Community Highlights: Meet Danielle Hurme of The Modern Dog Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Hurme.

Hi Danielle, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been very entrepreneurial. I have been looking for ways to make money since I was little (5 years old or so). A few of my ventures consisted of lemonade & shaved ice stands and a shoulder massage business in my house ($1 a minute, and I even made little fake barcode stickers to put on the magazines as they had in offices back in the day). And as I got older, I started flipping items. I know I got the entrepreneurial spirit from my Abuelo, who owned a shoe factory in Cuba until the Castro regime decided to take it away one day. As you can imagine, having a mother who immigrated from Havana, Cuba, and even my dad, who immigrated from Helsinki, Finland, are risk averse. That said, they encouraged me to get a degree where I could get a steady job after graduating. When college rolled around, I majored in Finance and then went on to get my master’s in Finance. Although I was studying Finance, I made sure to do a minor in entrepreneurship still. My interest in one day starting my own business never left, but job security sounded pretty enticing. When the second semester of my senior year rolled around, and my soccer career had officially ended, I had some extra time on my hands. I love dogs and decided it was the perfect time to get my first dog, Stella. She is a solid black French Bulldog. It was 2016, and I realized that, at the time, there weren’t many affordable and attractive options in the pet accessory space, so I came up with the concept, The Modern Dog Company. I purchased the domain and had a custom logo made.

I held onto that idea for years before acting upon it because I thought I needed to go into the real world and get a “real” job. I am thankful for the jobs I held, but ultimately, I couldn’t shake this idea. I started in the summer of 2019 with completely different items (collars and leashes) before putting a pause on it for about 10 months to develop the harnesses you see today. I eventually expanded into biomethane waterproof products, as well. My last job was an internal sales position for a wall street investment company, and I wasn’t happy, so I saw a space being built next to the house that I thought would be perfect for a dog supply store. Although my parents were very apprehensive of the idea initially, I knew I had the work ethic and passion for making it successful. They eventually got on board and told me I should go for it, as did my fiance. I had a vision for what I wanted it to look like. Most stores today feel outdated, and I wanted to create a modern store that people enjoyed shopping in. That said, I started creating the concept and searching for what products I wanted to carry. I wanted to ensure I could offer high-quality items without price gauging people. Today, we sell kibble, gently cooked dog food, raw food, toppers, toys, treats, chews, grooming supplies, supplements, travel items, human gifts & so much more.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
With most businesses, it is never a smooth road. I’ve had my manufacturer mess up items; items take longer to arrive than normal, the post office loses packages, and we bought out my business partner on our line of items. And I’ve had a few TikTok videos go viral, which was a huge blessing, but it also came with some scaling issues, not-so-nice comments, and longer wait times which led to a lot of customer service correspondence. The list goes on and on, and there has been nothing truly huge, but all the little things add up and can be taxing. Since starting my own business, I have worked more than I ever have in my whole life, but I’m also the happiest. I only say this because I think it’s important to be transparent & share all the lows with the highs.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Modern Dog Company is an online & brick and mortar dog supply business. We specialize in offering a curated array of high-quality items for you and your pet at reasonable prices. What sets us apart is that we have created a store, unlike any other dog store. Most dog stores are outdated or don’t necessarily offer a unique shopping experience. The goal when putting together, The Modern Dog Company was to create a space in that people could have an enjoyable and relaxing shopping experience. We have a patio with a beautiful mural (painted by Brian Wooden). It has been a great photo spot. We also offer free pup cups and try to do events with other small businesses. Some of these events are Toppl making classes, yappy hours, and food trucks & the next one we’re hoping to host is a dog CPR class. Again, the goal was to create something unique to the pet supply space, and I’m very happy with how everything has turned out. I also may be biased, but I have the best customers. Everyone is so kind, and they have the cutest dogs!

We love surprises, fun facts, and incredible stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Before opening The Modern Dog Company, I worked in corporate finance. I first worked for Morgan Stanley and then AllianceBernstein. That being said, just because you currently do something doesn’t mean you can’t switch. Oh, and recently my mom sent me my time capsule sheet that I had written in the 6th grade, and I had put down that when I got older, I wanted to be a chef, professional soccer player, or open my pet store. One of those came true!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.themoderndogcompany.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themoderndogcompany_nations/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themoderndogcompany/

Image Credits
@miss.alirose