Meet Dana Donofree, a trailblazing entrepreneur, designer, and breast cancer survivor who's reshaping the lingerie industry with her brand, AnaOno Intimates. Her story is one of resilience and creativity, making her a true inspiration. 🌟
I've known Dana for years, and her journey never ceases to amaze me. Diagnosed with breast cancer at 27, Dana struggled to find bras that fit after her bilateral mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. In 2015, she took matters into her own hands and launched AnaOno Intimates. What began as a few designs for post-mastectomy women has blossomed into a brand celebrated for its wide range of lingerie, embracing all shapes, sizes, and surgical outcomes. 👙✨
AnaOno has been featured in People, Today, and Bustle, highlighting Dana's mission to bring comfort and confidence to women everywhere. Get ready to be inspired by Dana Donofree's journey from fashion designer to breast cancer warrior and see how AnaOno Intimates is making a difference in the world of lingerie. 💪💖
Background
1.Were you always interested in starting your own company? What inspired you to start your own business?
“I got diagnosed with breast cancer at 27 and had a bilateral mastectomy with breast reconstructive surgery. It's hard to tell the story now because so much of what I went through then is irrelevant today. But this was my truth, and this was my experience. The doctor told me I couldn’t wear underwires and that the only thing that would probably fit me was a sports bra. At the time, we weren't even using the term bralette.
I went to the mastectomy boutique, and an array of beige Jacquard polyester grandma bras were delivered to me. I was like, do we have any of these in black? That wasn’t an option. I cried in the dressing room until I could pull myself back together. I went home and had a shocking moment in the middle of the night that allowed me to piece the puzzle together. The puzzle was that I was struggling so hard with my self-identity, my femininity, and my point of expression. And all of that came because I couldn't wear a bra that fit my body. I was trying to dress around my neon green and hot pink sports bras because leisure wear did not yet exist.”
K: Not even black? That’s crazy. It’s hard to think back and remember that time. The variety of options was severely lacking.
“So I just realized I had all the tools in my toolkit to do something about it. As a fashion designer, I always wanted my own business. I just never knew what it was going to be. So those three things came together, and Ana Ona was born. And here we are ten years later.”
2. How do you feel like your experience in the industry set you up for success in the long term?
“I don't know how I could have done this business without my experience. Being in the industry for as long as I had been and traveling, I understood how factories work, product development, patternmaking, and, to some extent, sales. It gave me the foundation to at least feel confident that I knew what I was doing. I don't think you're ever really quite prepared to start your own business. There's a lot of learning that you have to go through. The most expensive learning in this industry is that product is cash. Cash is money, and money is time, and everything is wrapped up in your product. So if you launch something that people don't like or if you have bad terms with your factories, you can go out before you even start.”
Business
3. What was the beginning of starting AnaOno like? Did you have a hard time getting started, or did the pieces fall into place?
“The beginning was thrilling and fun. I got to close my eyes and dream of a place I wanted to create. I got to call the shots. I got to develop my brand strategy, develop my messaging, and tell my story. As scary and frightening as the beginning was, I think my fear of all things business creation was masked or removed by my experience as a cancer patient because I was always going to have my career. And if making bras required me to come home to my sewing machine at nighttime or on my weekends and sew them, I would do that anyway. I never knew if it was going to be a business. I never knew if it was going to take off. I never actually knew other people like me when I started it. So I was trudging along on my own just trying to solve my own problems and eventually learning and understanding that I wasn't the only one with the problem.”
K: I was actually going to ask if it was scary when you went out on your own, but I can imagine the fear of that is probably nothing compared to the fear of a doctor telling you had breast cancer at the age of 27.
“I literally tell people when they ask me that question, what's the worst that can happen? I've already faced that, and the answer was, I could die. So, in comparison, it doesn't seem that scary.”
4. How did you approach designing a bra for women with breast cancer, considering the unique needs and changes to their bodies after surgery?
“As a product developer and designer, our jobs are to solve problems. I've always looked at design in that way. Whether you're solving a problem because sales have shifted, trends have changed, or fit has been modified. There's always a problem that needs to be solved. So, I knew everything that didn't work, but I never found something that did work. And if it did work, it was a sports bra. So I asked myself, how can I deconstruct a bra just like my body was deconstructed? How can I reconstruct it just as I was rebuilt? Something that works for this new body, something that works for this new chest. And in doing so, I identified all of the failures of the traditional bra market. And I sat myself down to say, okay, if a sports bra is the most comfortable thing that I can wear, how do I make a bra fit like a sports bra but not look like a sports bra? And I leaned into that. I tell people we're the intersection between the bralette and the sports bra. We're more structured and supportive than a bralette but more fashionable and softer than a sports bra. We're the number one Zoom bra. The bra you want to wear all day at your computer.”
5. After women go through breast cancer surgery, their bodies can take on a variety of new shapes depending on the type of surgery they had, whether it was single, double, or reconstructive. I noticed on your website that you offer bras specifically designed for right and left sides. Could you explain how you manage the fitting process for these different needs?
“There is a complete buffet of choices when deciding how to go through your treatments, what kind of experience you want, and what kind of chest surgery outcome you want. I think for me, my pride and joy is what AnaOno has established as the baseline of what this industry, the specialty intimates industry, should be looking at. Because in reality, it shouldn't matter if you have two boobs, one boob, no boobs, or new boobs.
Every surgical outcome can change and evolve. Now, even just in the 14 years of me being a survivor, and the 10 years of Ono being a business, chest reconstruction and surgical decisions and options have changed dramatically in the last decade. It's something I'm always incredibly mindful of because the more progress we make, the better off we're going to be, and the more solutions people have that work for their body types.
So when I think about a bra design, I have to say to myself, who is this going to fit? We have been asked for the last ten years, can we make a one-boob bra? And I've been developing it for over half of the company's lifecycle. But a lot of things happen when you design stuff. Can I produce it? How many SKUs do I need? What's the investment? All of those things do matter. How many customers do we have? Are there enough people with that surgery decision that make sense for me to invest at this point in time, at this stage of the business?
I woke up in the middle of the night when we had launched one of our other styles, and I was like, oh, duh, I just, like, chop it. I just chop a cup off, you know, this is going to be great. Of course, I had to make other adjustments. But, I couldn't fit the one boob bra on myself for a few reasons.
I have breast reconstruction, so I have no breast tissue to support. I can throw anything on my body and see it work. But, I have strict fit requirements that if I don't wake up in a bra, wear it all day, sleep in it, and feel like I can wear it the next day, it does not go into my collection. It has to be 48 hours wear. If I'm uncomfortable at any of those moments, the style is killed before it even hits the shelves.
We have bras that are designed completely flat against the chest so women who have voluntarily or involuntarily chosen to not have reconstructive surgery can still have beautiful style lines, and still have feminine details. And those moments matter. A lot of people who get breast reconstruction can have failures, can get infections, can lose the surgical reconstruction, and now they're flat, and it can be very harmful and hurtful to their soul and to their spirit.
We want to try to give each person's story a tool that allows them to adapt and learn their new body, their new life, and their new sexuality in whatever ways those mean. Because that was the missing piece of my puzzle that I wish I never had to experience. I just wish I would have been able to find a bra that fits my body, and I didn't need to cry in the dressing room just to feel good about myself. If I can help someone avoid that tragedy, I feel like I've done my job for the day.”
K: Yeah, I can imagine it's one thing to cry for just regular body issues, but I can't imagine it's like a whole next generation for crying because you lost part of what you identify as, like, your womanhood and not. Not for the faint of heart.
6. How do you gather feedback from your audience and ensure that you engage with your customers to create products that meet their needs and preferences?
“Our customers are the lifeblood of who we are. Our community means so much to me. They are a huge driving force behind what we're able to accomplish. I'm so happy that the community is so vocal. We hear the good, the bad, and the ugly.
As surgeries are developing, I'm not only working with the surgeons who are developing the surgeries, but I'm also hearing firsthand from the patients as they undergo these surgeries. It's really getting all sides of the story.
When I was diagnosed, my surgeon told me that we could preserve one out of two of my nipples. Fast forward 14 years. There are tons of nipple-sparing mastectomies that are being done today. Still, the nipples can land in interesting places because breast tissue expands and shrinks rapidly inside the surgeries. I have seen patients whose nipples have been on the bottom of their reconstruction, close to their armpits, too close to the center line, too far from the center line. One is centered, and one is not. It's a risk of sparing the nipple. But it made me think differently about what our customers need in a bra design.
They love nipple covers because sometimes, in nipple-sparing, there’s titty hard-on. You're kinda always running around with headlights, but the headlights aren't in the right direction. You've got one pointing northeast and one pointing southwest. It makes you feel self-conscious in your clothing. You want smooth textures underneath your clothing. Hearing this feedback makes me say wait a minute. We can help with that. I’m so appreciative of the constant feedback loop.”
K: Having an active community allows you to take the guesswork out of product development and really focus on the products they want and will use.
7. Kim Kardashian launched a nipple bra last year. I'm curious if anybody in your audience wanted a soft-cup version of that.
“What I thought was really interesting was the excitement from the breast cancer community. I giggled to myself because the cups are so poorly designed, and it has a massive underwire that nobody with breast reconstruction could even wear if they wanted to. But the conversation about the desire for visible nipples was really impactful.
I'm a nipple-less person. I was not able to spare my nipples. And I work with this incredible brand, Perky's, that has a pasty, but instead of the pasty, it has nipple projection on it. And I just love it. She even has pierced perkys. I was just wearing them. I feel like a total badass. I'm like, oh, my God, I've got pierced nipples. Look at me.”
K: I love it. Oh, good.
“We've had nipple prosthetics for a while in the breast cancer industry. I’m also a huge fan of this brand called Pink Perfect. She is a breast cancer patient herself, and she hand-makes every single one of the nipples, and they look real. I can tell you when I put it on, I cried. Then Kim K comes about with this ridiculous, media stunt product. And, you know, good for her because I think it helped open up the conversation”
K: Marketing is part of what we pay attention to in this industry.
8. What is the biggest failure you've experienced in your business? What did you learn from it?
“My biggest failure was that I never made a business plan. I started my business because I knew no matter what, I was going to make bras for my body and, hopefully, bras for other people's bodies that fit. I never dreamed or expected that it was going to be as big of a need as it actually was. I didn't have a budget. I didn’t know how much product I should buy. I didn’t know how to scale.
By the time I created a business plan, I was auditioning for Shark Tank, and I had to put one together because I hadn't sold a bra yet. In doing that whole exercise, I learned I actually have a business here. I told myself if I’m going to do this, I need to take it seriously because this is a huge responsibility, and I have a market of people that I can help impact and serve. It gave me my path forward. Had I never auditioned for Shark Tank, I still probably would have never made a business plan. I probably wouldn't be here today saying, I've been in business for ten years. It turned into one of my greatest wins.”
K: That's always good to hear. I'm glad it turned into such a good thing for you.
9. What was it like being on Shark Tank? I didn't realize that you had been on it.
“Oh, I didn't go all the way through. I laughed because I had a great audition. I walked out of the audition and everybody said we'll see you on Shark Tank. I nailed it. And then I had some friends who were producers. They're like, they could never put your story on air because they would tear you apart because you never sold the product. But just three years ago, during COVID they called me to ask me if I wanted to come on, and I got to say, no, thank you. That was a moment. Thanks, but no thanks.”
K: That's pretty cool!!! I imagine you would kill it now. I'm sure you would get everybody wanting to give you an offer.
“It would be great for media exposure. But I feel like taking on investment in your business is very hard. You have a lot of people you have to report to. I always caution entrepreneurs to ask themselves, what do you want the money for, and what do you need it for? You must be very clear on that decision because you no longer own your whole company.”
10. Do you still own your whole company? Have you taken outside investment?
“I still own my own company, but I do have outside investors. They do own a portion of my company. We've taken on angel funding. Sometimes people ask me what I would do differently, I say I would never have taken outside investment.”
K: Is it because you feel like your total control is taken away?
“The investment dollars help you grow and reach more people. That is why I decided to start with investment. I knew what I was doing was impacting people's lives, and I could only financially take it so far alone. The investment has structured and built the business that we see today, which I'm very proud of. I think I would have gotten here anyway. I just would have gotten here very differently.“
Advice
11. What's the best advice you've ever been given in life or business?
“The best entrepreneurial advice I was ever given came early on in my entrepreneurial journey. It was don't do too much too fast. Focused. Stay on track, and master something first before you expand. And I sort of always use that as my North Star because there are 50 other things I want to do. There are so many problems I want to solve, and every single time I come back, I say, but is that the bra? Does it do what I need it to do? Will it impact the business in a positive way? Or is it just one more thing on my plate? If you don’t stay focused, you’ll overextend your energy, time, and finances.”
K: Do you ever watch Parks and Rec? There's a really good Ron Swanson quote that always comes to my mind. He says, “Never. half-ass two things. Whole ass one thing.”
12. What's your favorite part about being a business owner? What's the hardest part?
I love being a little boss. I've always been very independent and directional. I could work in a silo or with a team of 20.
“I would love to say something stupid like I could make my own schedule, but, like, that doesn't exist. You go to bed, you work, you sleep, you work, you eat, you work. So there's no scheduling. Everybody has something that drives them and brings them joy.
I've always said since my cancer diagnosis, that time has value to me. I know that time on this earth is limited. I don't know what my time on this earth is. It is a question mark. It’s shortened. So, I really value my time. I think the hardest thing about being a business owner is finding time for myself, my family and my friends can be very difficult. Even though what I do every day with my business brings me so much joy, I also have to make sure that I’m sharing time with the people that love. I'm an absolute workaholic. it doesn't help that I will commit not 100%, but 110% to everything I do if not 120%. So I do nothing half-ass. I whole ass everything.”
K: I get that. When you love what you do, you want to keep doing it, and it's hard to pull away sometimes. So I totally relate. I am exactly the same.
13. What is something you have accomplished that you are most proud of?
“I’m proudest of what AnaOno has achieved as a small business in a very large industry. I hope the work that we're doing brings awareness to so many things that we as humans are dealing with, that inclusion isn't just a cup size or a skin tone. It's if you have breasts at all. My proudest achievement is that when you go to AnaOno, you can identify yourself with one breast, with no breasts, or with reconstructed breasts. You can see everything that we do on that body type. I am proud that we pushed the bar, but it has been hard.
The biggest thing that I faced when I was being sold a mastectomy bra was that it was photographed and marketed on a beautiful model with healthy breasts and healthy cleavage, telling me that I was still okay. Yeah, that was not the thing.
So I, made sure that was not going to be our story. I'm just so grateful that people who share in the same trauma, find confidence and bravery to take off their clothes in front of a camera and show their scars and their bodies to the world. It's not the easiest thing to do.”
K: I want to congratulate you on how awesome your website is. The diversity of your models and seeing how real they are is so impressive. That is something to be totally proud of. It makes women feel confident and comfortable shopping there. That's the best thing you could ask for in the world because those women have gone through so much. You've created a great space for them.
14. What are the most important skills or traits you've found helpful in entrepreneurship? Are there any traits you've discovered that make it harder to succeed if you don't keep it in check?
What are the worst characteristics? My workaholic tendency is bad, but you have to be committed. You have to be passionate. And I tell people all the time that passion can be money. If you are passionate and driven by money, that is the answer. But you have to have a very different, weird, crazy idea. If all it is going to be is about money, you have to really be passionate.”
K: Money can't be the only thing that draws you in because it just goes too fast. I love the that you said obsessed and resilient. Another word that comes to mind is perseverance. You have to want to keep going even when it gets hard. Because it will get hard.
15. What's your favorite 'game-changer' tool that you can share with everyone? (ie. hellobonsai, airtable, later, etc.).
“It's my Apple calendar. If I do not have my calendar synced, I cannot make a single move for the day. I probably need a plug into one of these AI tools that claim that they save you time when they get into your calendar because maybe that would be my game-changer. I'm kind of anti-technology. You have to make sure that what you're using is impactful to your day-to-day business and not just adding one more touch point. Touchpoints add up pretty quickly. And sometimes to just get to a to z, you just got to go old school and go analog.”
16. Where can we find you if we'd like to learn more about you?
“You can shop us on our website.
If you don't know or if you're curious where an ono comes from, it's me, Dana Donofree without the double D's.
You can follow us on any of the socials @anaonointimates. And you can follow my story as an entrepreneur and breast cancer patient under my name, Dana Donofree.”
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anaonointimates/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@anaonointimates Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dana_donofree/
K: I never knew that was where your name came from. Now, obviously seeing it makes so much sense. I love it!
コメント