Dovetail Strategic secures success in the ‘swag’ business
The Tennessee-based business is boldly and creatively reshaping the market for premiums.
The swag business is a big business. Companies of all sizes lean on swag to entice new customers, engage their employees, and grow their brands.
For example, if you buy a golf cart from a dealer that works with a swag company, you may also get two complimentary insulated coffee mugs. Or, if you need holiday gifts for your employees, a jacket or blanket with your company logo could be a great gift! Well, there’s a company behind those branded items and that company is Dovetail Strategic, based right here in Tennessee.
The two-year-old company has offices in Knoxville, Nashville, Atlanta, and Savannah, and it’s growing rapidly – meaning exponentially.
In the start-up’s first three months of operation at the end of 2022, they sold $44,000 in promotional products and branded apparel. At the time, the company only consisted of the co-founders, Michael Conaty and Andrew Lell. Six months into 2023, they hired an additional three people and sales jumped to $300,000.
By the end of 2023, this year-and-a-half-old company did $1.2 million in sales, and today has 11 employees.
“The growth happened when we expanded our team. When it was just Andrew and I, we were accounting, we were HR, we were finance, we were sales, we were marketing, we were everything all at once. We just didn’t have the bandwidth,” Conaty said. “When we started hiring, we were able to delegate, sell more, and do more for our customers. Our team is amazing”
Both Conaty and Lell had a background in the promo industry before they started their venture. Before leaving their previous employer, the two of them collectively built a large book of business totaling about $6 million annually.
They wanted to be more experimental and creative than the firm was willing to invest in. So, Conaty and Lell took the leap of faith and started Dovetail Strategic.
“We had to start fresh, completely fresh, due to the non-solicitation agreements. The first year was very challenging,” Conaty said.
Persistence was the key for Conaty. He preached the importance of never taking the first “no,” as a forever “no.” He did cold calls, cold emails, LinkedIn messages, and anything he could do to get his foot in the door. It wasn’t random, not even in the slightest. There was a lot of strategy involved in that outreach.
“Clayton Homes is one of our accounts that we are very fortunate to partner with. I probably called, emailed, and texted three dozen times in a six to nine-month period- progress was slow. Finally, got the right person on the phone, and the partnership developed,” Conaty said.
But, he would always share on the email, text, or voicemail a commitment to communicate again on a specific day and time.
“I’d say I’ll follow up again next Tuesday at 10. Well, then they got a call or email on Tuesday at 10. I did what I said I was going to do,” Conaty said. Eventually, as evidenced by the sales volume for Dovetail, it was successful.
“If you want to work with a certain company, don’t stop trying. Stay consistent and persistent. Don’t let rejection hold you back,” he said.
After landing a few key clients, Conaty shared that the rest of the company’s growth has been through referrals and networking. He strongly recommended that entrepreneurs build a strong network of people across different industries – you never know who they know or how you can support each other.
In some of Conaty’s best advice – “The networking and relationships that are built before the sale are the most important thing to me. When a genuine relationship exists, you won’t even need to sell them. For example, if you have a great relationship with someone, they will of course think of your company when a need arises – like when they need T-shirts or other branded items for their team or an event.”
In its second full year, Dovetail Strategic is projecting $3.5 million in sales, demonstrating how exponential growth is attainable with persistence. However, the founders see it growing even bigger. They dream of reaching $50 million in sales by doubling their customers and employees annually. They also dream of creating a culture that is creative, entrepreneurial, and supportive.
Read more about the company on the Dovetail Strategic website.
Like what you've read?
Forward to a friend!