No One Believed in Them So They Scaled Into a National Brand with Millions in Sales | Ep. 279 Emily Scott Co-Founder Dance Happy Designs

0:04so emily scott i mean what you've done is you know incredible and you've really break in you've broken a lot of barriers. And I think a lot of people will be inspired today. You co-founded Dance Happy Designs with Julia, who is your co-founder and also somebody who has Down syndrome. How has your partnership worked day to day? And what's the biggest thing that she has taught you around leadership and what's possible? Thanks for having me, Daniel. And my partnership with Julia has changed significantly over the years, not because we wanted it to, but because it had to. In January of 2020, two months before the global pandemic, Julia unfortunately was diagnosed with a really aggressive type of leukemia.

0:51So she's been unable to work in the same capacity that she had been up until that point. Now, almost six years later, she's still actively receiving treatment, but we do try to work as closely as possible given the constraints we have to keep her safe. That being said, when we first started, we worked very closely together daily as Julia was part of every step of the process. We create screen print textile goods like cosmetic bags, tote bags, home decor, those types of things. So everything from designing, printing, order fulfillment, social media, you name it, Julia was with me every step of the way.

1:30At that point in time, I also had another business. It was a brick and mortar clothing store. So I had converted the store's basement into our print studio. Julia would be downstairs printing with another team member during the day. And at night, I sewed the fabric into products and actually sold them in my store. We were testing out to see was there a market for the kinds of products that we're making. But Julia does like being involved every step and makes her feel seen and valued. And in those days when she was healthy, I would break down tasks for her into smaller steps so that she could learn to repeat those smaller steps and take on the tasks independently herself.

2:11She took 100 % ownership of very specific things. And I learned a lot of patience and how to slow down, most especially just because something takes longer to do or the process looks a little different. it doesn't make it bad or wrong. And I learned that ultimately, as long as the tasks got done and they got done well, that was the most important part. I have learned a lot about Julia and business and leadership over the years. Dance Happy is not my first business, but it is definitely my favorite one. I've also learned that leadership isn't really about hierarchy. It's more about creating the space where everyone can contribute their strengths.

2:53Julia really leads through her personality and the pride of the work that she has. So that's how she shows up as a leader. And I've learned a lot from her about that. Working with Julia has also really taught me to slow down, be a better communicator, and celebrate the small wins rather than just looking at the big ones. When it comes to challenging assumptions, you know, I think every time someone met Julia at an event in the past, or even when they see her work now on the shelves of a mass retailer, it really shifts their perceptions of what's possible for people with disabilities. And I think as we continue to grow our brands, we're going to have a much broader ripple effect as we continue to grow and more and more people see our products.

3:39And my partnership with Julia truly is a collaboration. It's not a charity. We are co-building something together, something meaningful that contributes to the economy, creates jobs, and changes how people see ability. What we're doing, we're trying to prove that people like Julia, who are historically overlooked, can have successful businesses if they're given an opportunity to prove themselves first. And I think that's something really important and not really seen in the market yet. That's amazing. And I always like to see when business entrepreneurship can change the perspectives around people and it can even bring people together, which is incredible.

4:24So when you launched Dance Happy Designs, what pushback did you get building a business around employing people with disabilities? And did you prove that it could be meaningful and profitable? Yeah, we have gotten there have been so many things over the years. I think the biggest two things, the biggest two pushbacks really have been around stigma and viability. So there is a stigma around people who have disabilities and about their quality of work or the things that they produce being less than. And that's just not the case. I remember within the first two years of Dance Happy, we were doing a lot of makers markets and pop-ups and those types of events to build up a customer base.

5:10And without fail, every single market that we did, at least one person, if not more, would come up to us. And before they even touched our products, they would say something like, oh, these are pretty. Oh, but how's the quality? And every time that happens, two things went through my head. the first one being Julia is right next to me I mean she can literally hear you she understands you she's an adult she's not a kid right that's just a rude comment to make and then the second thing that would get through my head is why was that the very first thing that came to their minds when they saw our products our products are very colorful and bright and happy and cheerful but the first thing I thought when they saw Julia was I wonder how the quality is I could understand having that impression if they had picked up a bag and it was flimsy and they're like, oh, is this going to survive the first time I use it?

6:01But they would say these things to us without even picking up a bag first. They hadn't even taken the two seconds to do that. And if they had taken the two seconds to pick up a bag first before saying anything, what they would have found is that we use a really high quality canvas. It's really heavyweight, super durable. our zippers slide smoothly you know if they flip the bag inside out they would have seen nicely bound seams the stitching's really tight we take a lot of pride in how high quality our bags are so you know from day one julia and i always have been in alignment that we wanted our products to be the best in the market and i mean i know that everyone wants their products to be the best in the market but what i mean is that because of the stigma attached to people with disabilities we felt like we were having to go like even further, right?

6:53Having to really have even stricter quality control than I think we necessarily needed to. But we take a lot of pride in the fact that our products are beautifully designed. They're made with premium materials and they show exceptional American craftsmanship. So we are thinking that this is what should be seen in the market when someone sees a disability co-founder brand like ours, they should see these really high quality products. But instead, we felt that time and time again, we are having to climb a steeper and taller mountain than I think a lot of other accessories brands need to climb simply because of our founding team.

7:36I will say the other pushback we get a lot is about viability. and we've gotten this question this year in particular a lot because we are in the process of fundraising so we get this question from like investors and there just seems to be some sort of skepticism around whether or not we're a real company if we're scalable rather than just a feel-good project and whenever I'm presented with that I think about how you know we we've been a business for almost 10 years. We've been profitable for five years. We have mass retail partnerships. You know, we have really strong unit economics, really healthy margins.

8:17And I feel like one could argue that if our founding team looked a little more traditional, a company with our track record might not get as much pushback as we currently get on this. But it seems like our unique qualities kind of throw a wrench into people's minds about what we are doing and what we can do. I think when you peel away everything that makes Dance Happy special, at its core, you have a traditional CPG brand with strong traction and mass retail demand. We can produce, distribute, scale like any other CPG brand. But our team and our designs and our mission are what make us stand out in the market.

8:59So we have proven time and time again that we can meet these really big deadlines with mass retailers. We maintain consistency and we deliver a really high quality product that can hold its own in a very competitive market. We've talked to some of the most incredible founders, super successful people. And I think a lot of times they faced some sort of stigma in the marketplace. And many times that was their fuel. Like you're saying, people didn't believe in them. No investor wanted to invest. And it always seemed like that was a big motivational point for them to prove like, I'm going to make this more and more successful, even though it's almost an uphill battle.

9:46I'm going to do this to prove people wrong. Do you feel like this for you? I understand you have an incredible mission and the people that you're helping. But in the internal fire for you, personally, do you feel like it was extra ignition because of the stigma or the questions that people give to you knowing that maybe your founding team looks more unique or different than the typical company or the typical team that would start a company? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, I feel that fire every day. I love what I do. I believe in it wholeheartedly but I don't like being told I can't do something right like and like in the sense of oh you'll never be able to make it I'm like watch me and watch her because what we're doing is very unusual right there are other disability founded brands in the market but no one's really doing what we're doing to this level with the high caliber of partnerships that we've had and the traction that we've had and just even things in the pipeline like I'm really, really excited for next year.

10:50But when they when I hear that from especially investors or someone who just were just, we're different enough or too outside the box. They're like, I don't know, is this going to scale? I'm like, it's literally a product brand. Yes, it can definitely scale, you know, with the right resources 1000%. We, you know, we choose to produce our products in America, but it's still manufactured. So we can absolutely ramp that up anytime you need to with the right POs, with the right resources. But I do think that helps keep things going in the challenging times, right? As having that fire of, I want to prove that we can do this.

11:26I want to be the first to hit eight figures, nine figures, whatever, as a Down syndrome co-founder brand. I want to be doing so much good in the world. I genuinely believe that companies can do good and make a lot of money in the process. I don't think it's either or. And so that's what we're trying to prove. It's like we can uplift an historically marginalized community. We can make products that are beautiful and are American crafted. And we can make a lot of money. So like, let's do it. Like, I think that's a really cool, cool thing to work on, knowing that we're, we're doing good in the world.

12:04We're always very mindful of our impact across our supply chain so even just the inks that we use and like where we source our fabric from very very mindful of our impact as a brand across the board so yeah absolutely i think the naysayers are there for a reason because i'm like watch like we're going to show you what we're going to do in the next five years i think it's going to be pretty incredible i love that and then when you know after that happens in the next few years you'll be talking on the stage about how it was successful. And it always happens, right? Then you have to look back and see all the people that didn't take the chance to get on board and they're going to be sad about it.

12:45But Dance Happy has become the first Down Syndrome co-founded brand at Nordstrom, which is aligned with what you were just talking about with breaking down barriers in your industry. You're also at Target.com. You said these aren't pity buys. what's your advice for founders trying to be taken seriously and get the same kind of credibility yes i am i definitely i always say our mass retail partnerships are not pity buys especially when you look at from the lens of you have a multi-million multi-billion dollar corporation they're not just handing out six figure seven figure purchase orders to pat themselves on the back right so everything they do is strategic and they are giving us a valuable shelf space because not because they feel sorry for us but because our products aren't really good and they sell well i think at his heart we've we've proven that dan's happy is not just a feel-good brand but it's a sell-through brand we had an opportunity with airy airy was actually the first mass retailer to pick us up.

13:51And 2019, that's when everything changed for us. And we had a collection with them in the holiday season. It sold out in two weeks. So I think at that point, it was just that was the fuel that just like lifted our rocket that just started there. And we've been going ever since. So I think advice for other founders is it is really tough, right? It's really tough to be seen, especially when you're a small brand with no resources. We're fully bootstrapped, right? But we've done these amazing things so far. It's so hard competing against giant marketing budgets of other businesses and ones that are established and household names.

14:30But what I've learned over the years is that visibility isn't just about shouting louder than everyone. It's really about standing for what you believe in and standing up for things that are real. I think customers in particular respond well to authenticity and feeling like they're part of something bigger than just themselves. I also think there's a big power in being niche. We've never tried to be everything to everyone. It's just it's not going to work. Our products, as I said earlier, are very bold and happy and cheerful and bright. That's actually why we're called dance happy. We just want people to be so happy from our products.

15:07They're dancing. That is not for everyone. Totally understand that. And I think that's completely OK. So I think you have to be okay with the fact that you're not going to be for everyone, but go for the people who love what you're doing, love your aesthetic, love your product, whatever it is. Go for those people and don't worry about everyone else. We've really leaned into being this joyful, inclusive American-made accessories brand over the years. And I think that clarity has also helped retailers know where we fit in because we're either going to fit in with their product assortment or we're not.

15:39And again, that's okay. I think if we try to blend in, we're just going to get lost, right? We're looking too much like everyone else. So we don't want to disappear. We want to be authentically ourselves. And that same vein, I felt like the moment we really embraced what makes us so different is when all the big doors started opening for us. As I mentioned, the Aerie was our first mass retailer. That's like the big public, you know, moment that changed Dan's happy's future. but there is a very distinct moment that I can pinpoint that happened before that that I see as like the true catalyst of our trajectory changing uh at that time it was a very small moment but I have been struck over the years by the power of small moments and their significantly larger impact down the road now it's something that you don't really see at the time but like later down, you're like, oh my gosh, this happened because of the work I put in down here.

16:40So in March of 2019, I got invited to speak Tory Burch Foundation Embrace Ambition event. They had an open call for speakers. And so at that point, Dan's Happy was still very new. I was like, oh, let's just talk about the cool things we're working on. I love Tory Burch. So shoot your shot, right? You never know. I got selected as one of the three speakers for this event. So I went, it was just outside of Philadelphia. I went to this event, told my story about Dan's Happy, what we were building. Again, a very small company at that time. And afterwards, a woman came up to me and said, I love what you said.

17:20Do you have a card? I was like, oh yeah, I do. And she's like, I'm Ellen. Like really lovely. I love what you're doing. 10, 15 second interaction. That was it. That was extended. Didn't think much of it until three weeks later, I get an email from a buyer at Aerie and she said, Ellen passed along your information and said, we should look into your brand. It turns out this woman in the audience was so high up in Aerie, she actually helped to name the brand. And she was so struck by what I said that she looked us up. She liked the products, sent it to her buying team and just said, if this looks like a good thing for you guys, go ahead, but here's her information.

17:57So that small moment, that tiny 10, 15 second moment started the wheels in motion for everything changing for us. And I think my final piece of advice for founders is to say yes, because there are opportunities like that. You know, if it makes any sort of sense to say yes to something, just do it. Like, say yes and figure out the details later. Don't get bogged down by the details. I think you should say yes to any opportunity that might even have the slightest chance of putting you in the right place at the right time. Because you never know who's going to be in the room with you, who's listening to your story, or who could be that one person who would literally change everything for you.

18:41It reminds me of a story recently where somebody was saying that they were speaking to like 12 people. And one of those people just happened to be connected to Oprah, passed along their information, same thing. They're like, I could have not gone because it was so small of an audience. But I love that Emily, like this one woman and you resonated so much with this one woman in the audience, very short interaction. And then she recommended but if you never went, if you if you didn't shoot your shot, like you said, if you didn't apply to something, if you didn't feel that you were big enough, or that you you didn't deserve enough, or you You shouldn't do this, which I think a lot of founders do, right?

19:22It's like you're building, building, building, and oh, am I ready for this? Should I do this? Should I do that? But if you're not taking those risks, those opportunities, then you will never scale. You will never grow. But I think one thing that comes across with you that I get from our short interaction is you are unapologetically authentic. and not just on what you're doing, like who you are, but what you're doing. And I think so many people can take away from what you said around, you can't be everything to everyone. Be the best that you can be at what you're doing and don't try to blend in or change for others, especially when it comes to retailers and such, because we know being in retail, it can make or break companies.

20:10It sounds great, but sometimes it could actually be the worst thing for a company depending on what happens. So Emily, this has been amazing. I'm super, super inspired by what you and Julia are doing and what you've already accomplished. I can't wait to hear how your raise goes and what happens in 2026. I'm sure it's going to be incredible. And when you sell for hundreds of millions of dollars and you're on stage somewhere and I see you talking there, I'm going to say I remember when I spoke to Emily. back in 2025. But if people want to get in touch with you, they want to find out more information, maybe they're investors, maybe they want to buy the product, how can they do so?

20:49Yeah, we have a website, dancehappydesigns.com, designs with an S. But I'm always happy to chat. So you're welcome to send me an email, emily at dancehappydesigns.com. And or follow us on Instagram, dance.happy.designs. There used to be a lot more videos of Julia dancing on there. it's more product based now but um when she's feeling better i'm sure there'll be you'll see videos of behind the scenes us getting work done in the office and julia busting a move so um thank you daniel so much for this i really appreciate your time it's great chatting with you if i was there in person we were having this discussion i would be dancing with you while we're having the interview because it it is it's something to be said when you start dancing whether you think you can dance or not it actually it's something about that that just makes people happy so i could see the correlation with the products.

21:40The name, it really sticks with you. The name plus on top of that, you have incredible quality. So I can't wait to check this out. But thank you so much for joining us and all that you do to inspire the next generation. I can't wait for other people, whatever their situation in life is, whether it's a physical thing, a mental, if their challenges our just daily life, if they can accomplish something like what you've done, I'm sure the world would be a better place. So thank you so much for joining us today. Thanks, Daniel. I appreciate it.