“From Avocation To Vocation: How I Turned My Hobby Into A Career” with Davina Farahi CEO & Founder of Shaya

As a part of our series about entrepreneurs who transformed something they did for fun into a full-time career, I had the pleasure of interviewing Davina Farahi, CEO & Founder of Shaya.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?

I grew up in Reno Nevada with two, fresh off the boat, Persian parents. I grew up balancing the individualistic culture of modern America, and strong community focused ideology that comes from having two immigrant parents. It was challenging growing up constantly questioning how I would approach decisions while trying to stay connected to Persian culture. This challenge made me a lot stronger in some ways, and very disoriented in others. I think it’s what ultimately led me to getting my dog, Baby G. I came back from a year long study abroad program my junior year, to an internal struggle of figuring out who I was and what I wanted. It left me with feelings of depression, which is when my family and I decided that getting a dog could help resolve these feelings. The rest is history!

What was the catalyst from transforming your hobby or something you love into a business? Can you share the story of your “ah ha” moment with us?

There were really two “ah ha” moments during this journey. The first came after six months of having Baby G and carrying her around in some truly tacky pet carriers. My mom poked fun at me, walking around with these ugly bags. That was the impedice to creating what we call Prototype 0, which involved me taking one of my very nice tote bags and working with a cobbler to retrofit it for Baby G. The second moment came three and a half years later, when I was on the subway in NYC. A woman was carrying her small dog in a Longchamp bag and I could just see the dog struggling to get comfortable in such a flimsy bag. The dog ended up jumping out of the bag while on their owner’s shoulder. I realized then that humans needed an alternative option to what’s currently available in the market and pets needed carriers that were actually meant for them.

There are no shortage of good ideas out there, but people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. How did you overcome this challenge?

I’m still overcoming the challenge of figuring out our business as we go along. I went to Columbia for my MBA, but I still didn’t feel like I knew what I was doing when I started this venture. I consider myself lucky to have started this venture with my family members — each of whom has helped shape the businesses in some way. When it comes to financials, taxes, and whatnot, my father has been instrumental in keeping us on the right track. While family businesses are not at all easy, I know that my “team members” want the best for me and our company, and there is no substitute for that.

What advice would you give someone who has a hobby or pastime that they absolutely love but is reluctant to do it for a living?

It all depends on whether you’re starting a new venture or joining a company that happens to be engaging in your hobby. If you are going to start a business of your own, I would recommend taking the time to speak with as many people as possible in terms of market research, to make sure its not only a need, but one that people are willing to pay for. During these conversations, try to be vague and talk around the idea, rather than just asking if it’s something they need. People don’t always realize what they need or what they are willing to pay for — it’s your job to do some investigating. It’s also important to seek their candid, unbiased feedback.

If you are considering joining another company in the field you’re interested in, I say go for it!

It’s said that the quickest way to take the fun out of doing something is to do it for a living. How do you keep from changing something you love into something you dread? How do you keep it fresh and enjoyable?

I can totally see how people start to lose their passion once it becomes a full time job. When you start a new venture, it’s impossible to only focus on the parts you love — you have to have a hand in everything (including finances). If you’re anything like me, writing budget proposals and keeping Quickbooks updated can quickly become draining and end up ruining your day. I haven’t found a way around this feeling. Instead, I remind myself that once we have proof of concept and enough success, I can hire people to help in those areas so I can focus on the parts I love: meeting fellow pet parents and designing product.

What is it that you enjoy most about running your own business? What are the downsides of running your own business? Can you share what you did to overcome these drawbacks?

I enjoy nothing more than testing out a new product with Baby G. Each time we receive a prototype, we spend days really figuring out what we like and dislike. Yes, Baby G also gives her input. The first prototype we made of our carrier had the internal pet pocket without a zipper, so it was always open. She’d jump in and get her foot stuck in the pocket each time. After a while, she stopped jumping into the carrier and would look at the pocket and then at me. That’s when I knew we needed to add a zipper! As my own target demographic, testing a product out on myself — and in this case, my dog — helps me to perfect it before I take it to market.

Can you share what was the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?

Before founding Shaya, I was at Columbia getting my MBA. During that year and a half, I got to hear from so many entrepreneurs about their experiences and their advice. This gave me the false perception that once I left I would be able to speak to fellow entrepreneurs candidly and get their advice as well. I’ve found, with a few exceptions, that founders and company leaders can be extremely closed off outside of a school setting. Everything is secretive — from who their shoot photographer is, to where they get their packaging from. It’s really unfortunate, but it also makes me value the few people who have been so open about their experience and resources.

Has there ever been a moment when you thought to yourself “I can’t take it anymore, I’m going to get a “real” job? If so how did you overcome it?

I think this EVERYDAY. I wake up and my first thought is “Am I making a mistake?” What’s really helped me is re-reading startup stories where founders talk about how long it took to really develop a following. It’s silly, but when I can see that other people faced the same challenges, I feel more confident in the process.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

First, I have to say that I hate the word “mistake!” It has such a negative connotation, so I prefer to use ‘misstep.’ One of the funniest missteps I have taken in founding Shaya was asking pet owners how much they would pay for a luxury pet carrier (the answer averaged $100). I was instantly discouraged because I could never make a bag in Italy at that price, but I didn’t want to sacrifice on quality either. After that, I changed my line of questioning and got the answers I was looking for. This goes back to your earlier question about what to do when considering starting a company. When asked point blank without context, people won’t give always give true, honest answers.

After I finished freaking out, I began to talk to people about what they wanted in a carrier, and would direct my questions from there. Would you buy the bag if it was sold in Bergdorf? What is the last luxury purchase you made, and how much was it? What were the last two purchases you made for your pet? These questions really allowed me to understand their psyche and get “true” answers to what I was asking. It’s basic, but this really showed me that I needed to go about solving problems from multiple angles before making a determination on the right direction for moving forward.

Who has inspired or continues to inspire you to be a great leader? Why?

My mom is one of my greatest inspirations. She immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager, and was briefly separated from her parents during the process. When she was younger, she worked multiple jobs to help her family. When she had me and my three siblings, she dedicated her life to raising us, and building us a good home. She may not have started a company, but she lead my siblings and I to become who we are today. Having such a great influence growing up is what allowed me to succeed in both my academic and professional life, as well as in my personal one.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

From day one, our family agreed that we would donate a portion of sales to a nonprofit that helped connect and keep humans and pets together. For every purchase made, we donate a portion to Disco’s Dogs. The nonprofit takes shelter dogs (when possible) and trains them to be service dogs for children with special needs who could otherwise not afford one. We also use all of our platforms to talk about Disco’s Dogs and why we think it’s important to champion causes you care about.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

1. It would have been great if someone had told me how long the production process takes. When my father asked me how long I needed to get Shaya off the ground I responded, “I’ll do it in nine to 11 months.” By some miracle we launched a little after 11 months, but my case is not normal. Maybe if I had produced my bags somewhere other than Italy, we could have launched within nine, but our bag would not be what it is today. Accessories design takes rounds of prototyping and sampling before you can start production, which for our bags, takes three to four months. This was something I had to learn along the way.

2. If the people you are hiring are your friends, you are doing something wrong. I have a natural desire to be friendly with people, but it’s the wrong mentality when hiring. There needs to be clear boundaries between you and the people that work for you. Whether it be staff, a supplier, or manufacturer, it’s important that you respect each other and have the ability to have tough conversations when necessary. That is extremely hard to do if you see each other as friends.

3. Don’t apologize. About six months into the development process for Shaya, I realized how often I would apologize — even when I had nothing to be sorry for. The number of apologies left me feeling like I was doing something wrong all the time, so I stopped doing it. My best piece of advice is to limit how often you say I’m sorry. Even if you send over an email that has the wrong information. When someone points it out, try responding with something like “Thank you for catching that!” or “Thanks, I’ll work on fixing that asap.”

4. Plan ahead but leave the details out of it. Before launching Shaya, I had marketing, merchandising, and growth plans so detailed they couldn’t fit into a three-inch binder. The details in those plans (spend on ads, release dates for new products, etc.) are now useless — and I am only one month into launch. The goals and general steps behind the plans are however still standing. I am glad I did some of the leg work, but I’ve realized you won’t know what day 10 will look like post launch, let alone day 200 — so don’t plan too much.

5. Keep the door open. When I was first looking into our packaging, I tested product from five different manufacturers and then picked one. I didn’t think through the right way to tell the other four manufacturers and ended up bluntly telling them we wouldn’t be working together. I ran into issues with my packaging manufacturer two weeks into working with the team I had selected, and had to go back to these other suppliers. It took a lot of apologies and explaining before they decided to work with me again. I learned my lesson then — even if I am not moving forward on a partnership with someone, it’s crucial to always leave the door open to connect on a project in the future.

What person wouldn’t want to work doing something they absolutely love. You are an incredible inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I have this theory that if everyone in the world had a dog, we would only know peace. And yes, I know this is unrealistic given that people with dogs do bad things all the time. Yet, I see the difference my dog has made in my life, I read stories of how dogs help veterans with PTSD, children with special needs, and the elderly cope with loneliness, and I can’t help but wonder how much better the world would be if we all had dogs. I have no idea how we would go about creating such a world, though the first step should be to help pet owners who are facing life without their pet for any reason, stay together. This means creating more domestic abuse shelters that allow pets, funding resources for homeless individuals with pets, and creating programming for humans who need help taking care of their pets during extraordinary times.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.” — Charlie Chaplin

I discovered this quote when shopping five years ago printed on a cool t-shirt and it automatically resonated with me. I am someone who used to fear failure to the extreme. The idea of getting an A- in high school gave me panic attacks. When I found the shirt, I wore it frequently so I would be reminded of the courage it takes to go after your dreams. I won’t pretend to be cured of the anxiety of reaching for a goal when everyone is watching, but living by this motto has helped make it manageable.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I’d love to sit with the founders of Mansur Gavriel — Rachel Mansur & Floriana Gavriel. Their designs are simple in their beauty, and magical in their practicality. Their ability to take a classic bag and create a cult status brand is truly inspiring. It would be so cool to sit down and ask them how they approached building their brand, how they stayed true to their core principles when expanding into different products, and to ask where they see the future of retail heading.