5 Minutes with Founder of Spicy Dan Danielle Meyer, UT

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Meet Danielle Meyer aka Spicy Dan from the University of Texas – Austin. From a side project to a full-fledge business, Danielle created Spicy Dan – designing jewelry inspired by the idea of fun yet casual style influences of the city. Her path through rejection and redirection is nothing short of extraordinary.

What Inspired Spicy Dan?

What's a Moment Before/After Grad that Really Shaped You?

Before graduation – I was desperate to get an internship in New York the summer between my Junior and Senior year of college. I applied and interviewed with countless of dream companies until I finally received an offer from WeWork. The only catch was that all New York internship slots were filled and the position was in the Austin, TX office. Even though I was less than thrilled about spending the Summer in Austin, I accepted. That summer changed my life. I gained meaningful work experience, formed a priceless relationship with my intern boss (shoutout Carly - she is still one of my close friends and mentors 10 years later), and gained a new love for my college town.

This experience taught me to be more open minded to opportunities that I would have never considered before. Because of this experience, I ultimately decided to stay in Austin, TX after graduation. The fun yet casual style influences of the city ultimately inspired me to start my jewelry line just a few years later. 

After graduation – Getting rejected from what I thought was my dream job. I applied to a role at a huge VC fund, M13, and reached the final round before absolutely choking in my conversation with one of the Managing Partners. At that point I was working as a Product Manager at a massive financial services company and not only did I hate my job, but I was also really bad at it. I hated going to the office, I hated joining meetings, and my work misery was bleeding into my personal life. I saw this opportunity at M13 as more than a new job, but as a gateway into happiness (I am a drama queen too btw).

I put so much pressure on getting this job that when I received the rejection I was inconsolable for days. Ultimately, I promised myself that instead of spending my free time applying for new jobs I would focus on growing Spicy Dan. At that point I had been working on it as a side project for the year and a half prior, but I lacked the confidence to take it seriously. That rejection changed everything. I came home and began churning out new styles, emailing influencers, retailers, manufacturers, potential partners - literally shooting for the stars. Three months after that rejection I had my first big break through an influencer (shoutout Hannah Chody). Because the M13 rejection had switched my mindset on my brand I was mentally prepared to take my 15 minutes of fame and grow it into the brand it is today. I guess this is a super long winded way of saying rejection is redirection. 

How has Your Idea of Success Changed Over Time?

I no longer need external validation to determine my capabilities or my success. My friends, family, former coworkers, acquaintances, etc. thought I was absolutely insane when I quit my job at a fancy company with a fancy title to sell jewelry. Everyone assumed I was just selling handmade pieces on Etsy. While they weren't entirely wrong, only I knew my monthly revenue and understood my potential as a designer. I think people (my former self included) saw success as titles, awards, and accolades, but I've grown to see success as both my ability to support myself doing what I love and my ability to improve my skills every day as a designer and business owner.

What's Your Favorite Place in the World? Why?

I still love Austin, TX. I have such amazing memories there both during and after college. I always get sentimental when I think about the fun Austin activities I would do with my family and friends - specifically walking the trail and eating medium fatty tuna at Uchi with my dad. My dad and I also went to Eeyore's Birthday in Pease Park together one time which was a hoot (iykyk).

What's One Piece of Advice You Would Give Future Graduates?

All experiences will lead you to your dream role, even if it doesn't feel that way. I started my career in tech sales, pivoted to venture capital and product management prior to starting my brand. I was a certified personality hire, however, I learned so many skills including sales, prioritizing workloads, advocating for yourself in the workplace, influencing stakeholders, analyzing data, and more. Working in the wrong role can feel cumbersome, however, the skills you take away are translatable to anything and will help you land your dream job sooner rather than later. 

Huge thanks Danielle for sharing your amazing story with us! We can't wait to see Spicy Dan continue to inspire and succeed <3

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