“We needed to make sure we had product market fit from day one,” says Melissa Mash, Co-Founder with Jessy Dover and Deepa Gandhi of Dagne Dover, the third fastest growing handbag company at Nordstrom. They saw a need in the market for a durable, all-purpose handbag that could adapt to all areas of life. From the beginning, research–through focus groups, surveys and observing the world around them—was key in getting the product just right, before finally launching in 2013. Social media was starting to gain momentum, and the brand benefited from the word-of-mouth element of the platform at a time when it was much less crowded. The trio shares the mistake they made early on that forever changed the way they approach the business, as well as their efforts to incorporate sustainability into the bags’ design and production. 

Key takeaways from today’s episode include:

• Research is key
• Test the product to make sure you have the concept down before you scale
• Leverage word of mouth and build community

Quotes

• “You get attached to everything that you make cuz you've worked so hard on it. Sometimes people won't like it because it's not a good solution and you have to be willing to drop it, let it go,and just navigate towards the things that are working and solving people's problems. (9:50-10:07 | Jessy) 

• “In terms of hurdles, I think the first would be product, and then second would be marketing and growth.” (28:16-28:21 | Deepa)

Connect with Melissa Mash, Deepa Gandhi and Jessy Dover:

Website | http://www.dagnedover.com

Dagne Dover Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/dagnedover

Jessy Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/jessydover

Melissa Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/melissashinmash

Deepa Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/deepagandhi

Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Dear FoundHer on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

You can now work with Lindsay 1:1 to build and monetize your community through the same method she used to grow and scale her business. Fill out the form here and set up a FREE 30-minute consultation.

Make sure you sign up for Lindsay's newsletter and have all of the takeaways from every podcast episode sent straight to your inbox. PLUS, you'll get a tip every week to help you grow and scale your own business.

Don't forget to follow Lindsay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaypinchuk

Use code FoundHer for 50% off your first month with both HiveCast and Fireside

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.