Melissa Mash, The Founder and CEO of Ultra-Organized, Chic Handbag Brand, Dagne Dover 

Melissa Mash loves smartly designed products and services, so it is not surprising that she is the co-founder and CEO of Dagne Dover, a startup producing ingeniously crafted – and stylish — handbags for women who want to stay organized.

I met Melissa at General Assembly, during a speed-mentoring event for women entrepreneurs. She mentioned then that, drawing from her career at Coach, she recognized a need in the market for a fashion handbag brand with methodical, internal organization.

Accordingly, she and her co-founders launched Dagne in 2013. Dagne Dover, a 100% female-founded startup, is a Dorm Room Fund portfolio company. (Dorm Room Fund is a student-run venture firm that invests in student-run companies, since their mission is to inspire and support more startups.)

Dagne Dover’s product has been called, by Purewow.com, the “the handbag made for New Yorkers” and the “perfect handbag” by editors and bloggers. The company’s philosophy is “you are what you carry” – and for a Virgo in New York City, being organized and ready for anything is the way I like to travel!

Melissa herself is curious about how people live – she focused on the social science field of Metropolitan Studies as an undergrad at NYU, then attended the prestigious Wharton School of Business, and has always been fascinated by how different pockets of people interact with each other and the infrastructure in place to support people. This may also explain why she is focused on improving women’s lives through the organization of the contents in their handbag!

Not surprisingly for someone like Melissa, the worst part of her day is going to sleep – for this entrepreneur is never completely satisfied and has her adrenaline pumping all day long (likely coming up with new innovative product lines….). 

Who are your heroes?
I come from a family of very forward-thinking women who were always “the first” to do something at their time. My great-grandmother was one of a handful of women in the first female graduating class of college in Korea. Her sister, a famous opera singer, was also extraordinary.

My mom was educated by American missionaries while growing up in Korea because her parents believed their five girls should all be highly educated. The focus on female education and development in my mom’s family has always been astounding. The women on my mom’s side of the family have always been ahead of their time, and they have been a constant reminder of my desire to be at the forefront of change.

What is your current challenge?
Balancing design and business – being a creatively driven company while implementing best-in-class technology, processes and analytics.  

Your greatest achievement?
Finding and building a beautiful life with my husband, Spencer. We are truly a team and the support we have for one another makes me feel like I’ve won the life partner lottery every day.

What is your motto?
You only have one life to live. No time for complacency. 

Why are you an entrepreneur?
I don’t believe in spending my life building something for someone else, knowing that the rug could be pulled out from under me at any time. I want to be present for my kids and help guide their lives. Entrepreneurship provides that flexibility.

What problem are you solving?
Women’s anxiety problems around their handbags. No more standing outside your car or apartment at night scrambling to find your keys. No more ruining thousands of dollars of tech in your bag with a spilled water bottle. Women have enough to worry about. Their handbag should not be another problem.

What problem would you like solved?
Our society’s obsession with “perfection.” It creates a society fueled by wants instead of gratitude.

Which talent would you like to have?
I used to be a singer. I was classically trained for five years, and then it got in the way when I went to college. I would love to have my voice back and way better than ever before. Singing makes me so happy!

Best pat on the back you’ve ever received?
Raising money.

Advice you wish you’d had (or had followed)?
When I was in college, I once cried to my mom that I felt so guilty – why did good things always happen to me and not necessarily to others? And she told me that it wasn’t just luck – yes, luck was part of it, but the major part of it was really hard work. And that as long as I worked hard, opportunities would open up to me. That freed me from thinking that the paths that opened up for me were just flukes that could’ve happened for anyone else. It made me realize that hard work really is the key to success and that I am in charge of my destiny. 

Your pitch in 140 characters?
“Handbag problems? Find your sh*t. Get a Dagne.” 

Your bio in six words?
“NYU. Coach. NYC. London. Wharton. Dagne Dover.” 

Your nails on a chalkboard moment?
When people don’t know how to pronounce our name. Pronounced: “Dag-knee Dover”. “Dagne” is Nordic for “new day” and “Dover” is my partner, Jessy’s, last name. Dagne Dover is a new dawn for handbags – changing the status quo for handbags as we know them. 

The J.O.B. you’d actually like?
Blogging about DIY topics. I would do arts and crafts all day long if I could.

Biggest misconception about being an entrepreneur is?
That it’s glamorous. You try waking up at 5 a.m. every day!

What book is your must-read?
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose by Tony Hsieh [CEO of online shoe retailer Zappos], was really important to me. I read it in one sitting. In the ideation stage of Dagne Dover it really set a framework for how I needed to think about the Dagne Dover customer experience. 

If I wanted to do what you’re doing…what’s your advice?

• • • Go get experience.
    • Build out your skillset.
    • Find the right co-founders to build a balanced team with domain expertise.
    • Keep awesome relationships from childhood on.
    • Don’t be afraid to ask people for help/advice – people are so willing to help you.
    • Don’t get discouraged – you need to fail to appreciate success.
    • Focus 100% on the product. 

What conference would you like to keynote?
The Wharton Entrepreneurship Conference. I chaired it in 2012, and it would be cool to go back in many years once I’ve really earned it to inspire the next group of young entrepreneurs.

Short cut, long route, road less traveled? What’s your roadmap?
Road less traveled. You HAVE to appreciate and enjoy the journey. Because that’s what it is – a journey, not a destination. And it’s totally an adventure. It’s predictable in that you know it’s totally unpredictable! Embrace it! Don’t stress.

Podium you’d like to stand on?
Anything promoting female leadership. Girl power! 

One place in time you’d like to visit?
I would like to have met my grandmother, her mom and her mom’s sister – they were all so inspiring. 

Part of the trick to staying focused is?
Discipline. Don’t consume anything that will make your body have a high or a low. I don’t do caffeine, I have limited sugar, and nowadays I don’t drink very frequently either. This keeps me on my A-game.