We had the good fortune of connecting with Dana Long and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dana, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I had been working in the corporate world spearheading Global Brand Marketing & Global Digital Marketing Divisions for a variety of Fortune 500s like Disney, Mattel, and then started my own Brand & Digital Marketing Agency, Bungalow 37 (www.bungalow37.com), which I run today. I help start-ups and mid-size companies create and optimize their brands and bring them into the digital arena with eCommerce and integrated marketing strategies and execution across owned, earned and paid media.

I have always loved the home decor and interior design arena and wanted to create a product and brand for myself around an area I was passionate about, which is home decor and interior design. I am also passionate about helping elevate women and their voices, having been on the Advisory Board for Dress for Success and a volunteer for a variety of non-profits that help women and girls.

So I started Bennett + Laine, with my brand website launching the first week of May (www.bennettlaine.com). It features California coastal-inspired home decor and I also curate global home decor items from brand partnerss, inspired by my love of global travel. I manufacture pillow covers and table inserts in Los Angeles, and curate towels, throws, blankets and kitchen items from countries such as Turkey and Morocco. Bennett is my mother’s maiden name; the brand is a homage to her legacy as a successful fashion entrepreneur and celebrates women entrepreneurs and innovators with my brand media. We also use our leftover fabric to create hair scrunchies and donate them to charities targeting women and girls to help inspire confidence and joy. My tag line is Find Joy at Home with Bennett + Laine.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have been lucky to have followed my passions in my life and turn them into a career, working with an amazing group of talented people. First off, I am the daughter of two wildly successful entrepreneurs; my mother in Fashion (Dorothy Long Kishpaugh) and my father, in labels and printing (Bill Long). I learned that I love the flexible lifestyle of an entrepreneur (e.g., work hard, play hard). My corporate background is building Global Brand Marketing & Digital Centers of Excellence for a variety of Fortune 500’s such as The Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios, Mattel, and JAFRA Cosmetics International, among others. I’m also proud to help start-ups and mid-size companies with their brand and digital marketing initiatives via my agency, Bungalow 37. My new venture, Bennett + Laine takes me into the world of my passion — home decor and interior design, and helps people /customers find joy at home.

I think what sets me apart is that at my heart I’m a strategist and have always seen market gaps and opportunities and capitalized on them. The only difference is that now I’m doing it for myself and my businesses.

The Lessons I’ve learned along the way:
-Align your career to your values and purpose. Otherwise no job will feel like a true fit, or integrated with who you are. If you do this, you will be able to show up as your authentic self – whether that’s in the corporate arena or on the road to entrepreneurship.

-Jump and the universe will catch you. As an entrepreneur it really is true — you have to believe in yourself first and keep the faith because often that’s all you have to help guide you on your path.

-Its a lot of hard work and more expensive than I thought. I started my business with a small amount of money my mom left to me and my husband’s support. For those on the entrepreneurial path, think about your business plan and how you are going to get your business funded. Look for small business loans, women targeted grants and SBA loans, etc. The more you can use OPM (other people’s money) the better. And, be prepared to work. Hard. But it’s so worth it.

-Give Back. I’m working on an equity sharing model with the key individuals who helped me start Bennett + Laine. I also seek to help other women and elevate their voices. Find what cause you’re passionate about and give back. Make the world a better place.

– Listen. Be open, enjoy your journey but also be open to critical feedback and areas of opportunity to make your business — and you, as a business person and leader — better.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A week-long trip to LA (for my home decor-obsessed friends):

For a fun California day:
-If it were pre-COVID and in the Spring, we would go to the Pasadena Showcase House of Design and a walk in Huntington Gardens in the morning.
-Then we would go to Downtown LA and go to lunch on the balcony at Perch LA and see a view of the city. Most likely we would stop by some of my favorite fabric stores and then drive to Santa Monica.
-In Santa Monica, we would walk on the beach and the Santa Monica Pier, shop on the 3rd Street Promenade, then have a late afternoon drink at Casa del Mar (or The Bungalow at the Fairmont Marimar Hotel & Bungalows) followed by dinner at Hillstone on 2nd and Wilshire Boulevard.

Exciting places to hang out /things to see: San Vicente Bungalows, Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Broad Museum, Getty Museum (both the Modern off Sunset and the antiquities on PCH); Zuma Beach and The Sunset Restaurant, Tony Taverna or Nobu in Malibu and the Malibu Country Mart stores. You can’t miss with the canal tours and lunch at the Rose Cafe in Venice. If you’re a hipster, hit Silverlake and the Griffth Parka area.
There’s so much to do in LA! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would not have been able to start my home decor business Bennett + Laine without the support and talent of key individuals. I was lucky to find my Head of Design & Production from an ad on the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Career Website in LA; and also with the help and support from my family, friends and professional colleagues. I would love to give a celebratory shout out and note of gratitude to: Michael Mathews, Carol Weiler, Colleen Quinn, Tim Seo, Charlotte Lea, Natalie Hovee, Ashley Scott, Lori Tabb, Natalie Barron, Eddy Ng, my family and COVID-19, oddly enough. Because if my life hadn’t suddenly come to a screeching halt due to COVID-19, I don’t think my workaholic, Type A tendencies would have allowed me a moment to pause, sit in silence and reflect on what I really wanted for this next chapter in my life.

Website: www.bungalow37.com and www.bennettlaine.com

Instagram: @bennettlainehome

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/danalong1

Facebook: @bennettlainehome

Image Credits
Brand Photography: Charlotte Lea, @charlotteleaphotography Stylist: Ashley Scott, Scout Modern, @scout.modern Creative Content: Natalie Hovee, @natstudio.co Model: Nicole Castillo, @nicole_castillo

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