Vicky Pasche : Co-Founder & CEO of Dapper Boi

Kara Goldin 0:00
I am unwilling to give up that I will start over from scratch as many times as it takes to get where I want to be I want to be, you just want to make sure you will get knocked down but just make sure you don’t get knocked down knocked out. So your only choice should be go focus on what you can control control control. Hi, everyone and welcome to the Kara Goldin show. Join me each week for inspiring conversations with some of the world’s greatest leaders. We’ll talk with founders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and really some of the most interesting people of our time. Can’t wait to get started. Let’s go. Let’s go. Hi, everyone. And welcome back to the Kara Goldin show. So excited to have our next guest. Here we have Vicky Pasche, who is the co founder and CEO of Dapper Boi. And if you have not heard about Dapper Boi, you have been living under a rock because it is the coolest, coolest, most forward looking apparel brand that I have seen in quite a long time, you definitely have to check it out. What started as a search to find the right clothing that would fit her body and personality quickly grew into a startup that she would start with her co founder and wife Sharise. And today Dapper Boi is a thriving business that continues to bring joy and confidence to all kinds of people. And I can’t wait to hear more about the founding story, all the lessons learned the journey and scaling the company, how they’ve managed to skyrocket to the I have to double check this top point 5% of Shopify that’s amazing of Shopify stores, and what it’s like to build a company whose mission is to ensure everyone has access to affordable, stylish clothes that fit both their body and more importantly, their personality. Plus their experience on that little show Shark Tank. We’ve had a few of the incredible entrepreneurs on our program that have been a part of this. So I can’t wait to hear more about that from Vicki. So welcome, Vicki.

Vicky Pasche 2:12
Thank you so much. What a fun intro. Thank you, Kara. I am so excited to be here. Absolutely.

Kara Goldin 2:17
Well, I take pride in my intros. So it’s, it’s, it’s really it’s probably the most fun part about Besides meeting, the actual guest is actually doing a lot of the work on the research and digging up all kinds of good stuff along the way that that you know, everything from what they were doing beforehand to sort of lots of good things that are going on for them now. So it’s, it’s really fun. It’s sort of like reading a book every night when I’m starting to work on it. So it’s it’s a lot of fun. But so, so great to have you on the show. Before we get into hearing about Dapper Boi, I’d love to hear about your journey previously, like what were you doing before you decided to where you had this big idea that you’re gonna go and and just start overnight, right? You were just gonna snap your fingers and it was going to be an instant success. But I’d love to know what you were doing beforehand. Yeah, sure.

Vicky Pasche 3:17
So I’d say as a kid, even I was always making these crazy videos and had crazy ideas and always advertising some products that I had created. You know, and so I’ve always had that kind of like in me. But right before Dapper Bois started, I was in marketing casino marketing specifically. So in the casino biz, I first started you know, the players club, and I would you know, sign people up for that club card, you know, the reward the loyalty program. And then from there, I started just writing casino promotions myself and I went right to the VP of Marketing presented this, you know, my ideas and then soon I was just promoted, you know, up through management, you know, ended up at a different casino heading up an entire marketing department. So in that time, you know, I was developing my competence you know, as a leader honestly, but then also you know, professionally dressing I had to wear that had to but professional suits, you know, I was wearing daily at that point in time too. And there was a lot of men’s suits that were quite ill fitting so that’s kind of where you know the the concept of Dapper Boi kind of starting during that timeframe. So

Kara Goldin 4:27
that would be a a perfect opportunity to talk about what is Dapper Boi and and kind of what problem did you see that you felt like you could solve? Yeah,

Vicky Pasche 4:40
so Dapper Boi is a gender and body inclusive apparel line. And our real mission here is to inspire people to find their own competence and authenticity through clothing. And so yeah, it just translates during that time in my life. When I was in management and growing in my professional role I was also, you know, to chop my hair came out of the closet, you know, and, and just embracing this world as my authentic self. And so yeah, it was, you know, my first time shopping in the men’s department was a scary one, you know, it was, what were people going to think, you know, it was socially uncomfortable, which changing room would I go into, you know, I’m in a totally different section of the store, you know, with the clothes fit me. And beyond the fit, it was just like a brand new page turned for me and confidence because it was exactly who I was, you know, trying on men’s jeans was the very first product I actually tried on and wearing a, you know, a men’s button up shirt. And although back then I wish I had a picture of that very first experience. The clothes are super ill fitting, but it was like, brand new me has entered, you know, entered the picture here, this next chapter of life. And I was like on fire. And, you know, throughout the years that, you know, after that that was like 2010 Actually, it was like 2013, when I really started questioning this whole binary shopping experience, like you walked into a department store, and you literally have two options, the men’s section or women’s section, they’re really embedded with the societal rules and norms based on your gender. And it’s just kind of like, messed up on this because there’s so many of us that just don’t fit this binary equation that we’ve created. And so, yeah, so going back to in casinos where I was wearing suits, Dapper Boi, actually, the original logo had a bow tie in it. And it was because I was going to start a suit line. But during that time, when we were about to launch on Kickstarter, there were some other brands with similar ideas, other suit companies. And so we kind of like backtracking or like, Wait, we don’t want to really compete with that right now. And I didn’t know enough about it. But what I did love, you know, outside of my work was everyday wear, it was jeans, jeans was the first thing I tried on jeans is something that everybody wears every day. And I knew there was huge market potential there, especially with like, friends and people in the community, I was dealing with the same exact problem.

Kara Goldin 7:09
So you started the company with your wife sharees. And did she have experience in physical goods and apparel? Or? Or how did you guys decide to work together?

Vicky Pasche 7:23
Yeah, it well actually, the way we met was business first, she was had an idea to start this other company called Hey, girl, hey, during that time, there was looking for somebody in marketing. And so her girlfriend, which was my friend at the time, crazy stuff, crazy. She introduced me to her and was like, hey, you know, she needs somebody with marketing experience. And we were just business only, like, we were just getting to the point. So we our real whole relationship was based on that beginning. And she’s no, she did not have any experience with any kind of consumer product goods, branding, anything like that. But she was like a fashionista. She you know, she laughs You know, she, because she says this is Vicki 3.0 Now, because when she got me, you know, back in the day, I was not that it was because of like, the men’s clothing was so ill fitting, and what was crazy was like, she would always come home with like, hey, you know, I want you to try this shirt or this and you would come home with all these different things thinking that she could solve my problem. And she realized at that point, too, that this was way bigger than that, you know, it really was due to fit, you know, and all that. So we were both on board in the very beginning. And we decided actually 2014 on our honeymoon, that we were going to really do this thing and see this thing through it, which is wild to take that risk in the beginning of you know, our newlywed phase. Yeah,

Kara Goldin 8:49
definitely. And you mentioned Kickstarter. So I’d love to hear about how you were thinking about that in the beginning. We’ll get into sort of how you funded the company after that. But I’d love to hear about the experience with Kickstarter, because so many people might have an idea, but they’re like, I have no idea how to raise money and Kickstarter, and some other platforms have just been, I think really eye opening for so many people to learn about.

Vicky Pasche 9:16
Definitely, and especially with no capital. You know, at that point in time, that was the way to go. And we were able to get really crafty with some marketing efforts and very relatable content, you know, showcasing the problems with jeans, you know, like, really seeing that there’s a bit of a big difference between men’s and women’s jeans when it comes to fit and even function. Like it shouldn’t be revolutionary that you know, our jeans have deep pockets to women. You know, like how deep Kara today like all your pockets and whatever pants that you’re wearing right now. Just ask me real quick.

Kara Goldin 9:51
No, it’s It’s great. Well, I’m actually I’m wearing it. So it’s very interesting that you say that I wear these Lululemon. pants that have a side pocket that is very long so that I can put a lot in there because I’ve just gotten. So I lose so many things out of normal pockets that are in pants. So they satisfy one that I love. But it’s I haven’t tried your pants. Yeah, but I will definitely try. And because the I totally agree with you. That’s such a key thing.

Vicky Pasche 10:24
Definitely. Yeah. So when we launched on Kickstarter, again, we were just looking to get our first production. And I’m going to just backtrack a little bit further and going through the manufacturing process without having any kind of fashion background whatsoever, was also an interesting one. So we you know, first simple Google searches is not really how you do it in the in the clothing space, you got to really know people, but I was doing that. So we are picking up the phone getting hang up so many times, we were like, do you even know what you’re talking about, until finally one manufacturer got back to me and said, I really think you’re onto something here. I’d like to hook you up with our pattern maker and go through the process to get this first pair of jeans made. So we did that the first first pair of jeans, which now nowadays, you know, not even nowadays. Now knowing what that took, I mean, samples for me these days, take maybe two weeks, it took us six months, because they were that different. We were taking notes on our favorite women’s and men’s jeans and really crafting this like, hybrid pair. And we went through so many renditions of this one pair until it was like the perfect pair to launch on Kickstarter. So we did that it was a 30 day campaign. You know, our goal was 18,000, we hit 26,000. And we were so stoked. We were like, okay, yes, we’re on our way, you know, we had, you know, so many backers our campaign at that point, too. And it was just validation that like this idea could be something. And that’s, you know, like the original Kickstarter story.

Kara Goldin 11:54
So how much did you actually raise on Kickstarter?

Vicky Pasche 11:57
It was 26,000 of the 18,000. We’re trying so it was just enough for the first production amazing. Yeah. But you know, it’s kind of funny, because soon after that, you know, once a production came in, we sold out quickly. And then we were left kind of with nothing. And we were like, well, what do we do now. So really, that kind of translated into our own business and our own website, we kind of took that whole Kickstarter model that whole like FOMO thing with launching limited release productions, because we still had to figure out how to get capital, you know, we were going to banks at that point, we were just too early to get approved for anything. No nowhere was given us capital, for sure. And so we had to get crafty. And so what we did was we ended up taking that pre order model to our own website. At the same time, when we were launching our jeans, we were working on our button ups. And those are different because they’re not, you know, form fitting, we added hidden snaps behind the button placket to prevent chest gap, like those things were just so marketable, as well. And so we had launched our first button that that was the first thing we launched on our site. And so what we were doing for years, even through like recently, is we were launching these products that we call intro pricing. So like really getting, you know, feeling that sense of urgency within our customers, having them come back to our site for every single product that we were building to build this real everyday line. And so people you know, the downside of that, of course, is like, you know, people had to wait for product or an Amazon Prime kind of world where they’re waiting for it to come, you know, do three days. And for us, it was taking, you know, six to eight, six to 12 weeks at that time, of course before COVID. But, but people were coming back, I mean, our repeat customer rate is 51% with over 35,000 customers. That’s

Kara Goldin 13:42
amazing. I was reading about that. That’s incredible. So and you’re in the point 5% of top Shopify merchants to congratulations. That is thank you massive. Yes. Really cool. So I love it. So I told a friend that I was interviewing the co founder of Dapper Boi, and she was super, super excited. How have you generated so much awareness about the brand?

Vicky Pasche 14:10
I think it comes down to relatability. And just, you know, really community driven brand. We have a very loyal following of customers. But I would say it started with our videos. We’re not like trying to push any kind of political agenda. It’s really just us. It’s me and my friends, honestly, you know, having fun and being confident in our clothing. And it was just such shareable content. You know, we were doing at the time when we launched like 90s r&b videos, like we literally were like, writing songs and like dancing in our clothes. And people were just like, these guys are crazy. But I like it. And they were just sharing our content like crazy. But I think it’s also just pointing out the problem. Like right away in our videos we would the first thing is like, Hey, do you ever have this problem? Like, what about this? And it’s just like instant like, okay, yeah, I want to keep watching more, and then people would give us a shot, and then continue buying because the fit was that great.

Kara Goldin 15:09
So you co run the company with Clarice. How do you guys divide things up in terms of like, who’s doing what?

Vicky Pasche 15:16
Well, it was, from the very beginning, you know, we had, you know, I was working full time in the casinos. And then I went off on my own as a consultant. And then from there, you know, this idea came to be and Sharif was working full time in sales, and killing it. And so we had to make a decision here, you know, who’s going to run this. And it obviously made more sense for me at that time. So she was working full time, I had, you know, done with consulting and moved on, you know, doing this brand full time. We had moved from this four bedroom apartment, townhouse to a one bedroom, 630 square foot shack, just to make this dream a reality. She was working full time supporting us, I was getting any kind of part time work like Uber Postmates, things like that, to kind of keep things running. So for a while it was, but she was still running in the background events, anything like that nights and weekends, she was part of every, every everything. We had twins in 2018, when they’re five years old now, which is wild. So she was a stay at home mom, also working nights writing emails, things like that at nighttime, until finally 2019 When they were able to go to preschool. That’s when Therese came on full time. And so she had to pick up real quick, everything else I was doing. So she’s completely taken over, you know, all marketing efforts. She still to this day, we’re still so small, writes all of our emails, she does all of our content, social media, she heads up our operations. Small team helps in productions. I mean, every aspect of the business, we were all hats, but I’ve really focused on now more. So fundraising, that is a full time job also in itself. So that’s kind of divided.

Kara Goldin 17:03
So you’ve been self funded outside of the Kickstarter campaign up until recently, you just mentioned that you got mentioned to me before we hit record that you got one investor on about a year ago, I guess.

Vicky Pasche 17:20
Yeah. And actually, before that, we did run an equity crowdfunding campaign through start engine that was in 2019 to 2020. We have over 500 investors that were on that raise 284,000. And majority of those investors are our customers. So we did have that. We also have a couple we still were raising on a safe note and still are currently. But yeah, we right before Shark Tank, I was connected to this woman and Kellyanne widget from alternative wealth partners. And the craziest thing was she had followed our journey since Kickstarter. You didn’t know we were fundraising. We are connected through a mutual connection, Katherine Gray, who is like the ultimate connector of all people seems like, and we had a conversation on the phone, and it was the easiest conversation didn’t feel like a pitch in any way. She says, Yeah, I believe in you. I’ve been following you forever. Like this is a no brainer. And so yeah, she was our real lead anchor investor on our safe note. And we do have a couple of other customers on our safe note as well. Just wild.

Kara Goldin 18:25
I love that. So Shark Tank, you mentioned that. So tell us about the Shark Tank experience.

Vicky Pasche 18:33
Oh, wow. What a wild one, for sure to get to get on Shark Tank. I think there’s like, I read somewhere. I think there’s like 50,000 applicants a year. And you know, I had applied in our very beginning days, but it was just too early, you know, at that point. And then, but the process was a long one for sure. But to get selected and actually film and air. The odds, you know of that happening. So we were just like so excited. And yes, it was scary. The hallway that you see on the Shark Tank show is exactly that, but it’s longer. You’re like this long hallway leading up to these, you know, celebrity sharks. And you know, we’ve been practicing our pitch over and over and over again and you know, trying to anticipate any questions, and they were very nice. They were intimidating for sure. And, you know, we didn’t end up getting a shark. But the mainstream exposure for a brand like ours, like from the queer community is humongous, humongous. It’s Pivotal, pivotal for a brand adds more validation, all the things. So yes, amazing experience. We didn’t get a sharp bump out that but hey, we’re gonna I don’t stop. So like we’re definitely going to go back around. I’m going to talk to you start to get at some point. Well,

Kara Goldin 19:52
it’s so interesting. I’ve talked to a number of entrepreneurs who actually were pretty sure that they were We’re not going to take a shark deal. And, and or at least that’s what they’ve said. And they said, like, they were really doing it to gain awareness, which I think is really fascinating. I mean, if I was the shark, take producers i, and I’m sure they’re, they’re on to this that so many people just know that, you know, they get, I mean, they’re getting millions of eyeballs watching. Yes. So it’s, it’s fascinating. So and then we’ve talked to other people who have said, you know that they really wanted to do something and, you know, for whatever reason, they just didn’t have the have the plan that that the sharks wanted to invest in, what do you think was kind of the key thing that if you had it to do all over again, you would, would you wait? I, we, we talked to one person who actually said, they weren’t big enough. And, you know, they just didn’t end they weren’t profitable. And like, sort of knowing what they know, today, they were like, they, they would have waited. And, and we also had Dragon’s Den, which is the Canadian version of Shark Tank, we had one of the judges, actually, he has a business on the side, too, who was on and that’s kind of what she had said, as well, but I’m so curious what your opinion is on that? Yeah,

Vicky Pasche 21:20
you know, I, I believe everything happens for a reason, truly. And I think at that time in our, in our lives and our growth, like, yes, if I were to do it again, I probably would be, I don’t know, even more honest or not, not honest. But I think we were so focused on the production value or drama, you know, like that we were, I don’t know how to explain it. But I think there was just so much more than I would have said during that time. You know, like, I think at that time in my life too, as like just being a new fundraiser honestly, and like pitching to people like what I know now, and the comfort level that I have now and the confidence that I have now and like, knowing that I belong in the room, that is the mind shift, that would have been different, you know, if I could do it all over again, and maybe it would be a different result. However, I do think it was such a pivotal thing for for both Teresa and I that, you know, pitching to these celebrities. And I think that I’m excited because I believe more than ever, that Dapper Boi is just going to scale and grow to this giant, mainstream brand. And I can’t wait just like the folks are ringing to go back to shark tank and then being like, here’s an update. And

Kara Goldin 22:38
I, I love that. Yeah, I’ve frequently said that. It’s it’s the best feeling when investors who have turned you down, you run into them years later. And, you know, it’s even better when they admit to their own audience that they missed this one, right, that this one that they should have got that they should have been involved in. So I I love those conversations. So it’s, it’s, i i Welcome. Anytime that I’ve been able to have those conversations, to hear sort of their thinking on things. So it’s, it’s great, I was just listening actually to something on on social where they had the founder, Brian Chesky, from Airbnb talk about that a bit that how many people passed on that over the years, this is never gonna happen, who would stay in someone’s house, you know, just crazy. So people just, you know, are always really adamant about this isn’t going to work. And at the end of the day, they have no idea whether or not it’s gonna work or not. So I frequently say that to new entrepreneurs, and especially new ones who are raising money and who are frustrated by by all of the people saying that they’re not going to make it because no one really knows. And they can give an opinion. But that’s but that’s it. So I’m so curious. So can you share what it has been like starting a company that is founded by two openly gay people? How have you shared a louder voice to any policies and initiatives that have been passed around anti trans anti LGBT Q plus any stories that you can share where? I mean, do you feel that you have to say something, right? It’s, uh, it’s, you know, it’s, it’s interesting, because I’ve felt at times that, that if there’s a women’s issue and you’re not seeing something, then you’ve got a, you know, you have a responsibility, on the other hand, like, maybe you just don’t have anything to say about it, right? Because you don’t have enough information or whatever it is. I think it’s it’s always the kind of, you know, it tough, it’s a tough decision. And I can only imagine that there’s been so much going on around these policies. And I think it’s, it’s sort of this kind of stressful place where I would guess you understand both sides, but I’m, I’m gonna be quiet now and sort of hear what you have to say about it? Well,

Vicky Pasche 25:22
I completely relate to what you’re saying is like, you feel this weight, for sure. And it’s your responsibility. And we’ve gone back and forth with that, you know, as, as being, you know, a queer own brand. You know, where’s our voice in this? Or do we use that for that, you know, and so, I think that we’ve always come down to, you know, supporting different projects, different companies and projects and supporting one another, like other queer brands. And that’s kind of how we do it, instead of getting too political. Because you just never know where it sits with folks, we really, really focus on just relatability, like with trans, that we have trans models, you know, we donate to the Trevor Project, we, you know, talked about that on our page, or promoted on our page, and more, so not talk about it. But when it comes down to it, it really comes down to representation within our own brand, like having people see themselves in. I mean, I can’t tell you the amount of customers or people that have reached out to us and say, I see myself in your brand, I feel so much confident, I feel like I belong now I got the job that I never thought I could get, you know, because I feel a new competence, like they see themselves in our models. And I think that’s the best way we can do that as representation. And I also think it helps on the other side to showing mainstream folks, you know, that trans people or anybody, you know, can be them. competence can be their competence selves, when they’re authentic and clothing, and that they can fit along beside one another as well. So I think honestly, like, that’s, that’s the where we come into play is just representation and showing that all the time.

Kara Goldin 27:05
I love that. No, that’s terrific. So knowing what you know, today about being an entrepreneur, and a fashion entrepreneur, as well, what are the most important characteristics that you think are really needed? Maybe skills, maybe personality? I don’t know what how you define that. But it’s a I feel like, you know, I look back on on my own journey. And I would say in the beginning, it was like, anyone who would actually have faith in me, and come and work for me when it was just an idea, right? Like, I had no idea what I was doing. And I mean, as long as they have a heartbeat. Right? Come, you know, like, yeah, get cases into stores, and that, and that’ll be good enough. And but I’m so curious, like, what would you say to that knowing what you know, today?

Vicky Pasche 28:01
Yeah, I’d say, you know, you’re in it for the long haul. Remember that it’s, it’s a marathon, for sure. And you got to have grit through it. And you got to know, there’s going to be some huge ups and huge downs. And it’s like the in those downs is where you learn how to pivot and really become a leader in those moments. I mean, you just recently and we were just like on this upward projection. You know, with sales, like hitting over a million dollars a year in sales with a small team. I think it’s the stat is there’s Amex study that 1.7% of women, all women owned businesses generate a million dollars in sales a year, like we defied all odds, but still, even with hitting that number. You know, we were we had to sell our home, you know, and it wasn’t a had to it wasn’t had to for us, because again, we kept our why at the top of this like equation, you know, we did a really cool exercise. And it was devastating. Actually, it was our small team sitting together. And of course, we were like, Okay, guys, you know, what’s our, our 10 year goals? Five year, three year, one year, six months, three months, and we built it all out, and it’s all roses, right? It sounds great. Like, this is what we’re gonna do. But then the last question was, what would we do? If? How would that picture look, if Diaper Boy did not exist in 10 years, and we were all just like, brushed, you know, like, all the customer stories that we’ve heard, you know, and the impact that we’re making on people’s lives. You know, that’s what’s at stake here. So when we talk about selling our home, you know, Dr. Boy is our third child, really, you know, we get 25 year olds but Dapper Boi is right there. We’re feeding this little beast. Yeah, and making a big change in difference in people’s lives. You know, the biggest one this is a story that we have to tell we tell often because it’s that impactful. A mother had reached out to us years ago, and said that their 14 year old A child was suicidal and depressed, because they didn’t feel like they fit in, until they saw one of our crazy ads of us didn’t dance around our clothes in our most confident self, and they started smiling again, you know, and felt like they’d be long. And that feeling of belonging is huge. So it’s like that confidence in yourself, even with a simple like clothing, outfit change to represent who you truly are, really, I believe it can move mountains. And if we’re all you know, our most confident, authentic selves, like how much more of a productive society can we be? So you know, it’s sometimes it’s hard as an entrepreneur, it’s hard as a person in this world. But it’s just like really putting it all aside all the noise and all the people and like stepping into your true self and owning it. And like going out there and getting after whatever it is that you believe in, and surrounding yourself in those people that believe in you, too. Yeah,

Kara Goldin 30:57
definitely. Well, and I think that that’s the key thing to that you’ve got to have people on your team who really do believe in it and believe that they’re making they’re contributing to make a difference, because especially in those early years, yeah, it’s hard. It’s like all hands on deck. You know, you’ve I mean, you’re coming up on holidays, I can only imagine, you know how you think about that, you know, it really is just you’ve got to get this stuff shipped out. And there’s always, you know, as somebody described to me early on, when we were first jumping into this journey, they had been an entrepreneur for many, many years. And he told me, Sky, Josh Dorf, and he told me that it’s pick and shovel work, and I’m like writing pick and shovel down, I’m like, wait, what, what’s pick and shovel work, and he said, you know, you’re gonna, you’re gonna be like, one day, you’re going to, everything’s gonna be going great. And then the next day, it’s not. And then you got to go back to the stuff that was going great, because it’s about to get really screwed up. And because you were focusing on that little problem over there, that and, you know, business will go away. You know, it’ll come back, it’ll, you know, and that is so, so true that you just have to keep, you know, it is pick and shovel work, you just have to keep working away at it and working away at multiple with multiple picks. And I think it’s a it’s a great visual that I’ve always thought about, but I, I it but it’s hard,

Vicky Pasche 32:30
is, you know, I definitely I think another huge thing, and this is something I learned too, is like, I love that analogy, by the way, I really do the pick and shovel, I’m gonna remember this actually. But it’s connecting early. And often. Sometimes you feel like, you just need to, like figure it all out by yourself, you know, like, until you can, like qualify for conversations with investors or, you know, certain partners. And that’s just not true. Like, I kicked myself a little bit for not trying to connect early enough in this journey. And because these connections have been game changing for our business, the ones that have finally, you know, have the guts to have now these conversations. So it’s like, really, you know, again, getting out there because you got to find your people. Absolutely.

Kara Goldin 33:16
It’s so so key. So, best advice that you’ve ever received about building, career building, building your company, maybe another entrepreneur, that you really thought could kind of help you think about things? Maybe they shot you a great piece of advice, anything like that, that comes to mind? Yeah,

Vicky Pasche 33:40
I think it’s more so recently, and it’s really because of, I’m in this like, investor world right now. And it’s like, just because people have money, you know, or fame, it doesn’t mean that they know more, and you kind of touched on this actually a little bit earlier. No more than you, you know, and so it’s like staying true, staying true to what your mission is. And like if they’re not on the same page, then that’s okay. You know, you will find those people. So I would say just stay true to who you are on your path and where you see this and you got to align yourself especially when it comes to investments with the right people, you know, because those checks, yes, you need them all the things but like, at the same time, they have to be aligned. This is a long relationship you have in some cases with these investors, so stay true to yourself, making sure you are aligned with the vision you are interviewing these people just as much as they are you. So remember your value.

Kara Goldin 34:40
Absolutely. Well, it was such a pleasure talking with you, Vicki and everyone needs to check out Dapper Boi seriously. It’s such a great brand. It’s it’s really got a great purpose and mission and the clothes are amazing. It is it’s come a long way from just the show. shirts that you started with. So there’s all kinds of merchandise that is, is very much size inclusive, personality inclusive. So it’s a terrific selection. So thank you and Sharif are amazing entrepreneurs. So you should be really proud of what you’re doing. And good luck with all of the fundraising as well. We’ll have all the info in the show notes too, if anybody is interested in getting in touch with Vicki too. So thank you, everyone. Thank you, Vicki.

Vicky Pasche 35:30
Thank you.

Kara Goldin 35:31
Thanks again for listening to the Kara Goldin show. If you would, please give us a review. And feel free to share this podcast with others who would benefit and of course, feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode of our podcast. Just a reminder that I can be found on all platforms at Kara Goldin. And if you want to hear more about my journey, I hope you will have a listen or pick up a copy of my book on daunted which I share my journey, including founding and building hint. We are here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And thanks everyone for listening. Have a great rest of the week, and 2023 and goodbye for now. Before we sign off, I want to talk to you about fear. People like to talk about fearless leaders. But achieving big goals isn’t about fearlessness. Successful leaders recognize their fears and decide to deal with them head on in order to move forward. This is where my new book undaunted comes in. This book is designed for anyone who wants to succeed in the face of fear, overcome doubts and live a little undaunted. Order your copy today at undaunted, the book.com and learn how to look your doubts and doubters in the eye and achieve your dreams. For a limited time. You’ll also receive a free case of hint water. Do you have a question for me or want to nominate an innovator to spotlight send me a tweet at Kara Goldin and let me know. And if you liked what you heard, please leave me a review on Apple podcasts. You can also follow along with me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn at Kara Goldin. Thanks for listening