How Allison Herman is Building a Thriving Apparel Brand—Without Quitting Her Full-Time Job

Entrepreneurship often comes with a familiar narrative: take the leap, quit your job, and go all in. But for Allison Herman, owner of Dragonwing, that version of success never felt quite right. Instead, she chose a different path—one where she kept her high-level corporate role while building her own fast-growing activewear brand from the ground up.

Now, as she scales Dragonwing into a powerful force in the girls' activewear market, Herman is proving that entrepreneurship isn’t an all-or-nothing game—it’s about strategy, time management, and smart decision-making.

And she’s not slowing down anytime soon.

A Career Built on Fashion, Performance, and Purpose

Before she was running her own company, Allison Herman was already deeply immersed in the fashion world. A former competitive swimmer, she studied at Parsons School of Design before spending over 15 years in the children’s apparel industry.

But when she had the opportunity to acquire Dragonwing, a brand dedicated to high-performance activewear for girls, she saw more than just a business—she saw a chance to create something bigger.

“This was a brand I believed in,” she explains. “It wasn’t just about clothing. It was about empowering young girls in sports and movement, making sure they had gear that actually fit, supported them, and gave them confidence.”

But taking over an existing business wasn’t as simple as signing on the dotted line. The brand had gone dormant during COVID. Its marketing, operations, and supply chain all needed a major overhaul. And she was about to take on all of it—while keeping her full-time job.

Building a Business While Balancing a Career

Herman is a Vice President at a leading children’s apparel company, a demanding role with plenty of responsibilities. But instead of viewing her job as a roadblock to entrepreneurship, she saw it as an asset—one that allowed her to:

✔ Financially support the business without the stress of immediate profitability
✔ Leverage her corporate experience to refine Dragonwing’s branding, production, and logistics
✔ Take calculated risks rather than rushing into costly decisions

“For me, keeping my job was never about playing it safe—it was about playing it smart,” she says. “It gave me the freedom to grow the business at a sustainable pace.”

But managing two full-time roles required extreme discipline. She structured her days with precision, dedicating focused time to each role, while ensuring clear boundaries so neither suffered.

And the results speak for themselves.

Revitalizing Dragonwing: A Complete Brand Overhaul

When Herman took over Dragonwing, it was clear the brand needed a new direction.

She didn’t just maintain what was already there—she rebuilt it from the ground up. That meant:

📌 Redefining the brand identity – A complete aesthetic overhaul, moving beyond just base layers to a broader range of activewear.
📌 Revamping the supply chain – Finding new manufacturers and improving quality standards.
📌 Rebuilding customer engagement – Refreshing digital marketing, email lists, and social media presence.

But one of the biggest surprises came in the customer base itself. Initially, she envisioned Dragonwing serving team sports like soccer and lacrosse—but the most engaged consumers were dancers and cheerleaders.

“I went on Instagram looking for ambassadors, and I realized the girls in dance and cheer had a much stronger presence online,” she explains. “It was a lightbulb moment—we needed to pivot.”

And she did—quickly. Today, Dragonwing is rapidly expanding in the competitive dancewear market, attending conventions, trade shows, and competitions while still catering to a broad range of active girls.

The Challenges of Leading as Both an Executive and Founder

Being a leader in a corporate setting is vastly different from running your own business. As a VP, Herman had the structure and support of a large company. As an entrepreneur, every decision—good or bad—was on her shoulders.

And managing a team? That was different, too.

Dragonwing’s team is made up mostly of contractors—freelance designers, marketers, and outsourced specialists. Managing remote teams came with new challenges, including:

✔ Ensuring clear communication and expectations
✔ Finding the right talent that truly understood the brand
✔ Holding contractors accountable to deliverables without micromanaging

“In a corporate job, you often have HR teams handling hiring and processes,” she says. “When you’re running your own business, it’s all you. Every hire, every relationship—it all directly impacts your success.”

And some lessons came the hard way.

From learning how to filter out unhelpful criticism, to navigating challenging partnerships, she quickly realized that not every opportunity is a good one.

But through every setback, she kept her focus on the bigger picture—growing Dragonwing into the go-to brand for young female athletes.

The Future of Dragonwing: Scaling Beyond Direct-to-Consumer

While Dragonwing has seen major growth through direct-to-consumer sales, Herman is actively expanding into wholesale—partnering with dance studios, conventions, and specialty retailers to bring the brand to a wider audience.

And that’s just the beginning.

📍 Expanding into Swimwear – Launching in Spring/Summer, a nod to Herman’s competitive swimming roots.
📍 Growing Wholesale & Retail – Entering strategic partnerships to diversify revenue streams.
📍 Continuing to empower young athletes – Staying committed to designing apparel that fits, performs, and inspires confidence.

And what about the big question—when will she make the full-time leap into Dragonwing?

“We’re getting close,” she says. “Right now, my job still adds value to what I’m building. But eventually, I want to pour 100% of my energy into this brand. That’s the goal.”

Redefining Entrepreneurship: You Don’t Have to Quit Your Job to Start

Herman’s story challenges the startup myth that entrepreneurship has to be a high-risk, quit-your-job, go-all-in endeavor.

Instead, she’s proving that with patience, strategy, and discipline, you can build a thriving business without sacrificing financial stability.

For those considering starting a business while still working full-time, she has simple advice:

“You don’t have to go all in right away. Take your time. Test your ideas. Build it step by step. Success isn’t about speed—it’s about sustainability.”

And with Dragonwing growing faster than ever, it’s clear she’s on the right path.

Connect with Dragonwing & Allison Herman

📌 Website: Dragonwing
📌 Instagram: @dragonwing
📌 TikTok: @shopdragonwing
📌 Facebook: Dragonwing Activewear

For more stories of bold women entrepreneurs, tune in to the Badass Women in Business Podcast.