Bonobos founder who helped transform Walmart opens up about mental health struggles

Andy Dunn startup Bonobos has been brought to court for acquisition by a major retailer Walmart.. It was a thrilling process, but the co-founder and former CEO of an online menswear brand knew it was time to reveal his secrets. He suffered from bipolar disorder.

In his new book, Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Heart, a 43-year-old entrepreneur opens up about how his personal life collapsed a while back. Wal-Mart’s $ 310 million acquisition Bonobos of 2017 gathered. He shares some of the lowest points, including his stay in the psychiatric ward of Bellevue Hospital in New York City and the assault from a severe manic episode when he attacked his girlfriend and his mother at the time. .. His accusation was later dismissed as Dan sought treatment and restored his relationship with his later married girlfriend Manuela.

Dan joined Wal-Mart after talking to retailers about his efforts to get better with episodes and treatments and dosing. He oversaw Wal-Mart’s ever-growing collection of brands that started online and helped push the company into the digital world.

group Leaving Walmart in 2020 Founded Pumpkin Pie, a social media startup. The app, called “The Tinder for Friendship,” will be released later this year.

Earlier this year, Wal-Mart launched the Bonobos Fielder, a new low-cost extension of the Bonobos brand. It was the first time that the Wal-Mart website and some stores sold apparel under the name Bonobos. This is part of the company’s broader strategy of launching its own hipster apparel line and selling more popular products.

Dan spoke to CNBC from his home in Chicago. His comments have been edited for brevity and clarity.

You could have dedicated this book to entrepreneurship, or advice on Wal-Mart’s acquisition of Bonobos. Why did you decide to write a book about mental health issues?

Before he officially became my editor, it was a great conversation with my editor. He said it in a straightforward way. It was in the turndown email. The illness spoken through the lens of an entrepreneur, then it could be a really exciting project. “

And I was, yes, that’s what I want to do. That’s the person I want to work with.

Why are you ready to relive some of the past?

After four years of therapy, twice a week, this catastrophic psychotic break in 2016, I actually did the work to process, metabolize, and reconstruct myself.And all the power of loved ones around me

This diagnosis is endless, but I thought I had a unique opportunity to share at least how I got over some really difficult days. I didn’t want to waste it.

In this book, you mentioned Tony Hsieh of Zappos, another skilled entrepreneur who fought very openly with mental health. Why do you think mental health was such a taboo topic in the business world, and in fact in the entrepreneurial world?

For Tony It is very sad and tragic in itself. He wrote the book “Delivering Happiness”, which created a company rooted in fun energy. Zappos has long been known and studied its culture. He was the life of the party and was known as the one who did a lot for the Las Vegas community.

He was a hero to me. And, obviously, he was suffering personally.

I think it’s part of the archetype of a typical entrepreneur and the person who owns it, the brilliant and charismatic spirit. And that’s what you’re expecting, right? You have to show it every day, and it’s inhumane to expect from anyone.

The pandemic has begun a broader conversation about mental health. What role can the business community and employers play in improving access to care and fighting stigma?

First and foremost, create a safe environment for disclosure so that people can share what they are dealing with. The leader is obliged to role model the behavior to show the team that it is safe to move forward.

Step 2 is to build a community around it. I have had the opportunity to talk to many companies in the last few weeks.I loved the conversation with [tech company] This is because Carta already has a neurodiversity employee resource group.

The third part is really investing in the care people need. Regular health insurance does not get the job done in terms of the ability to find mental health professionals. In many cases, the redemption rate is too low.

The only way to change that is to have an investment.

The contrast of the book was really impressive. You are in a psychiatric ward and are discussing with Wal-Mart shortly afterwards to make a deal. How was it when you heard that Wal-Mart was interested in buying Bonobos?

I was thinking of doing a private equity deal on an independent path towards an IPO, but I ended up spending time with the Wal-Mart team, especially Mark Roar. [Walmart’s then-e-commerce chief] When [CEO] Doug McMillon is really crazy about the opportunity to participate in Fortune One’s digital transformation.

From “moon-independent” to “it’s great to work with Wal-Mart,” we’ve come to part of the transaction process where background checks are conducted.Disclose it [my diagnosis and arrest record].. I didn’t try to hide it.

You have helped the birth of the direct consumer movement in many ways. However, many of those companies did not become independent and profitable companies. What do you think the future of the DTC model will be?

The pure internet model is difficult. The founders of Direct-to-Consumer — and I was one of them — are too in love with the potential of their brand Direct-to-Consumer, but ignore the still-lived parts of the legacy retail industry. please.

The pure internet model is a fundamental challenge in terms of long-term profitability. Keep in mind that it’s important to be humble as the founder of direct sales, and even if the e-commerce aspect of your home is growing very rapidly, you can still make a lot of money in a traditional physical store. ..

In the end, how did you find a better balance between your desire to succeed and your desire to stay healthy?

My son, Isaiah, makes up the majority of it. He is 20 months old and doesn’t care about my success. He cares about himself and I think it’s beautiful. I have felt very self-involved for a very long time. Setting up a company can be a self-absorbing endeavor.

The way I explain it is to become a planet orbiting him because it is in the center of the solar system. It only creates a radically different view of the world.