Success Story: DP Dough rises with SBDC help

An entrepreneurship major at Illinois State University, Ryan Fiala completed his MBA degree knowing that he wanted to open his own business. The DP Dough owner was familiar with the Illinois Small Business Development Center at ISU since his days as a student. In fact, he worked in the SBDC office when it first opened at Illinois State University in 2005. So it was natural for Fiala to turn to the Illinois SBDC at Illinois State for support while he prepared to open his business in Uptown Normal.

“Ryan had restaurant management experience when he came to see us in August 2007, but DP Dough, with its emphasis on fast delivery, had a different market focus,” explained Illinois SBDC Director Elizabeth Binning.

The Illinois SBDC at Illinois State University focused on helping Fiala obtain market research on a key demographic – college students seeking late night delivery. Over three hundred surveys were distributed, collected, and analyzed in order to learn about customer expectations for late night delivery. After developing an external industry analysis and SWOT analysis, several recommendations were presented to Fiala.

Today Fiala is looking to expand DP Dough.

And the staff at the Illinois SBDC at Illinois State University couldn’t be prouder. “This is one of the best parts of being located in the College of Business at Illinois State University,” said Binning. “We have a unique opportunity to watch our students translate their education into achievements in the small business community. We couldn’t be prouder.”