From her formative years in environmental toxicology to her intuitive dive into the world of start-ups, Chloe D’Agostini’s journey is a testament to adaptability, audacity, and unbridled passion. In an interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, the founder of Versalles Creative shed light on her multifaceted career. Chloe’s path is lined with lessons from both the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. She transitioned from roles at innovative startups to launching her own ventures, emphasizing the importance of impact-driven brands in today’s business landscape. Central to her ethos is the belief in the power of narratives, asserting that a brand’s story is integral to its identity. Amidst her varied roles, Chloe credits community, collaboration, and a deep-seated connection to her work as the fuels that drive her forward. Chloe’s trajectory serves as a rich tapestry of experiences, underscoring the importance of resilience, innovation, and purpose in the dynamic world of business.
Chloe D’Agostini is a seasoned brand expert who is known for leading noteworthy companies from concept to launch. She runs her own brand and communications agency, Versalles Creative, that focuses on shaping the identity and story behind impact-driven brands while helping them secure coverage in top publications such as WSJ, CNN, Forbes, and more. Her expertise in brand development and flair for creative innovation has given rise to the transformation of many brands throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and Latin America. Chloe also spends her time building community events and currently acts as the co-host of reputable meetup series based in Toronto.
Starting from the concept phase to launching major brands and now heading Versalles Creative, can you walk us through your entrepreneurial journey and some pivotal moments that have shaped your career?
My entrepreneurial journey started unknowingly in my early 20s when I took a leap of faith to join a young and quickly growing e-commerce start-up in California. After graduating with a BSc in Biology, I immediately started working in environmental toxicology in Toronto. While I found the work to be interesting, I knew deep down that I was capable of doing more and was seeking something more creative. Serendipitously, I was approached at that time with an opportunity to jump feet first into a fast-moving start-up (The Beard Club) and although the move seemed risky, something inside me knew I had to give it a try. Little did I know, this step was going to catapult me into the world of entrepreneurship. I quickly realized that there was something in my nature that thrived in environments where I could dive into multiple areas, have more of a voice and direct impact, and collaborate in exciting and creative ways with close-knit teams. The incredible success experienced at this first start-up unlocked a new realm of possibilities I hadn’t previously been exposed to. Needless to say, I was hooked. For years after, I exclusively focused on joining other small teams helping to carry their big ideas forward.
I honestly didn’t know if I would ever launch something of my own, the thought of being a solo founder intimidated me and I hadn’t yet come across an opportunity to partner with someone else. But in 2021 the cards aligned; I realized that I had spent the majority of my career collecting the skills needed to build my first independent venture. I’ve come to find that I have a knack for making something out of nothing, perhaps it’s because I spent years in “build mode” which shaped my mind to think that way. I learned to quickly adapt and pull together structures where they didn’t previously exist and run with my creativity in an experimental yet strategic way. Looking back, I can see that this wide range of experiences acted as a set of stepping stones, leading me down my entrepreneurial journey. I’m still stepping on new stones!
Being at the forefront of several ventures must have exposed you to the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. Can you share some of those experiences and how they influenced your approach to business?
I’ve learned an endless number of lessons that continue to shape my approach to business with each new day. The highs and lows have taught me more about life than I ever could have imagined. Without question, my business knowledge has grown immensely, but entrepreneurship has also taught me an incredible amount about myself. When you’re an entrepreneur, the stakes are high and at certain points the attitude is very much “sink or swim”. Depending on what’s happening in other areas of my personal life, I’ve seen the emotional toll that the “lows” haven taken on me and equally how the “highs” have lifted me up. But most importantly, I’ve recognized that my health and well-being directly influence the state of any business I’m working on and it’s important for me to maintain a level head. So, with that, I’ve become rather unwavering in setting boundaries that I know are beneficial to me. I have a deeper understanding of what type of foundation I need to show up with consistency and optimism. In the beginning prioritizing myself felt selfish, until I saw first-hand the impact that this had on my business and how I was able to show up as a leader for others.
I think with entrepreneurship you also learn to embrace the messiness of it all. In a start-up, there are typically a million moving parts and it’s a juggling act. Over time, I’ve come to recognize the importance of offloading tasks and projects that are just not my forte. I’ve seen how working in areas that are too much of a stretch from my own “zone of genius” can drag down the momentum of the business. I love being a generalist, I enjoy being involved in numerous aspects of a company or project. But at the same time, it’s unsustainable and often unnecessary to have your hands in everything. For example, bookkeeping. One of the best decisions I made early on was to outsource the financial backend of my business to a team of experts (shout out to Zetique!). They have alleviated a lot of personal frustration and have also broadened my perspective on how to approach business finances, which has influenced the trajectory of my success. Could I do it myself? Perhaps. But even thinking of taking that on makes me uncomfortable! I just know it’s not where I want or need to focus most of my time. With all that being said, I’m endlessly appreciative of being able to work with people who have skillsets different from my own, who can teach me as we work alongside one another while also collaborating in an efficient way.
What inspired your transition to focus on shaping the identities of impact-driven brands, and how do you perceive its relevance in today’s business world?
Early on in my career, I took on the go-getter mindset, getting involved in anything and everything that interested me. I’m extremely happy I did that. I gained exposure to many different business verticals and a wide array of personalities; as a result, I learned to swiftly adapt to new environments and engage with individuals from a variety of backgrounds. The more experiences I had, the more I learned about the type of work that energized me and equally the type of people that I wanted to be surrounded by.
I studied Biology during my undergrad and have always genuinely cared about the health of people and the well-being of the planet. So, when I decided to launch my own business, I felt a deeper desire to connect my interests and skills in a way that would allow me to work with brands that were bettering our world. In my mind, being impact-driven is a broad term. In this business context, it can range from beauty brands that are designing healthier and more sustainable products, to working with leaders for the UN that are tackling world issues, and beyond. The timing of my decision to focus on impact-driven brands was also very aligned with a greater global change. Intuitively I felt that there was a shift happening in the world, I could see that consumers were becoming more aware of product quality, supply chains, who was behind the brand, and so on. There was a rapidly growing interest in businesses that had more regard for their overall impact. At the same time, I also saw a rampant increase in innovative technologies being utilized for good. These were important shifts I wanted to get behind. I asked myself, how do I use the skills I have to support brands and people who are making a difference? Turns out, there were numerous answers and so this led to the launch of several ventures and I’m sure more to come in time!
Versalles Creative emphasizes the importance of a brand’s narrative. How pivotal do you think it is for brands to craft compelling stories?
I often find that for many companies/start-ups, crafting a brand story becomes an afterthought. When you’re in the weeds of building and scaling a business, it can be a challenge to allocate time and resources to brand development over product development, team hires, etc. However, you’re always telling a story. Whether you’re in the early or later stages of your company, the story of your brand is woven into everything that you do. It evolves with you as your company grows. In communicating to your customers, potential investors, your team, the media, or social media, the narrative you tell must connect your product/service to whoever is on the receiving end. I’ve seen companies that have the most stellar products, opt out of investing in narrative development and eventually another brand (that may have a less sophisticated product) surpasses them because of stronger ‘storytelling’ and they end up dominating the market. I always say, own your story before someone else does.
Managing an agency, co-hosting events, and being involved in various partnerships demands tremendous motivation. How do you maintain your inspiration and derive satisfaction in such a dynamic professional landscape?
It most definitely can be overwhelming at times! There are often many moving parts, but I try to remind myself that these are all growth opportunities. I love to test my skills in new environments and see how I overcome something that may have initially intimidated me. The idea that time could pass by, and I could stay complacent or not grow, is more of a fear to me than trying something new and “failing”. I’ve experienced many “failures” but every time I bounce back, with new strength and confidence. I learn the lesson, take it with me, and move on to the next thing.
I also try to be as intentional as I can be about the type of work I take on and who I work with. I’m a strong believer that you are a product of your environment and often my inspiration comes from the camaraderie of building with other people. I’m a collaborative and community-driven person by nature, so being a part of projects that are rooted in connection just naturally draws me in. I’ve also grown to have many passions and interests. I keep it in check so that I’m not jumping all over the place, but I’ve found that exposing myself to unrelated projects can strengthen my creativity and the value I bring to the work I’m doing. There’s a lot of grit and patience that comes with building from the ground up, a lot of unglamorous parts of the journey. But I find when I am connected to the meaning of what I’m creating and genuinely align with people I’m creating with, those are the projects that see the greatest success, impact, and longevity.
