you delve into your career background and how your path led you to becoming a brand founder? Danielle Meyer: I founded the brand in 2023 after spending six years in corporate America. I had four jobs in both tech sales and finance, and I was a personality hire at all of them. In late 2022, I was at the lowest point in my career. I hated my job as a product manager, and on top of that, I was also bad at it and had a decent amount of credit card debt. Meanwhile, all my life, I had been a creative person, studying art history at the University of Texas and making jewellery over the years, especially during college and over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. A close friend of mine from my first job in tech sales had recently quit corporate America because her side quest as a makeup artist had taken off, and she was absolutely killing it. I went to an event she was hosting for other makeup artists and creatives and left thinking, “Why not me?” That night, I went on Squarespace and started a website. At the time, I didn’t intend for it to be a full-time career; I was just hoping it would be a fun hobby that could also bring in some extra income. Shortly after creating the website, I incorporated Spicy Dan in March 2023, and then, in April 2023, my dad passed away fairly unexpectedly. To cope, I put all my time into Spicy Dan, creating jewellery and building the brand. A year later, I knew that I wanted to do this full time, but that felt like an unrealistic dream. In my best months, I was bringing in $4,000 in total revenue, and in my worst months, I was only bringing in a few hundred. Then I cold DM’ed Hannah Chody, a fashion and lifestyle influencer, and asked if she wanted to try a few pieces. She said yes, and I sent her two of my favourites. She organically began wearing them in her videos and, all of a sudden, a video of her talking about Sweetgreen was flooded with comments from followers asking, “Where is your necklace from?” I went from making $4,000 in my best month to making $4,000 in 48 hours. It was crazy. While that video was going viral, I took the time to reach out to every influencer I wanted to get the pieces on. I ended up connecting with a few other noteworthy influencers, including Tinx, Chelsea Parke, Brett’s Bites, Sophie Cohen, Lady Diana May, The Glow Scout and Aimee Kelly. Their collective spotlight really gave my brand the boost I needed to become more “legit,” and by July 2024, I brought in $55,000 in sales. At that point, I had been working two full-time jobs before I decided to go all in on Spicy Dan in November 2024. IR: In an industry as hypercompetitive and saturated as the accessories market, how does Spicy Dan stand out from its competitors?  DM: I definitely have a strong sense of personal style. I love bright colours, statement pieces, doing something daring and unexpected, and that’s the approach I brought to Spicy Dan. The bright colours, the fun world we built around the brand with dark backgrounds and neon yellows, statement carabiners and unique textures really stood out in a market that was flooded with minimalism, especially in early 2023. During our early success, the product really spoke for itself, but it wasn’t until we designed a piece with Hannah Chody, dubbed “Dante,” that we were really able to stand out in a big way. A combination of the recognisable silhouette and Hannah Chody’s endorsement really elevated both the design and the brand. Our collaboration utilised gorgeous dark emerald greens and our signature carabiner in gold to create a piece that was universally wearable while still fitting into the out-of-this-world, spicy, edgy world we had created around the brand. This generated not only sales (over $100,000) but also a ton of brand recognition. We do not operate on a drop model. We like to test pieces on a drop model, but we always make sure there is enough to go around. As far as marketing goes, I am still trying to figure out what works best for us. I find that running the brand in a way that feels authentic, community-forward and fun, while continuing to create statement pieces that are unique yet wearable, has worked for us so far. I would love to continue refining our marketing strategy as we continue to grow. IR: What were the toughest challenges you faced in the initial stages of launching and running the brand? What strategies did you incorporate to overcome these issues? DM: Initially, I had trouble keeping up with demand. I briefly hired women from Facebook Marketplace to come to my apartment and bead jewellery for me at my kitchen table while I was juggling a corporate job and running Spicy Dan. However, that was definitely not a sustainable option. Also, self-funding a brand is really hard. I am currently at a place where I need to figure out how to manage our working capital. IR: What goals do you hope to achieve with Spicy Dan over the next year and over the next five years? DM: I struggle with plotting out future plans sometimes. Right now, I really love collaborating with other brands that I admire. I recently collaborated with designer Alice Marcuz on a collection of customizable neon enamel collar necklaces with charms that align well with both our brands. It’s been so fun getting to be collaboratively creative while still staying true to our brand ethos and our customers. Additionally, I would love to continue expanding our partnerships and collaborations, both in the fashion space and beyond. It would be great to partner with beauty brands like Rhode, Rare Beauty and Fenty Beauty on some sort of lip gloss holder. I am also a huge fan of the Knicks and just did a collaboration with Stoney Clover Lane and ’47, a premium sports lifestyle brand, during this past playoff series, which could not have been more fun. In addition to partnerships, I love creating in-person activations for our community. I put so much thought into the customizable aspect of our website, which allows customers to “build” their own necklace online, and I hope to create more opportunities for taking that part of our brand offline as well. In 2026–2027, we are really focusing on creating meaningful in-person experiences where customers can see the collection in person and touch and feel the product. IR: What is your current favourite SKU from the brand? DM: We recently launched a collaboration with another small jewellery brand, Created by AM. Where Spicy Dan is known for layerable, everyday, colourful statement jewellery, Created by AM is known for understated yet noteworthy gold collars. We used its collar design and Spicy Dan’s bright enamel processes to create neon collars that can be customised with charms from both of our collections. I know I’m biased, but they really pair perfectly together. IR: What is a piece of advice you would give to the day-one version of yourself on your brand founder journey? DM: Work doesn’t need to be miserable. You don’t need to be miserable. You can achieve success outside of a corporate environment. Your dreams aren’t unrealistic at all. You aren’t dumb. Put yourself out there. Not everyone will understand what you’re building, and that’s okay. Further reading: How Korean-American fine jewellery brand Kinn is turning into a modern heritage houseFurther reading: Jeweller Musson opens Sydney flagship