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Thank you for the constructive feedback. We’ve read your criticisms, and appreciate the insights you’ve shared, and agree we have much room to improve. Having a growth mindset is a key value of both our company culture and personal development, and that means being radically open to improvement and insight, no matter the origin. It has been a major element to our success. We have come so far, and have so much further to grow.
Brand messaging - Thank you for sharing your perspective. Brand messaging and cohesion is something that arose within Dalstrong very organically, and at times, was not consistent. In partnership with a major creative agency, we are excited about a more unified vision that will allow us to solidify our unique voice.
Marketing and Creative Decisions Based Solely on Other Brands/Industry - I appreciate this comment, and can understand the intent behind it. Alongside our own creativity, we seek inspiration from other industries and brands we admire. Within our industry, we are proudly unique, from our image style, to our battle / futuristic / medieval / video game inspired product videos, to some of our exceptionally innovative products.
CEO Bottlenecks - This is a criticism that resonates loudly with me, and is stingingly true. From my understanding and study, this is a common pitfall of founder CEOs, who grow a team around them having started their company alone. It is a journey of growth. I have learned to continually delegate certain responsibilities to team members far more capable than I. Most recently, we have built out our senior team, including a Chief Product, Chief Merchandising, and Chief Marketing role, with individuals who are empowered to make and run their own teams. I am a huge proponent of decentralized and autonomous decision making, as well as decision velocity. We have made great strides here.
Don't Rock The Boat - The Dalstrong culture has grown to one of extreme transparency and openness, great ideas can and do come from anywhere. Every voice should be (and is) heard. We have made great strides in flattening our organization. I hope my openness here in this reply is also a testament to this fact.
I sincerely thank you for your time at Dalstrong. Best wishes in your next venture.
David Dallaire, Founder-CEO