When Rita Kim’s Melbourne store opening fell through at the last minute, she didn’t panic – at least not for long. After a moment, she pulled out her phone and started messaging every restaurant and coffee shop she could find that only operated at night. Within 72 hours, her team was selling donuts from a bubble tea shop that sat empty during the day.This kind of quick thinking has become Rita’s trademark as she builds her Mochi Donuts business across Australia. While many business owners might have delayed opening or given up entirely when facing major setbacks, Rita’s approach is refreshingly different.
Validating Markets Beyond Assumptions
When Rita expanded her Mochi Donuts brand from Sydney to Melbourne, she assumed that the two cities’ similarities would guarantee smooth scaling. “Sydney’s Westfield shopping centers welcomed us—five stores opened seamlessly. But Melbourne’s Westfield team left us stranded days before launch,” she recalls. Despite paying rent and training staff, the location wasn’t ready: no plumbing, no electricity and no clear timeline.
Instead of delaying operations, Rita turned to Facebook’s marketplace and cold-messaging businesses with unused daytime spaces. “I found a bubble tea shop that only opened at night. We struck a deal in 72 hours: we’d sell donuts by day, they’d take over by evening,” she says. Though some days operated at a loss, the pivot kept her team active. Her advice? “Never assume ‘similar’ markets behave the same. Validate everything—and always have a Plan B.” This experience reshaped her approach to scaling. “Now, I ask: What if suppliers cut us off? What if geopolitical issues disrupt shipping?” It’s being able to anticipate what could go wrong and having a solution already in place.
Prioritizing Problem-Solving Over Perfection
For Rita, entrepreneurship is less about flawless execution and more about creative problem-solving. “Running a business is 90% fixing fires,” she says. When the Melbourne crisis hit, she embraced the chaos: “I told myself, there has to be a way. Panic first, but then pivot.” Her team never knew how close they came to collapse. “We moved locations overnight. Staff showed up to a bubble tea shop instead of a mall—no idea we’d been ghosted by Westfield,” she says. The takeaway? “Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Launch, iterate, and solve problems as they arise.”
This mindset extends to her long-term vision. “I don’t want to be ‘the donut lady’ forever. I’m building an empire—multiple brands, each solving unique problems.” After meeting legacy founders in LA, like UGG’s Brian Smith, she doubled down on scalability: “They exited their businesses but left a lasting impact. That’s my goal: build systems others can run better than me.”
Designing Ventures with an Exit in Mind
Rita’s ventures are built to outlast her direct involvement. “I love creating brands, but I’m not wedded to them,” she admits. During a conference, she connected with heirs of iconic companies like Ferrari, who no longer owned stakes but retained pride in their legacies. “They reminded me: businesses thrive when you design them for transfer, not control.” She applies this philosophy to Mochi Donuts. “I’ll exit when someone else can scale it globally. Franchising? International markets? Let experts take the wheel,” she says. “Fall in love with building, not owning. Your legacy isn’t a title—it’s the problems you solve.”
For those looking to build multiple businesses, Rita’s approach offers a practical roadmap: stay flexible, always have a backup plan, and remember that today’s crisis might be tomorrow’s opportunity. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to send that Facebook message – you never know where it might lead.
Connect with Rita Kim by visiting her website to learn how she turns challenges into scalable ventures.
