"Listen to your customers and trust your gut" with Samantha Dong

Samantha Dong is the founder of ALLY Shoes, the first pain-free dress shoes that fit all women. After a foot injury, Samantha couldn’t find heels that wouldn’t hurt, so she teamed up with the best creative minds and podiatric experts to design stylish dress shoes for all women. Samantha is passionate about empowering women through fashion and making luxury footwear more accessible for women on the move. Previously, Samantha worked at tech startup OrderAhead (which was acquired by Square) and Strategy and Operations at Deloitte Consulting; she graduated from Cornell University and received her MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

My name is Sam Dong, and I’m the founder of Ally Shoes. I was born and raised in Shanghai in a retail family: my parents are both veterans in the department store business, and my cousin is an apparel designer. I came to the US at the age of 17, as a freshman at Cornell. After graduation, I started my career as a management consultant in New York, then moved to SF to join an early-stage startup called OrderAhead (acquired by Square). I went on to get my MBA at Stanford, and that’s when I started working on Ally Shoes.

What inspired you to start your business?

A former management consultant, I always wore heels to work. Then I hurt my feet hiking and couldn’t wear heels without pain. That’s when it clicked - heels shouldn’t hurt. I made it my mission to find the best in the business to create pain-free heels for women.

Where is your business based?

New York

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

When I first had the idea, it seemed impossible to build something that has never been done before - pain-free heels, not to mention I didn't have any experience in footwear. I made it my mission to find the best in the business to create pain-free heels for women. ALLY Shoes’ founding leadership team includes Podiatric Surgeon, Dr. Roxann Clarke, and acclaimed shoe designer, Sarah Jaramillo. Our diverse backgrounds and varying professional experiences inspired the overall concept of our unique pain-free heels and shoe design. We each bring our expertise to the table and together we created a heel that can be a woman’s ally. We also involved real women every step of the way, from designing, sampling, to real-life wear tests. With their feedback and support, we successfully re-engineered the statement heel with long-lasting comfort. Overcoming the challenges led to our innovative, patent-pending design.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

We continue to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers and the press. Fast Company picked us as a favorite and called us “the most comfortable heels to wear to work”. PureWow editors tested a pair and said: “We can enthusiastically declare them seriously comfy and seriously innovative”. They gushed over “these sneakily comfy heels featuring a toe-cradling ‘Squish Ball’. Thanks to these organic word of mouth and recognition, we are able to grow and expand our brand awareness without a big marketing budget.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

It’s always challenging to do something that hasn’t been done before. We didn’t have a blueprint but we had each other. Together we scientifically re-engineered the statement heel with a patent-pending design to support women and their stride. ALLY Shoes is the first to construct the entire upper of a pump using stretch leather without losing the structured shape of the shoe. Every pair of heels is handcrafted with premium lambskin leather, and a special stretch lining to maximize flexibility. This material-use minimizes the need to “break-in” new shoes.

The ergonomic insole features a three-point-support insole with a weight-balancing toe grip, elevated arch support, and deep heel cup. This design by a Dr. Clarke re-balances weight distribution without making the shoe bulky. ALLY offers micro-sizing with 20 different sizes and four widths bringing customers as close to custom-fitted as possible while maintaining affordability.

When COVID 19 hit, we had to shut down all of our offline channels including our showroom, store partners, and trunk shows. It sent a huge shockwave to business. However, we quickly pivoted and launched a new “at-home trial box” program that allows customers to try different sizes before buying, aiming to re-create our fitting room experience in the comfort of their homes.

How do you stay focused?

I stay focused by constantly reminding myself and our team of our ultimate mission. ALLY is never just about the shoes - we want to be the brand that represents the qualities of a modern woman - beautiful, strong, and uncompromising. Our customers are real women who love heels and style but also appreciate comfort. They inspire us as they take on the world and stride through life in our shoes. As a result, our efforts and priority have always been creating value for and serving our community of strong women.

One recent example is the impact of COVID. Even though we had plans for other styles to launch this year, our customers’ needs changed in the age of remote-working. We are adapting our product line by developing high-quality footwear more suitable for walking outside, including block heels and flats with proper arch support. We also started creating content to discuss important topics such as home-schooling and virtual interview tips that are top of mind for our customers.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

ALLY is made for women, by women, and it’s our aim to make heels women’s best ally. Our heels and flats are there for you for all the major milestones in your life - we are striding with you at your first interview, in your new job, at your wedding, baby shower, and beyond.  

●      Every pair of shoes is handcrafted with premium lambskin or calfskin leather, and a special stretch lining to maximize flexibility. This material-use minimizes the need to “break-in” new shoes.

●      The ergonomic insole features a three-point-support insole with a weight-balancing toe grip, elevated arch support, and deep heel cup. This design by Dr. Clarke re-balances weight distribution without making the shoe bulky.

●      ALLY offers micro-sizing with 20 different sizes and four widths bringing customers as close to custom-fitted as possible while maintaining affordability. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

While online paid-marketing has become saturated, we have created a strong brand ambassador community. Our brand ambassadors are a diverse group of women who are passionate about our products and our mission to empower women. They use their authentic voice to help us spread the word and introduce our brand to their community.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Listen to your customers and trust your gut. It’s important for entrepreneurs and creators to listen to those who are actually using/wearing your product. There will always be nay sayers, but all you need is to find the group of people who actually want what you are making.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Favorite apps:

●      Woebot: an AI-based mental health chatbot for self-care

Favorite blog/podcast:

●      Startup Therapy: candid topics and discussions for startup founders

Book:

●      Shoe Dog by Phil Knight: a real / non-glamours depiction of the entrepreneurial journey

●      The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo: a good reminder to stay simple and focused on the important things in life 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Monday.com: a great project management tool for professional and personal tasks 

Who is your business role model? Why? 

Elon Musk: I’m a huge fan of his framework of reasoning from first principles, which I believe applies to all problem-solving, but particularly important when you’re trying to change the status quo and create something new. I’m also inspired by him as someone who dreams big but is persistent / gritty enough to make his dreams into reality.

How do you balance work and life?

I try to set aside time for personal care and family. In addition, I actually find it helpful to do activities / read about topics not related to my industry - these tend to help me take my mind off of work, but also in-turn creates new inspirations/perspectives.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I wake up early every morning and start the days with meditation and yoga. With no more commute time and boundaries between life & work, this small ritual helps me build in some “me time”, and clear my mind every day. I have also recently got into playing chess, which has become my favorite pastime.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We are forming partnerships with marketplaces and retailers to expand our distribution, and are also working on some new styles that our customers have been asking for.

How can our readers connect with you?

Website: www.ally.nyc

Facebook: www.facebook.com/allyshoes

Instagram: www.instagram.com/allyshoes