Dagne Dover founders Melissa Mash and Deepa Gandhi: ‘When you make great product, word of mouth happens’
The Glossy Podcast · with Melissa Mash and Deepa Gandhi · March 23, 2022 · 48 min
Summary
The Dagne Dover founders share their journey of building a successful accessories brand by prioritizing strong product-market fit, meticulous team selection with diverse skills, and strategic omnichannel expansion. Learn how to maintain independence and drive word-of-mouth growth by focusing on core product excellence and a flexible retail strategy that blends DTC efficiency with traditional retail presence.
Key takeaways
Prioritize product-market fit and a well-rounded founding team to build a strong foundation before seeking external investment. The Dagne Dover founders ensured financial, operational, and design skills were represented to move quickly and delay fundraising.
Strategically expand sales channels beyond DTC by integrating with select retailers and opening physical stores. Dagne Dover's success with Nordstrom and their NYC store demonstrates the value of an omnichannel approach.
Focus on creating exceptional products that naturally generate word-of-mouth marketing and customer advocacy, leveraging product-led growth to build a loyal customer base.
Cultivate a unique company culture that reflects the founders' values and differentiates the brand, especially in male-dominated industries.
Embrace 'traditional retail with tech efficiencies' to scale. Dagne Dover combined direct-to-consumer agility with the reach and experience of brick-and-mortar retail.
Nine years ago, when CEO Melissa Mash and COO Deepa Gandhi set out to launch their accessories brand, Dagne Dover, they made sure to do things their way. That included being thoughtful about the makeup of their founding team, which also includes chief creative officer Jessy Dover, and getting the brand off the ground before bringing in outside investors.
“We didn't see ourselves reflected in management. [Retail] was and continues to be a very male-dominated industry, despite who they're selling to and who the products are made for and who actually works at these companies,” Mash said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “So we wanted to create a place that felt like it was made for us and was run with a different type of energy than we've seen in our previous experiences working in retail.”
She added, “It was also really important that we had [financial, operational and design] skills represented on the founding team, so that we could move quickly and move longer without having to raise money immediately. We [could instead spend time] testing it out and making sure we did have product-market fit.”
That independence from industry norms has stayed with Dagne Dover since its launch. For example, though the brand is digitally native, the founders haven’t hesitated to strategically expand its sales channels to select retailers, including Nordstrom. They opened the first permanent Dagne Dover store, in NYC, in 2020.
“In many ways, we often run more like a traditional retail brand, but with the efficiencies of tech and of the modern times,” Mash said.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Prioritize product-market fit and a well-rounded founding team to build a strong foundation before seeking external investment. The Dagne Dover founders ensured financial, operational, and design skills were represented to move quickly and delay fundraising.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Strategically expand sales channels beyond DTC by integrating with select retailers and opening physical stores. Dagne Dover's success with Nordstrom and their NYC store demonstrates the value of an omnichannel approach.
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Focus on creating exceptional products that naturally generate word-of-mouth marketing and customer advocacy, leveraging product-led growth to build a loyal customer base.
What does this episode say about product & merchandising?
Cultivate a unique company culture that reflects the founders' values and differentiates the brand, especially in male-dominated industries.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Embrace 'traditional retail with tech efficiencies' to scale. Dagne Dover combined direct-to-consumer agility with the reach and experience of brick-and-mortar retail.
