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Alexandre Douzet’s Fat Dog Changed his Career Path for the Better

Cator Sparks
By

Alexandre Douzet and Ollie Dog
Today we speak to Alexandre Douzet, the cofounder of Ollie, the human-grade dog food brand that’s disrupting pet food industry.

I was born on the border of Alsace in France. I attended college in France at the University of Brion. After graduating, I moved to New York City and worked there for four years before going to INSEAD, a business school in France. Following graduation I returned to New York City and started Ladders, an online career services resource dedicated to advancing professionals careers. I spent three years at Ladders and through that time was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my future.

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Simultaneously, I realized my dog was gaining a lot of weight. I did a ton of research and concluded there were some companies offering healthy dog foods, but I realized there were no direct-to-consumer brands. Shortly after I was introduced to the co-founder of Ollie by an investor and the rest is history.

Paws off, human. This is #myollie

A post shared by Ollie (@myollie) on

As for my personal style:

Jeans
I enjoy wearing different styles for different occasions. I’ll wear Levis for a more dressed down look and Hugo Boss for a more tailored look.

Shirts
I have a simple style when it comes to shirts, and lean more towards polo shirts, like Lacoste, or simple dress down white shirts from Brooks Brothers and Hugo Boss rather than T-shirts.

Suits
My suits range from various styles, but I like custom tailored suits. Bespoke suits are my favorite, Michael Andrews on Great Jones Alley is my go-to spot.

Shoes
I like dress shoes and loafers, specifically high-end boots and loafers. For sneakers, I like urban style sneakers like GREATS. I wear them to work a lot and they are great to walk around in. I also really like Newton sneakers to wear to work and to workout in.

Accessories
My favorite accessory is a nice watch. I wear my Cartier silver watch for a more dressed up look, and for a more casual look, I wear my Garman GPS 920 smart watch.

Outerwear
In between seasonal jackets, I stick to more of an Italian style blazer from Zegna and Canali. I also wear a lot of vests in the colder seasons as well as my ¾ zip Patagonia vest. I also wear my Parka in the colder months.

Cologne
My go-to cologne is Dolce and Gabbana.

Favorite App
My favorite app right now is Instagram with a close second to Facebook. I am very picture and video driven so these apps appeal to me the most. I also enjoy reading the Wall Street Journal on my phone though I used to be an avid reader of The Financial Times. Unfortunately, the FT app isn’t as user-friendly so I haven’t been reading it like I used to.

I am not a big podcast guy, but I really enjoy listening to TED talks.

Next gear purchase
My next gear purchase will be a new bike, called the PremiereBike, which is mainly used for triathlon racing.

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Favorite app: the CHIVE.
Favorite piece of technology: Beats by Dre Wireless Headset.
Next style/gear purchase: Burberry beige rain coat, mid length.

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