Dani Holloway is the CEO & Founder of Merry People. And she wears her boots every day, rain hail or shine.
Merry People is a gumboot company that Dani founded in 2014 and has bootstrapped the business (literally) to where it is today.
Dani grew up on a farm in Leongatha, South Gippsland and moved to Melbourne for University and work. Seeking a city appropriate gumboot and unable to find any she loved, Dani decided to have a go at creating her own. Using all her savings to fly to China, find a supplier, purchase moulds/make her first order. Dani left her banking job and sold her boots every weekend at farmers markets for 12 months, in an effort to try and grow her business.
“It was really challenging being in my early 30’s and starting again in my career. If I didn’t sell enough boots at the markets, I would sell my clothes on eBay to help cover my rent which was really hard at times,” she said. ” However I think the experience gave me more hustle and hunger to make Merry People work. It taught me to pay attention to my margins, not over capitalise and it also gave me the opportunity to meet and learn about my amazing customers!”
Dani is trying to change the perception of the humble gumboot, from a daggy occasional product, to an everyday fashionable staple that can be worn city to county, morning to night!
Dani now has a team of 7 based in Collingwood, with third party warehouses in Australia, the USA and the UK. She was named in the Top 50 people in Australian eCommerce for 2020 for Inside Retail, coming in at #12 and given an award ‘The One to Watch’. Dani’s business has grown 200% year-on-year over the last 5 years.
Outside Merry People Dani is busy being a mother to 6 month old Jack and 2 year old labrador Sadie. Her fiancé Nick Pearce is the CEO co-founder of Melbourne social enterprise HoMie. “We are both really passionate about our careers and making a difference in the world,” Dani adds. “I love to exercise, travel and enjoy catching up with my friends and family (especially when it’s over a wine!) – however my time outside work and motherhood is limited as I am still trying to figure out the balance at the moment.”
