Meet vandor hill

We were lucky to catch up with Vandor Hill recently and have shared our conversation below.

Vandor, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Through dance, specifically breakdancing in High School. The beginning was hard, since I had so many people at practice sessions tell me that I had no talent. It wasn’t until my mid to late twenties that I changed my mental and started taking my craft more seriously and block out the noise of ridicule that I began to win competitions and eventually gain world wide status as an elite dancer. Since starting my small business I try to keep that same confidence and self-esteem gained from years of competitive dance to get me through work weeks.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I was born and raised in San Francisco ( a unicorn is what someone called me a few years ago) and have spent the majority of my life here in the Bay Area just trying to survive. Last year I qualified for two city funded programs: SF Vacant to Vibrant ,a pilot program that helped small businesses get temporary retail spaces downtown and En2action’s Ujamaa Kitchen six month cohort program of which I recently graduated this past December. I’m the owner of Whackdonuts! ,vegan donuts that are baked not fried ,that I started initially out of my apartment a few years ago where I did various pop-ups all over the bay area and since that time now have a shop located at 4 Embarcedro center across from the Ferry Building thats open Tuesday through Saturday. Besides serving customers ,I feel most excited experimenting with new flavors for my donuts with a vegan spin whenever I’m the kitchen. Sometimes it’s a random thought at 2am ( since I don’t sleep lol) or a suggestion from a customer that will spark a new idea, Going into 2024 I’m looking forward to dropping my Whackdonuts merchandise ( which includes t-shirts, hats, hoodies and scented donut candles) getting additional help with donut production, front of house, and upcoming grant opportunities to support the shop. Bigger goals as part of my 5 year plan is to open another shop in the east bay, have my summer High School intern program up and running, a kiosk at SFO, and eventually franchise Whackdonuts to foster my city works foundation that teaches youth how to start their own business. Baking through the night to the next morning is not easy, yet I still enjoy what I do and seeing folks reactions as they bite into my donut makes is all the gratification I need to keep going as I’ve endured a-lot and this is only the beginning of my story.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Having patience , discipline , and asking for help were the three things that have impacted me the most on this journey ( as Im still learning ). My advice to folks is to learn how to block out the noise from folks that haven’t even tried, and this can be family or friends you hold dear. Nobody will see your vision better than you and you have to stay the course no matter what happens. Be open as the people you least suspect will come out and support you in ways you would never imagine. If you don’t have that type of support system then you have to become your biggest fan and believe in yourself.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My old boss Gabrielle who I met and worked for back in 2015 as her assistant taught me the ins and outs of running an office. She was tough but saw potential in me that I wasn’t fully aware of yet, and based on her mentorship I’ve carried with me those lessons to this day. She is the main reason my donut shop looks the way it does and she is now my business consultant whom I seek council with in matters regarding my business moving forward. Her wealth of knowledge is truly second to none and she has me set on a track to be successful not only with the business but life as well. I honestly can’t thank her enough for everything she has done for me.

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