(This story is part of series introducing a new awards program by the Dayton Business Journal called Inno Under 25, about young entrepreneurs, innovators and business owners in the Dayton region.)
One day before a college-class product pitch which she’d pondered for an entire summer, Dani Ruffolo had a spark of inspiration to create a unique hat that could hold and conceal small items.
As a result of what started as a hat with a sock sew into it, Ruffolo now runs Handy Hats, a hands-free way to keep small items secure and easily accessible.
Ruffolo, now 24 years old, said she never expected to run her own business at age 19.
“I always had an entrepreneurial mindset with the hopes and dreams of starting my own company but not any specifics of the industry I would go,” Ruffolo said. “It was a combination of my identification of an unmet need and solving that problem in a stylish way.”
Ruffolo admits becoming a small business owner has not been easy. She considers the job a large investment remembering many times she missed out on vacations or nights out with peers in pursuit of success.
With the pandemic, Ruffolo faced supply chain issues and longer turn arounds. She believed it was good experience and forced her to pivot to find a solution. It also brought her to find ways to stand out online such as putting more time into an Etsy shop which incurred 500 sales on that platform alone.
“I am super excited by the growth and the little wins and big wins along the way," Ruffolo said. "I have learned so much through this journey.”
As pandemic numbers drop, Ruffolo is looking forward to putting out more awareness on her brand, ready to participate in pop-up shops and local festivals and events.
Over the last five years, Ruffolo expanded her products from University of Dayton baseball hats to over 100 different designs and styles. Her product lines include bucket hats, sun hats, fedoras, winter hats and ponytail hats which recently launched in August.
Handy Hats intends to release waterproof hats as well as additional styles and designs this fall.
All Ruffolo’s hats are assembled in the Dayton area. She sells her products at 10 local retail locations, all with some select styles, as well as online at myhandyhats.com.
Handy Hats is partnered with international company Fab Fit Fun’s subscription box service.
Ruffolo offers custom projects for businesses, events and fundraisers as well as discounted rates for group orders. Hats average at $20 depending on design and style.
Alongside working for herself full time, Ruffolo works for a brand management company in Cincinnati.
“It’s really important for me to work with an established company," she said. "As much as I think it would be could to just work for Handy Hats, I wanted to learn from people who have been in the industry for a long time.”
Handy Hats was founded in 2016. Over the last five years, half of which Ruffolo spent as a full-time student, the business sold over 20,000 hats in various styles.
The company won the University of Dayton’s Flyer Pitch Competition in 2019 and with it the $25,000 grand prize.
Handy Hats
Founded: 2016
Owner: Dani Ruffolo
Website: myhandyhats.com; social media @HandyHats
Service: Stylish and sporty hats with discreet inside pocket for holding small essentials like credit card, ID and key
