Raising $1MM+ for a Hardware Startup with Dawn Myers

Dawn Myers is a Founder and CEO in the hardware, CPG, and retail space and a DC region ecosystem builder, having held several leadership positions in nonprofits in the tech and startup sphere.

She started her company, THE MOST, Inc. to make products to meet the nuanced needs of women of color through physical products, but engineering and manufacturing tech-enabled hardware takes an incredible amount of capital and training. Dawn had to get creative to raise funds to surmount the heightened barriers to entry for minorities in this space and quickly found herself entrenched in the product development, hardware, and manufacturing spaces and advising others on how to get the resources they need to grow.

Along the way, she acquired a passion for helping early stage founders learn and grow in entrepreneurship, particularly with respect to leveraging venture and non traditional funding pathways. A Howard Law JD, Techstars Alumna, and guest lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon, UMD, and Georgetown, she is committed to creating quality programming for founders striving to innovate for their communities.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

Forgiveness: 21 days to Forgive Everyone for Everything  by Iyanla Vanzant
Rejection to Reward by LaKisha Greenwade 
Who Offended You by Phillip G Goudeaux

https://richualist.com/products/the-mint

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dawndoesthemost/?hl=en

Register for the wearables tech ecosystem at www.WearableTechVentures.org

Transcript

00:01.81
wearabletakeover
Hello hello hello it is coach l here and we are back for another episode of wearable takeover now people if you haven't subscribed or if you haven't shared an episode shame on you but I am going to tell santa but maybe. If you listen to me now you won't get cold. Okay, yes, this the but it's about to be the holiday seasons Keyte I'm excited. We are all excited but let me tell you for our finale episodes. Oh my gosh we have 3 amazing females that you really need to make sure that you're listening to these episodes because 1 you're gonna learn a lot. 2 you're gonna recognize these women are game changers and three year ago you're gonna be like can I invest where do I give my money but hey before we do that make sure you are liking subscribe leave a comment and share for wearable takeover because hey folks people have been telling me on Linkedin lookisha or they might say coachel. You told us this xyzabout wearables a year or so ago and now we're starting to see it come to fruition. So for some of you that may not know what I'm talking about maybe a little while ago I'll just say a little while ago because I don't want to date everything I told folks that hey your phone is gonna be replaced by a wearable It's gonna be replaced by wearable technology your current. Phone that you use today is gonna be like your Grandma's rotary phone and people were like oh we can't conceive it but wait a minute what happened when Naomi did that cat walk down fashion week and what was she wearing an ai wearable and so folks we were ahead of the game and we're gonna stay there so you want to stay tuned.

01:30.69
wearabletakeover
Listen to everything that we're doing and then also stay tuned to these amazing founders that we're featuring especially today's founder because you're gonna learn something you're gonna you're gonna you're getting. You're getting ah ah a preview into a household name so move over Mark Zuckerberg okay move over Elon Musk you know we're making room for some queens to come through and so I am super excited to tell you today about somebody that I had the pleasure of meeting during the equitech tech stars second cohort her name is Dawn Myers the founder and Ceo of ritualists. So folks. Make sure you write that down dawn myers this is a name that you're going to know you can say oh I remember her but let me tell you a little bit about it before we dig into it. Dawn was named one of Washington d c's tech titans let me repeat that she was named one of Washington. Dc's you know that's a big deal tech titans by the Washingtonian and her startup was named one of Washington's top 21 startups to watch by the Washington Business Journal I told you she's somehow you need to know she is a Techstars alum and 1 of fewer than 200 black women to have secured over a million dollars in funding folks. Ah, right? She's a unicorn all right and then she has negotiated partnerships and secured partnership and funding from the world's top manufacturers including dow now. we' gonna talk about dow sephora and glossier am I saying that right for her what patented technologies in the hair and beauty.

03:06.66
wearabletakeover
Space. All right? Are you ready folks I'm so excited. Let's give a virtual round of applause for dawn meyers.

03:13.90
Dawn Myers
Um, oh gosh can we just can you just be my high person indignant. Um, really are you really have That's absolutely true.

03:20.17
wearabletakeover
I'm always gonna be your hype woman. Always always like and and gone you you gave me the tremendous honor of introducing you for your tech stars demo day. We did a video.

03:30.14
Dawn Myers
I wast.

03:33.44
wearabletakeover
And so from here on out seriously dawn wherever I need to be to be your hype woman I am there because I believe in you and I like I said in that video I talked to founders all over the world. But when I met you I knew you were special and working with you over the past year or so.

03:37.41
Dawn Myers
Um, now.

03:45.70
Dawn Myers
So.

03:52.97
wearabletakeover
You have shown me. Not only that you are special in a good way. But you have also demonstrated that you are 1 heck of a businesswoman and that is saying a lot because not all tech founders are good business people. The kudos die.

03:59.50
Dawn Myers
Wow Yeah you for saying that? Thank you for thinking that I really? well.

04:10.19
wearabletakeover
Oh absolutely you You are that girl. Okay, so tell us who is that girl dawn.

04:15.83
Dawn Myers
I don't know a crazy lady car like where do we start I guess I'm from DC that's important to me and with it.

04:23.41
wearabletakeover
Also your so are your family like you know because that's a big deal like people tend to say like my family is so such and such a generation washingtonians and all that are you that type of deal.

04:34.65
Dawn Myers
Um, I so I I take issue with this debate just a little bit I was born and I grew up in DC and I you know have lived a million places. But if I claim a particular place I usually claim southeast um.

04:37.93
wearabletakeover
Okay.

04:47.38
wearabletakeover
Oh.

04:50.38
Dawn Myers
Yeah, yeah, those are my stomping grounds fort duponmp park esque kind of Pennsylvania avenue that area and those were my stomping grounds growing up. However, here's the thing I went to school in Dc. My parents worked in Dc. They were both Dc police officers eventually they moved. Out of the city like so many people but here's the issue that I have with this debate that we always hear about who is and who isn't Dc right? So much of it is socioeconomic so much of it is who got pushed out when they got pushed out where did they get pushed out to.

05:09.24
wearabletakeover
Even.

05:17.43
wearabletakeover
Um, okay, yes, it is.

05:27.34
Dawn Myers
Right? So it's a very charged I think conversation. But you know the point is look I live in Baltimore now I manufacture in Baltimore I love Baltimore Baltimore saved my life. Ah yeah I have a lot of love for Baltimore but I will always be Dc in my heart.

05:37.48
wearabletakeover
1 wow. Always a Dc girl and so you mentioned your parents were police officers so you've been around the law. So I think it's kind of cool because where did you go for law school.

05:54.10
Dawn Myers
Yeah I went to Howard for law school in Dc. Um, you know did undergrad studies in Boston then lived abroad for a little while and then came back and went to law school and it's so funny because you know my dad really had this dream of. Us being in the courtroom together. You know my dad was a detective and so he was always doing these court cases and he saw us being in the court. He was the detective and I'd be the little more and it's not freak out that way at all and I have to hear about it every time I go home. So definitely not looking forward to that this thanksgiving but you know it works out.

06:12.18
wearabletakeover
Moving.

06:26.67
wearabletakeover
I Love it.

06:29.61
Dawn Myers
It worked out right? like you know my legal degree gave me so much flexibility and it really taught me to navigate this very very very complex space and I'm eternally grateful for the education.

06:36.36
wearabletakeover
Yes I Love it because you are in Cpg and what folks if you don't know what that means again, welcome to what a wearable takeover because we break down a lot of the acronyms and and the letters and all that so consumer package goods right. So Let's let's look at this you a Dc gal right? Ah, grew up knowing some of the law and so you said you studied abroad where'd you study abroad.

07:04.37
Dawn Myers
Oh man everywhere I was in Paris and Barcelona that year eventually I would go on to study in South Africa and then in China um, so it was really all over the place but um, always ended up back in Dc somehow.

07:12.95
wearabletakeover
Wines.

07:19.60
wearabletakeover
I Love it of course because everything comes back here to this area and I wanted you to share that because your journey um in certain cases some will say it's nontraditional right? and I am a champion for nontraditional tech founders.

07:21.10
Dawn Myers
4

07:28.65
Dawn Myers
Oh.

07:34.88
wearabletakeover
You grew up with the law had that global exposure exposure excuse me and now you are Ceo and founder of the ritual list. So how does that tie together. How does one jump from that your particular background and say hey I'm going to start a tech company.

07:49.92
Dawn Myers
So it was a long and winding road and I think you're right? This is a really good story for people to hear because when I started everybody told me no, you're not going to be able to do that thing. You're not an engineer. You're not a manufacturer but all of these is almost like that movie. What's that movie.

08:09.70
wearabletakeover
A millionaire. No wait. That's the show right? The startup movie. But.

08:09.70
Dawn Myers
Um, who wants to be a yeah ah I forget the name of it. But in this movie right? There's this kid and he's on a talk show. He's on a game show and he's taking from all of these experiences. It's somehow against all odds he wins the big million dollar prize

08:22.44
wearabletakeover
No.

08:28.92
Dawn Myers
And that's my life and in nutshell right? like um dog millionaire That's exactly in it. That's exactly it and you know it's one of those things where look I started out thinking that I was going to be an attorney. Um, you know I thought I was going to be in the courtroom.

08:31.30
wearabletakeover
Mumdog millionaires that it who.

08:47.10
Dawn Myers
Literally first semester of law school. It was very clear to me that like that life wasn't for me and you know it was one of those things where the material really interested me right? I'm fully interested in all of these facets of our culture and our legal system and our corporates.

08:56.40
wearabletakeover
Lady.

09:04.72
wearabletakeover
And.

09:05.33
Dawn Myers
Kind of regime and how all these pieces fit together and and I needed that I needed that survey of experience at 22 23 24 but the practice of the law I'll tell you what it felt like to me it felt like being in college and dating the football player right. Football player is out on the field and he's given all the lights he's getting all the attention you're back stuck doing his laundry or like who in his homework for him. That's what lawyering felt like to me I wanted to be on the field I wanted to be the football player right? And so um, you know so I went through law school.

09:31.73
wearabletakeover
Yes, um, was.

09:43.68
Dawn Myers
And it was a very winding road. It took me so long to find my thing but again all of these pieces played a part I started out in politics. What are you doing in politics in politics Sure you're doing some legal research. You're doing some political legislative research but a lot of what you're doing is going out to the people and selling.

09:47.12
wearabletakeover
Then.

10:02.70
Dawn Myers
You're selling a political agenda. But you're selling and what's really interesting about politics is often particularly when you get onto campaigns. They give you a couple hundred dollars a few thousand dollars and they say here go open an office and walk Ashaw Wisconsin and make it happen.

10:03.18
wearabletakeover
Um, and now 7

10:18.32
Dawn Myers
Right? They say here go into Milwaukee and pull off the entire get ah get out the vote campaign and you just got to figure it out. So ah, you know a lot of that skill set the selling getting in front of people really refining my voice and getting comfortable in my voice.

10:18.71
wearabletakeover
Meanwhile.

10:33.61
wearabletakeover
And.

10:35.72
Dawn Myers
All of those skills and then doing a lot with very few resources. All of that has played a part in my journey so I was in politics on the hill then on campaigns I worked on ah president Obama's 2012 campaign that was an amazing experience and then I ended up in the back end of law firms.

10:48.35
wearabletakeover
Love it.

10:55.51
Dawn Myers
Um, I Really never wanted to go into big law. It's a very caustic environment. That's rife with racism and ah misogyny and a lot of issues that I didn't want to deal with ah but again, great education.

11:04.36
wearabletakeover
Yes.

11:11.49
Dawn Myers
And knew that I didn't want to practice but I got to see the back end of that law firm I got to put the pitches together I got to train partners on how to pitch right? So now people are like how you won all this money and how are you getting all these pitches. How are you so good at pitching my career was in putting together and developing pitches. All I had to do was come into this.

11:14.70
wearabletakeover
You know you.

11:30.13
Dawn Myers
In this in the space and and and tweak some things for the text phase right? So you know going out and doing all these pieces I felt really unmoored I knew that I was meant for something when I say Lakeisha I Knew that.

11:33.27
wearabletakeover
Yes.

11:47.57
wearabletakeover
Mean.

11:47.83
Dawn Myers
Was supposed to be here now I didn't know what here was I didn't know that tech was a thing I had no idea what Cpg was or tech enabled product. But I knew that it was supposed to feel like this this is going to sound very cocky. It's not but it's important for young black girls I think to hear that voice.

12:05.26
wearabletakeover
Students.

12:06.99
Dawn Myers
I Heard a voice that told me I was supposed to be leading I heard a voice that told me I was supposed to be creating and I didn't know what to do with that. But you know we followed the game plan. We went from politics back into big law.

12:16.13
wearabletakeover
Newton.

12:21.92
Dawn Myers
And eventually I left that position and I thought that I was going to you know start doing entrepreneurship in the real estate space I had been you know building real estate while I was working full time. Um and basically going into dc homes chopping them up refurbishing them and putting them back on the market. Ah, like so many people in Dc were doing at the time. Well I came out of the firm thinking that I was going to build that as my entrepreneurial endeavor but I came out and I found tech and startups and products and I saw that there were no black people in this space. There were certainly no black women in this space.

12:47.40
wearabletakeover
Wow.

12:56.59
wearabletakeover
Moving? yes.

12:58.56
Dawn Myers
And because there were no black women in the space. Our needs weren't being met and you know the concept for the most our umbrella company and then ah ritualist our latest brand just really unfolded organically and it's been the support of black women right? who've seen the need for our products. That has kept things going. Okay.

13:18.18
wearabletakeover
I love it and and let me rewind a little bit. It wasn't you being cocky. It was being confident and I think all of the women listening to this episode as well as some of the girls that will be coming through our summer programs

13:24.83
Dawn Myers
Um.

13:32.89
wearabletakeover
It's okay to be confident and we want you to be confident and I've got a book on that So you're gonna you're going to grow in confidence just like dawn did to branch out into and to realize the destiny that she saw for herself. She wasn't exactly sure but she was active in taking steps to realize it. And I love that you were incredibly active in taking those steps and that's a lesson here for those on the sidebar here. Don't just sit move keep moving keep learning keep growing keep growing your skill set because you can apply that in another way just like dawn did it? Um I Just love this about you dawn.

13:59.23
Dawn Myers
Oop.

14:09.92
wearabletakeover
So um I Also love that again, just just putting out there I Love the nontraditional background and one of the reasons that wearable take ventures our ecosystem was built was to make sure that there was a space at the table for folks that may have had ideas that may have been nontraditional right? But they.

14:17.39
Dawn Myers
Um, yeah.

14:29.29
wearabletakeover
See things in a different way and they'll be able to provide a solution that others may not have thought of so let's talk about this entry into tech right? because you said hey nobody was there. No no black women. Um in Dc were were pretty much advocating for your needs. Tell us about how. Um, how you got that entry way and then we'll talk about breaking down the ritual list versus the most.

14:51.23
Dawn Myers
What yeah, it's a whole saga but basically look I it sounds so cliche but I was literally watching Shark Tank one night I'm building a real estate startup at this point right? and I'm literally watching Shark Shark Tank and I see this company came up. Remember the name of it. Um, but it was basically this woman had taken a curler and she had used slightly different material and it you know changed the functionality of that curler very slightly.

15:23.14
wearabletakeover
And.

15:25.13
Dawn Myers
And she comes on the show. She says we've been on the market for a year and we've made $8000000 and I'm thinking are you ah ok, are you joking me and you know this woman she was you know she's super smart. She was a doctor she had this really gorgeous, beautiful hair super driven.

15:42.70
wearabletakeover
My wife.

15:42.87
Dawn Myers
Um, but she was a white woman with straight hair. No shade to white women with straight hair. But I thought to myself you know if she's able to make $8000000 in her space. That's so crowded where there's so much attention given a new products being made to accommodate that buyer.

15:53.45
wearabletakeover
Let's listen.

16:00.35
Dawn Myers
What I know is that there are no new products or new innovation in my space for this new consumer particularly this consumer who's trying to you know, embrace her textured hair. So if I were to make something in this space. It would have to do at least as well and so you know I came up with a concept. You know, really just very organically.

16:08.64
wearabletakeover
He ends.

16:20.34
Dawn Myers
Understood the problem because I am that consumer I Understood how hard it was for new women with textured hair particularly back then because we were all transitioning and trying to figure it out and I said to myself you know if I were to streamline this process for this consumer. What would it look like.

16:21.38
wearabletakeover
Yes.

16:30.22
wearabletakeover
Man.

16:39.74
Dawn Myers
And I came up with a very early kind of prototype stage concept around the mint which is our featured product at Rich and I basically you know went out to ah ace hardware and Cbs and bought up a bunch of soldering irons and tape and.

16:55.30
wearabletakeover
Hence.

16:57.70
Dawn Myers
Hintnes and brushes and combs and went home and start tinggering and I made our first pro prototype with my hands and we will.

17:02.13
wearabletakeover
I love it wait pause right? there pause right? there I think that's important because oftentimes we talk to founders and they believe they have to dump thousands of dollars into their first prototype and you are echoing what some of our other founders recently said in season 3 so folks if you don't know what I'm talking about.

17:11.57
Dawn Myers
The.

17:20.10
wearabletakeover
Listen to all the episodes of season 3 because founders are breaking it down. You don't have to spend all that money for the prototype. The main thing is you want to get something that you can visualize and you can say hey this is what I want to do I communicate what it is that you want to do take it to one that has open mindset and open mindset so that you can take it to the next level.

17:25.74
Dawn Myers
Um, where.

17:33.96
Dawn Myers
Um, yeah.

17:39.77
wearabletakeover
So I love it. You went to you went to the hardware store. You went to some of our favorite big box stores and you said I'm a tinker and put all this stuff together that is so cool. How long did that take.

17:46.20
Dawn Myers
Um, here heading.

17:50.17
Dawn Myers
It looked like two days I was really I remember I was really mad at my boyfriend at the time so upset so I was like heads down I'm ignoring him and I'm tinkering at I'm met right? So I'm tinkering real hard. So.

17:56.26
wearabletakeover
Ah.

18:02.30
wearabletakeover
I.

18:04.91
Dawn Myers
Made that first prototype so fast because I was so angry and trying to like you to distract myself. But yeah, so it really only took a couple of days and then immediately I started taking it out to friends of mine right? like I had little friends I have this idea right? and when I told people this idea about a machine a tool.

18:15.19
wearabletakeover
Yes.

18:24.40
Dawn Myers
That could make their wash days faster right? that could heat up their products and De-tangle faster and style their hair faster and make it healthier. They were all like oh my God That's genius. You have to do it but the very different thing to actually put a thing into someone's hand and say hey do you think that there is a there there right.

18:24.82
wearabletakeover
1 last.

18:33.80
wearabletakeover
Yet.

18:43.58
Dawn Myers
And what I saw was even with that ugly Frankenstein First it was so ugly I got to find it so Robb somewhere it was so ugly. But you know there was a spark right? I would put it into the hands of these people who would eventually become my consumers.

18:51.78
wearabletakeover
Um.

19:00.60
Dawn Myers
And they were like okay this needs to change it needs to be like this. They weren't saying no they weren't saying you can tell in people's energy jobs. They were saying Okay, we got to do this and then we got do this and we got to add this thing and I was like okay, there's an energy here that I hadn't seen around real estate that I hadn't seen around any other business concept.

19:03.87
wearabletakeover
Be on it.

19:15.23
wearabletakeover
Yang.

19:19.53
Dawn Myers
That I had worked on and I said you know what there's something here and we got the show rolling.

19:22.32
wearabletakeover
I Love it. So folks. You heard the premise of the the concept of the product the most and so basically a product that will help you on your on your wash days that will help you through that process of adding that product. Um, and detangling and making sure you get to that end process a whole lot sooner because guess what folks we don't have grandmas at the stove anymore with the hot comb right? You know or waiting for that one holiday to make sure that stuff happens I Love that we're in ah, a place in our journey globally.

19:45.14
Dawn Myers
Let me.

19:57.89
wearabletakeover
And I say globally where women with texture hair are embracing a process embracing the time for self-care to present themselves to the world and dawn is saying hey let me make that a lot quicker is like dawn is your genie in a bottle.

20:04.35
Dawn Myers
You.

20:14.40
wearabletakeover
And so she didn't just say hey take my word for it. She took it around to multiple people and they added their insights as to what it was that they wanted to see in the product and folks let me tell you this the product the the actual um, ah products that are used. It smells really good I'm vouching for it.

20:14.63
Dawn Myers
Um.

20:29.60
Dawn Myers
Who is that.

20:33.46
wearabletakeover
Ah, but ones it smells really good. So so tell us about the the most today and what's the most is the name of the product So tell us about the most today. What kind of feedback are you getting and where you want to take it.

20:38.45
Dawn Myers
Um, yeah.

20:43.42
Dawn Myers
Yeah, so is complicated so I'm perfectly founder and Ceo of the most ink which is a family of brands that focuses on tech and able podre in in the hair care space. Our first brand was actually called the most and our second brand is. Ritualist now with the most we're really trying to prove a point to investors here's the thing this technology that we've created that we've made out of scratch. It's years in a lot of prototyping and a lot of engineering and a lot of industrial design and a lot of manufacturing to get it right? so.

21:12.50
wearabletakeover
Yeah.

21:22.91
Dawn Myers
While ah before actually actually before we were able to get the funding for that investors were like okay this is interesting but you're nontraditional right going back to your from before you're nontraditional. We don't know that you're going to actually be able to pull off a brand. How are you going to.

21:33.59
wearabletakeover
Um, yeah.

21:41.58
Dawn Myers
Build a brand. How are you going to make that brand Go. Do you know how to get sales. Do you know how to set up on marketing flywheel. Do you understand ah manufacturing right? and so we essentially set up the most to be a test brand. We set up the most To. Show investors that not only could we create a beautiful brand even with very few resources. We were also able to you know set up that marketing flywheel and get sales. We also proved that ah you know through a very early. Kind of very simple Technology. We had an electronic detangler called the Sonic Detangler.. It's actually very effective and and we showed that you know we understand kind of the manufacturing cycle and how to get products made and landed in the Us and so after we did that then the investment came in the door for the brand that we currently have.

22:15.54
wearabletakeover
Cool.

22:30.49
Dawn Myers
Ritualist our featured product at Ritualist is the mint. It's that original concept that we've always been focused on and the value that we're seeing to this consumer is insane. So I was hoping to save people time I was hoping to make the process more elegant but you know we're seeing that. At a minimum. Our customers are saving at least 50% on their wash day. So that means if it normally takes you an hour and a half or let's say 2 hours to go through that process of kind of breaking that product of your hair and detangling and styling on wash day. We're cutting it down to an hour if it normally takes you an hour.

22:53.88
wearabletakeover
Where.

23:09.23
Dawn Myers
We're cutting it down to 30 minutes at least but the vast majority of our customers are seeing you know savings on top of that right? So as people use this product and they get used to the technology. They're able to cut their wash day down to 10 minutes 15 minutes 20 minutes total like.

23:24.81
wearabletakeover
Wow.

23:29.20
Dawn Myers
From start to finish ready to get out the house in 20 minutes what's it which is crazy for us. That's just not how it goes for.

23:34.21
wearabletakeover
Wait because I was going to say you mean to tell me I could wash my hair and use the mint in the same day and still go offside of public and be presentable.

23:41.63
Dawn Myers
Um, yeah, yeah, that's what I'm telling you and yeah yeah, to the point where look you know I have to be my own you know I Guess Guinea Pig Um, thank you.

23:44.14
wearabletakeover
They all are the same day.

23:50.70
wearabletakeover
Yes, fabulous hair.

23:55.17
Dawn Myers
Ah, but you know what I would do once we have ah the products done in made earlier this year as you know as in tech stars I was traveling I was at conferences and I would take my mint with me just my mint. No other products. No other combs no brushes I'm completely reliant on my mint and I remember there's this one day. Where I get a call at like six zero a m I'm on the west coast and it's it's nine zero a m on the East Coast and there's ah something there was some meeting that they wanted me to be on and they were like hey can you hop on this meeting in 30 minutes and I didn't have my hair done I wasn't expecting to be on this meeting. I had to I'm telling you I had to get in the shower do a quick quick quick conditioning and I had to style my hair and at least have my upper half presentable formal call in 30 minutes and I got it done. There's actually a video a whole video of this on my Instagram cause. When I got the call. It was like okay, we're really putting the mint to the test now but you know the point is it's never been possible for women with texturd hair to do that. It's never been possible for us ever. My instagram is dawn does the most.

25:00.70
wearabletakeover
Ah I love it wait. What's your Instagram what's your Instagram.

25:09.31
wearabletakeover
I love it. Dawn does the most. Okay, so folks go to her Instagram while you're listening to this episode so you could look at those videos share it with somebody and be like girl we going outside on the same day. Ah.

25:19.49
Dawn Myers
That's right, That's right, we gone on outside and here's the thing you know, look There's so many people I think everyone in the space has it wrong because we've been talking about traditionalists versus non-traditional founders.

25:30.87
wearabletakeover
Little.

25:33.11
Dawn Myers
And a lot of folks in the space they want you to be an engineer. They want you to have manufacturing expertise but those are not the visionaries who are on the ground and who have the kinds of creative mind who can come up with these concepts and I think the space is highly misguided. You know if you are.

25:42.18
wearabletakeover
Um, yes.

25:51.90
Dawn Myers
You know, coming up with some kind of med-tech device. You probably need to be in the space. You probably need to be of the space. But if you're not if you're coming up with the kind of product that a normal consumer is going to be using on their normal day. You need to be a normal consumer.

26:07.86
wearabletakeover
Yes.

26:09.76
Dawn Myers
Who connects with other normal consumers in that niche you need to be that to be able to visualize a solution for that consumer. You know there's a people debate where this quote came from but there's a quote that says often. It's attributed to Henry Ford and the quote says you know if I had asked people. But I was making the model t what kind of solution they wanted to they would have wanted to see they would have said a faster horse right? And that's the kind of solution that an engineer is going to come up with right engineers and this is no shade because it's an ecosystem where we all need each other. But.

26:34.32
wearabletakeover
Yes.

26:46.53
Dawn Myers
Engineers tend to be very lateral thinkers and to be the kind of visionary that you have to be to build a new technology and bring people on and build teams and get people on your side in those early days when you have no money and no funding. You've got to be a visionary right? And that's a different kind of mind.

27:01.52
wearabletakeover
Plan.

27:06.11
Dawn Myers
Um, exactly it's exactly the kind of mind that doesn't work in legal practice. It's exactly the kind of mind that made me for years think that I was an abject failure because I couldn't figure it out and I didn't fit in in the legal space my mind.

27:11.90
wearabletakeover
Oh Wow! yes.

27:25.25
Dawn Myers
Worked differently and all that time I felt like I was a failure when in fact, it's this exact mind that's led me into this beautiful career that is extraordinarily challenging but that I love so much and have been able to you know help So many people.

27:42.42
wearabletakeover
I love it. You know I feel like we need to queue in the song by the way I took dj and lessons on I feel like we need to quee in the song from 2 chains I'm different right because I really love people that are different and we're in a space where people talk about authenticity. But.

27:54.52
Dawn Myers
4

28:00.90
wearabletakeover
Ah, part of that is embracing. What makes you unique and so let's talk about mental mountains for a second here because again you came from a nontraditional background and I'm going to keep saying that because there's somebody that's going to listen to this that maybe saying hey they told me no.

28:08.18
Dawn Myers
Um, now urban.

28:14.30
Dawn Myers
That's my day.

28:18.55
wearabletakeover
Or they said this about me or Xyz and we keep producing these episodes to get you over that that mental mountain that says no okay so how did you get over that mental mountain of hey I went to the hardware store I went to this big box store. And I put together a prototype now I got to figure out how in the heck am I going to get a dow. Um, what are these beauty brands Sephora Glossier how am I gonna get them to listen to me. Oh and then say oh I own the patent technology. We gonna get to the patent piece because that's important, but let's focus on how.

28:48.60
Dawn Myers
That's right.

28:52.14
wearabletakeover
You get that done and um, get over the get over that road of investors that first investor right? What was that like.

28:57.11
Dawn Myers
No yeah, yeah I mean it was really tough people kept here's the thing the short answer to your question Lakeishia is I'm rheaded and I had these men. It was always men telling me? No, you not gonna be able to pull that off and I was like you think you talking to. What this core. That's what it was ah gosh so look that was a big part of it right? It was people telling me no and me knowing knowing that there was a market for this I mean it's one of those things where I've never felt something so.

29:17.65
wearabletakeover
Ah.

29:34.89
Dawn Myers
Visceral in my bones before I knew I knew and so that's part of it is following your intuition and you know sometimes we on the fence sometimes we don't know but there are moments in this life where you know and I knew so that's one piece.

29:35.94
wearabletakeover
B.

29:41.20
wearabletakeover
Yes, thought.

29:48.31
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

29:52.67
Dawn Myers
The other piece is people kept telling me no and that kept hyping me up. That's just my personality that that kind of thing pushes me further and harder. Not it doesn't slow me down so that just would be a coincidental boon and then you know the other pieces I didn't know.

29:55.83
wearabletakeover
Boom.

30:01.59
wearabletakeover
Yellow.

30:09.90
Dawn Myers
How I was going to get from point a to point Z and quite frankly I'm still not at point Z right? We still got a long way to go and you never know where that next win is going to come from but I kept digging for winds anywhere right? So it started off with.

30:12.24
wearabletakeover
Min move.

30:19.22
wearabletakeover
Please acting home.

30:26.28
Dawn Myers
Pitch competitions. We had a ah, really big win I think early on that I think really motivated me. Um, we pitched at black women talk tech I think this was like in our first year just after we finished our first accelerator one ten thousand dollars that's white.

30:40.19
wearabletakeover
But our is Alsosa and team a black woman talk black.

30:45.27
Dawn Myers
That's right, that's exactly right? Um, and you know those guys even now when I see a socilinym down at like south by southwest or wherever it's like oh yeah because we it was like there I think it was the first time they did that competition too. Yes, so it was a really big deal. Um for us and it was a really.

30:55.00
wearabletakeover
Oh wow.

31:02.61
wearabletakeover
Google.

31:02.94
Dawn Myers
Validating moment right? because here was the first time I had pitched this to a bunch of people right investors mostly but I had never been in a room pitching this to a bunch of black women and when I pressed that button on that slide and a picture the rendering of the mint and how it were opt up on the screen.

31:11.37
wearabletakeover
No.

31:21.84
Dawn Myers
All of the women you heard them. There was an audible gasp in the crowd. You could hear it and I was like there's something here right? So yes, not $10000 we were able. That's actually how we funded early patent work. But more importantly.

31:23.20
wearabletakeover
How.

31:29.29
wearabletakeover
Yes. Nice quick.

31:38.97
Dawn Myers
That was that that audible gas that moment. That's what I needed to hear right and people coming up to me, you got to make this oh my God where'd you come up with this like that was the energy right? And so you said shout out to the ladies that black women talk tech but you know I need to double click on that because.

31:42.17
wearabletakeover
You.

31:57.30
Dawn Myers
I had never been in a space where I got that kind of energy and the validation was so instant and so compounding and um, and yeah, so you know that's where a lot of it started. Um and it would just be similar things right? We ended up really going hard on grants.

31:59.72
wearabletakeover
Yes, yeah, yes.

32:15.64
Dawn Myers
So we ah apply for a lot of grants I think within those first 2 or 3 years we raised something like 100 k in Grant money. Um, and and that went a long way until and I sold that house right? I sold that investment property that I was working on at the time.

32:20.67
wearabletakeover
Nice.

32:29.42
wearabletakeover
So nice.

32:33.70
Dawn Myers
Ah, because I believed so firmly in what we were doing and we needed every cent of capital that I could get um and so you know I eventually would go on to liquidate my four one K So now I'm all in and so now I've got to make your work. So.

32:37.13
wearabletakeover
Anything.

32:44.38
wearabletakeover
All in move them blue.

32:50.46
Dawn Myers
Luckily you know this with the pandemic happens and everybody I think thought that the sky was falling and it did it felt like the sky was falling um but clubhouse clubhouse started and actually come That's right Pandemic social media and there.

33:02.69
wearabletakeover
And make and they make social media. Ah.

33:08.38
Dawn Myers
In the early days of clubhouse clubhouse eventually became a cesspool of ratchet. But in those early days. It was a really beautiful environment for there weren't a whole lot of people of color and black people weren't particular on that app. But.

33:21.11
wearabletakeover
Will.

33:23.82
Dawn Myers
People who were on that app were very insular right? And so we all became lose family. Um, and I met. Ah kwa mianu who's our lead investor. Um, he was on the app and I tell you I'll tell you I didn't ask this man for a dime I said Kwame. Ah. Want to talk to you about your skin care regimen because your skin is always glowing and we hopped on the phone to talk about skin care and he said tell me about your company I offhandedly said and you know this will we do and he said I want to fund you.

33:54.85
wearabletakeover
Wow when.

33:56.69
Dawn Myers
And he was our first institutional money in yeah, he was our first institutional money in he came in about six months before we closed dow I think a big part of the reason that we were able to close down is because kwame and black star fund gave us a lot of momentum and then wow. Yes.

34:02.96
wearabletakeover
I Love it.

34:14.81
Dawn Myers
Yes, and he's bleeding around now. Um, he's leading around right now and I'm so grateful for him because he's just you know, really kind of kept us off of the pre and precipice more than once. Um, and you know it became a it became a Ah, what's the word it just it was a snowball after that it was.

34:23.99
wearabletakeover
So yeah.

34:34.65
Dawn Myers
Blackstar fund then the fempire fund throughlyme life then dow came in then eighteen sixty three then textammers I'm probably missing a couple of folks but it was just 1 thing after another after another and it was really that first investment and having the validation of being able to receive.

34:39.24
wearabletakeover
Lovely.

34:54.27
Dawn Myers
Institutional investment that really opened up a lot of doors for us.

34:56.34
wearabletakeover
I love it. So folks if you have not yet gotten 10 No's today you're not working hard enough because you need to hear no because that no is going to help you refine what it is that you're asking for the next time and folks if you're listening to this episode when it first launches.

35:03.95
Dawn Myers
That's right.

35:15.33
wearabletakeover
You should know that we're in the ninety day. Ask challenge to close out the you're strong is something that I'm doing on social and you'll see the links probably in the show notes. But I'm challenging everyone every day to ask for what you want now that doesn't mean that every person that you ask is going to say yes.

35:25.63
Dawn Myers
Oh.

35:31.69
wearabletakeover
But if you refine that ask and then you're gonna learn some things about yourself and say do I really want this or what is it that I really am trying to communicate you're going to be so much better and ready when January one 2024 hits because you've gotten all the the bugs in the copwe out of the way when you're doing this in a ninety day. Ask challenge. So. So dawn. Let's be real because a lot of people see these headlines about founders such as yourselves that had been successful in raising these rounds right? and it's great to have those headlines but let's be real how long has this process taken you to date from spark to where we are right now.

36:03.41
Dawn Myers
Um, girl girl I've been in this game for about 6 years now

36:11.66
wearabletakeover
Okay, people 6 years what do you tell you let me tell you why that's validating dawn I spoke at a conference in Pennsylvania and I spoke with um van weaver she's the Ceo of Uncle Nearest and I told folks at this conference I said look.

36:14.32
Dawn Myers
Yeah.

36:29.12
wearabletakeover
If you can't see yourself dedicated to this idea or process for 7 years and not getting paid. Don't even do it and I said I'm not trying to scare you but you need to know that you're all in and be honest with yourself.

36:32.95
Dawn Myers
Yes, yep.

36:45.89
wearabletakeover
If you can't do 7 years maybe your role isn't the founder. Maybe your role if you want to get into tech is something totally different and on another note, we're talking about being all in and this is something I'm gonna build a soapbox for later. But when we talk about women, black women women of color women period being all in we should never.

36:51.17
Dawn Myers
What.

37:05.69
wearabletakeover
Never ever ever ever ever ever have to sacrifice our future and our retirement to fund these ideas that are game changing that are needed in the marketplace when we have all these other people providing these sound by so that's for the future dawn we're gonna do that maybe in 24 25 I'm um um I a step on some toes and I don't mind make a feet hurt.

37:22.20
Dawn Myers
Um, absolutely um.

37:25.45
wearabletakeover
But in the meantime so 6 years all right? So where where do you want to go next.

37:30.40
Dawn Myers
Yeah, look before we talk about where we want to go I Want to double click on the hardship and the pain because it's important for people to know I don't know some people for some reason look at me and think they're like oh she just they just gave her whatever this.

37:35.42
wearabletakeover
Yes.

37:46.76
wearabletakeover
Um.

37:47.90
Dawn Myers
Just fell in her lap they don't realize that here's the thing I got diagnosed with cancer in 2022 the year before we met Lakeishia and ah I during that year closed our million dollar round

37:53.00
wearabletakeover
Wow! yeah.

38:05.40
Dawn Myers
Um, launched our brand I mean amidst 5 surgeries regulation chemo experimental surgery like and it it was insane right? That's the level of dedication that you need to make this go now that shouldn't be right. It just shouldn't be. It shouldn't be.

38:08.37
wearabletakeover
Wow.

38:18.39
wearabletakeover
Right.

38:22.47
Dawn Myers
But the reality is if you are black women woman in this space. You have to be ready to walk through walls. There is no middle ground. There is no sleep. There is no and I'm not glorifying grind culture.

38:31.14
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

38:38.87
wearabletakeover
I Write button.

38:40.78
Dawn Myers
Just want people to know that this is what it takes you know it takes you're going to spend a couple of years where you're getting 4 hours asleep you're going spend a couple years before you have funding to bring on employees where you're just it's no sleep ever.

38:47.44
wearabletakeover
N.

38:53.98
wearabletakeover
Yes.

38:56.51
Dawn Myers
Where maybe you're running your company and maybe working a whole other job where you're again, you know, liquidating your assets and liquidating your four one K it. It shouldn't be like that for us and I've seen it myself with you know people who aren't of my demographic in hardware accelerators and who just get money.

39:03.91
wearabletakeover
Yeah, so.

39:15.70
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

39:16.71
Dawn Myers
Handed to them when they don't have my progress. They don't have my product. They don't have a team. They have nothing that I have they aren't following. They have nothing and those people will get money and support and I won't and it shouldn't be like that. But the reality on the ground is that's what it is. Um, so you know I want to double click on what what that takes and also you know the fact that in this space. It's not just about waking up and doing a job right? You really have to become something in the space you have to become a leader.

39:45.94
wearabletakeover
Yes.

39:53.64
Dawn Myers
And you have to become the most healed version of yourself right? yes because you're going to get all these noses as a black woman. Everybody experiences nose in the space right? But as a black woman. The nose are exponential and you're you know.

39:58.69
wearabletakeover
Ooh, Let's awo'll get to that heel part keep going.

40:08.86
wearabletakeover
Yes.

40:13.23
Dawn Myers
This is going to bring up every insecurity and every untied loose in and every burn and everything in your past is going to come to the fore and you're going to have to deal with it If you're going to be a strong steward.

40:17.73
wearabletakeover
Me.

40:30.39
Dawn Myers
Of your company and of this opportunity that you've been given here's the thing. Another reason what part of what got me through chemo and cancer treatment was the fact that by this time I had a few checks behind me right. People had opened up their checkbook and they had given me money and they had entrusted me.

40:32.21
wearabletakeover
Then then.

40:41.22
wearabletakeover
Simple.

40:47.82
Dawn Myers
With hundreds of thousands of their dollars when I said to myself I can't let these people down right? No one in this space believes in black women and this person put real money behind me I have to prove the stereotype wrong that black women I have to prove that black women can build big successful companies.

40:48.28
wearabletakeover
Yes, me.

41:07.60
Dawn Myers
And so look. Um, it's a tough road but when I tell you that it has been the most fulfilling it has been the most um the most intense period of self-realization in my life I'm so deeply appreciative of it. Um, and now look you Know. We've got a momentum behind us and we've got an amazing group of mentors and advisors in an ecosystem of folks behind us and now we're ready to go.

41:36.38
wearabletakeover
So I love it and I want to make sure I slow down a little bit there and first of all, thank you for your example? Thank you for your transparency. Thank you for continuing to fight for your life for your legacy. Um. That's incredibly important and I don't want that to be minimized at all. It takes an incredible amount of mental fortitude to continue to go when you have to go to all these doctors appointments.

42:05.83
Dawn Myers
E.

42:08.71
wearabletakeover
Here negative news and I empathize on that doctor appointment piece because I have 5 surgeries too wasn't for cancer. But I have 5 surgeries too and is and when you're a younger black female in the medical system. It's a lot if you really mess with your psyche right? So I want to paint that picture.

42:13.64
Dawn Myers
Here.

42:26.88
wearabletakeover
Um, as I'm as I'm going through this to let people understand. Yeah don't just say and gloss it like a headline. No. Do you know? what? that's like having to hear a negative report having to make sure that you're taking care of yourself and your meds are okay and your emotions right? Emotions are big and. Having to speak life over yourself and believe it and regardless of where you are today and I'm talking to the listeners here right now. Regardless of where you are today. You have to learn to speak life to yourself and to your business.

42:48.80
Dawn Myers
Yes.

43:02.99
Dawn Myers
But.

43:06.47
wearabletakeover
You have to you may not have a similar health scenario as was mentioned in today's episode or on other previous episodes from our other participants but you have to learn to speak life because at the end of the day if you aren't down for you.

43:23.66
Dawn Myers
Yes, yes.

43:26.40
wearabletakeover
Nobody else is going to be down for you and you have to continue to build yourself up. Make sure you have an amazing community. That's why we are here. That's one of the reasons why I like to say I like to support founders and it's not like these cliche stuff and this dumb stuff that people offer that you don't need like this other mentorship bull crap right.

43:33.77
Dawn Myers
So.

43:45.62
wearabletakeover
Um, but really supporting founders and understanding the nuances of a everyday life because guess what folks we are human beings creating technology human beings and one of the things you said dawn was um, healing one of ah in my mentoring group.

43:56.36
Dawn Myers
That's right.

44:04.99
wearabletakeover
And I'll just talk about midship but mine is different because I I do I'm real right? but anyway but 1 of the things I started 2023 with was the intentional act of forgiveness and I'm closing out the year reading a book on offenses.

44:08.51
Dawn Myers
So in.

44:14.14
Dawn Myers
Is.

44:21.79
wearabletakeover
Okay, so folks if you're like what does she just say did that midwestern accent just come out offenses OFFENSe yes right offenses or is that how you spell it or c well whatever you get it right? I used to win a spell and b but the main thing um I'm sharing is that.

44:30.29
Dawn Myers
No got it.

44:39.58
wearabletakeover
Understanding any gripes or any blockages you might have emotionally one that's going to impact your energy number 2 is going to impact what you can see right because you may be blocking or you can't see your help that's coming for you that person or that organization that's going to throw you that little life jacket.

44:48.18
Dawn Myers
And hurt.

44:57.60
Dawn Myers
Yeah, the lifesaver.

44:59.13
wearabletakeover
Or the little ring was it called the little yeah something like that right? we like we we we live near why we're not in it all of time. But anyway, ah ah, but you write.

45:14.61
wearabletakeover
You have to be able to see that and so it is so easy to become bitter but it's so easy to become bitter institutions that told you no to people that ignored you.

45:17.33
Dawn Myers
Okay, more.

45:25.38
wearabletakeover
To people that may have been having a bad day and you didn't realize they were a human being and they and they scuffed you off right? and you could be holding on to that stuff for two or three years how how do I know this because I did it I lived it and I have to continuously work I still have to do this too right? And so dawn. Thank you thank you for.

45:29.36
Dawn Myers
Are. Here.

45:43.66
wearabletakeover
That notion and I had to I had to belabor that point because ultimately our overall health is impacted by what we hold onto this. Not good for us.

45:53.20
Dawn Myers
Absolutely can you give us the name of that book that you're reading. Yeah, and yeah.

45:57.46
wearabletakeover
Oh yeah, wait I just took it upstairs wait I'll put it in the show notes and I'll send it to you too with but it's actually by a minister but then also on the forgiveness piece. There's a book a yala bandzant she I can't remember that particular book. But if you look it up. Is there folks.

46:12.27
Dawn Myers
Um.

46:16.61
wearabletakeover
And then also shameless plug my own story rejection to reward. It's the on Amazon but I'll I'll link all those other books. But yeah I highly recommend starting a year off with ayla with her forgiveness book and then this other minister I'm gonna have to Google it while we's sitting here.

46:18.93
Dawn Myers
9

46:32.54
wearabletakeover
Um I can't believe I literally took it upstairs a day because I was reading and I normally have it downstairs when I'm in my little podcast reading room but it really highlighted how foolish we can be right and then at the end of the day if you Ho onto a f you are a fool you are.

46:43.38
Dawn Myers
Then.

46:51.94
wearabletakeover
Sorry folks who's like your ego you know, just got bruised but is real and I realized that I was holding onto things that I thought was maybe last year or or yesteryear it was more than that and I was like this is dumb. Oh my gosh have I changed I'm sure they probably have or maybe.

46:54.00
Dawn Myers
Yeah.

47:10.90
wearabletakeover
I can look at this through a different lens and empathize or maybe understand that maybe they weren't able to move at that time because there's certain things where their hands are Tied. So Even if you still don't get that. Yes, it helps you to empathize it helps you to understand the process. Because when you are successful and you will be if you follow these tips that dawn has given you if you follow the tips that we've been laying out for you during this entire Podcast. You're going to find yourself in a position of a decision maker and you're going to need some grace at some point in time. So Why don't you go ahead and practice that grace right here.

47:44.71
Dawn Myers
That's right.

47:47.78
wearabletakeover
And know that what is for you is for you and what hasn't opened up for you yet is strengthening you. It's making you wiser. Okay, so that's that's all.

47:57.70
Dawn Myers
Yes, yes, all of that double Click Double Quadrubook click.

48:05.66
wearabletakeover
Ah, oh my go dawn I'm doing like we're we can talk for hours and folks one day one day we go't get this funding from our retreat and we're gonna have dolan there and then y'llkatrati we could do a slummer party and do a hair hair night and all that other good stuff is be so know 5 stars.

48:10.27
Dawn Myers
Yes.

48:20.33
Dawn Myers
And be so fine.

48:25.38
wearabletakeover
Fivester cause y'all know that's only way I do it 5 star but dawn. Um, your story is so amazing. You are a true inspiration. You are opening doors opening opportunities. There's just so much that could be said. But. Folks I want you to look at what you have in your hair care area at home and if you don't have the mint. Let's start by following dawn at dawn. It was the most right and then dawn.

48:56.81
Dawn Myers
That's correct.

48:59.92
wearabletakeover
Are they able to purchase the mint are they able to invest and I know we got to be careful. You know what scc and all the other type of stuff but let me put it this way. How can folks best support you when they hear this episode.

49:06.97
Dawn Myers
Um, show when Boom That's right, That's yeah, well what I can say is thats.

49:17.28
wearabletakeover
I.

49:19.21
Dawn Myers
Ah, you know the community is everything so absolutely follow me at dawn does the most follow the company at get ritualist. We're on Tiktok we're on Ig we're everywhere but you know most importantly, just tell your friends about what we're doing right help.

49:30.84
wearabletakeover
Load it.

49:37.68
Dawn Myers
Spread the word about the fact that we have built this black focused black lead innovation. We are solidly in growth mode. It took us a solid five and a half years to get this product to market. We just got it to market a few months ago and look we sell we sold out.

49:48.15
wearabletakeover
Yeah.

49:55.37
Dawn Myers
So you can't buy it right now. Good and bad news. We're sold out but we will be back in stock in 2024 and the demand is going to be tough so you want to be on my email list. You want to be on our sms list so that you know exactly.

50:04.43
wearabletakeover
Yeah, and so.

50:11.16
Dawn Myers
When that drop drops so you can get your mint.

50:14.19
wearabletakeover
Oh My gosh we got to do something special when the drop happens like I want to like I feel like dancing when the drop happens all right folks you heard it here from Dawn does the most dawn myers doing um you have so much. So much to share are there any other words of wisdom you want to give to our listeners and to our viewers before we hit on out. So.

50:35.90
Dawn Myers
This is look at the end of the day. It's about just keep going right? like we could talk all day about the emotional stuff and the just keep going find a way to keep going.

50:49.33
wearabletakeover
I love it. Keep going. You heard it here first from the history maker right here. 1 of the ah black women in the country that has raised a million dollars and more she's made corporate partnerships. As she came from a nontraditional background. She's laying the game and she is taking time out to talk to you which is near and dear to my heart any founder that will ah take a break from their grind to share their wisdom. With not only me but our community means an incredible lot. So folks. Let's give it up for dawn the most myers.

51:26.15
Dawn Myers
You all You guys are too kind. You're too community there. Thank you so much for having me.

51:31.23
wearabletakeover
All right folks and so you have I think 1 more episode before we close out season 3 but you note the season was fire so make sure you share this episode make sure you're following dawn on ig all of our other channels and then listen. What wisdom and Jim she's dropping as well on Linkedin. This is not the last. Okay, this may be your introduction but this is not the last. We'll see you soon. Bye.