhoods, instead choosing affluent areas like Soho (07:12).

• Vision for Representation: Citing personal experience of success and belonging, he voiced the need for Black-owned businesses to be in spaces where Black presence is not the norm, making a statement about ownership and representation (07:23).

  "I always lived in these particular spaces and I felt like, yo, where's the space for us?... I was like, yo, I'm gonna put the donut shops in areas that I would specifically live in... for black people to get seen in a different light and to be global phenomenons, you needed global retail positioning."
  — Donut Shop Owner [07:23]

• Learning from Other Brands: He referenced brands like Kith, ALD, and Supreme as models for strategic retail placements to build a global presence.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Entrepreneurship and Growth:

  "When you go fast, you grow fast. You know what I'm saying? So nothing really educates you more than just living real life and doing it at a fast pace."
  — Donut Shop Owner [03:03]

• On Navigating Legitimacy & Ambition:

  "Once you over the excitement of being legal, you gotta deal with the excitement of ambition and wanting to get some money."
  — Donut Shop Owner [03:46]

• On Location and Representation:

  "It's not intentionally trying to lean into white folks, but it's just really just following my own path of where I would live ... the only way I'm gonna become successful is to position myself next to the other people. So I was never comfortable being like the biggest lion on my block. I wanna get in the den with the other lions and show you what I got."
  — Donut Shop Owner [07:23]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:11] – Recap of previous Homemade restaurant episode and impact of transparency
• [03:03] – Transition from restaurant to donut focus; why simplicity and product matter
• [05:28] – Business challenges in new city; importance of partnerships and local connections
• [06:18] – Outreach strategy: using free samples and street-savvy marketing
• [07:12] – Deciding on Soho; discussion on representation, ownership, and global brand vision

Tone & Language

The episode is candid and raw, with the guest drawing real-life parallels from hustling to entrepreneurship. He speaks with authenticity about both the struggles and strategic thinking involved in building his business, often using vivid metaphors and firsthand language ("trap house," "dropping teas") to make his points resonate.

Summary

Listeners are treated to a compelling narrative of transformation and ambition, learning not only how Cloudy Donuts rose to prominence but also why intentionality, community partnership, and boldness in business location matter. The conversation is honest and practical, making it both inspiring and actionable for any entrepreneur—especially those navigating new markets or redefining what business success can look like for underrepresented founders.