The entrepreneurial spirit has been in Sarah Segal’s blood since she was a child.
Today, the well-known Canadian businesswoman is CEO of DAVIDsTEA since December 2020 and President of Squish Candy since January 2014.
Segal was born and raised in Montreal. She has a B.A. in Environmental Health from McGill University. Her junior year was spent at the London School of Economics.
She took a job out of university and went to China, working with the Junior Professional Consultants Program with the Canadian government. At the time, Segal worked within the United Nations organization. While working there, her boss recommended she do a Masters at Oxford University and she ended up doing a Masters in Water Science, Policy and Management.
“I had the pleasure of growing up in a retail family, both my grandparents’ side and my parents as well. We’re very entrepreneurial in our own way. My parents directly ran a couple of businesses. So from a very young age, my earliest job was working in my mom’s toy store which was a beloved toy store in Westmount here in Montreal. It was called Oink Oink,” said Segal. “She became known for free gift wrapping.”
The store was open throughout Segal’s life growing up. It closed about a year or so ago.
“I really loved it. I grew up in a store. You learn a lot being around customers. I really loved wrapping. I loved gifting. I loved helping people find the perfect gift. I loved the full environment of that store which was pure joy. Now I have kids and I understand the whole toy dynamic,” she said.
“You learned through osmosis. Like merchandising and display. I would get to do the window. And I learned to work with customers and work with cash at a very young age. I don’t think you study that necessarily.”
As she grew up, her father founded Le Chateau and her mother helped run that retailer since 1959.
Segal also worked in many clothing stores.
“That was really my exposure to customers and customer service and helping customers. It was a very enjoyable line of work for me. It just felt like something you did. I gravitated towards it.
“I love talking to people. At the end of the day, I feel maybe shy in other situations but when I’m working in a retail environment I’m not shy. And I think as I grew older and more self aware I realized what kind of energy it gives you.”
After graduating with her Masters, Segal joined DAVIDsTEA in 2010 in the area of product development. She became CEO in December 2020.
“I had this desire to do a similar concept as DAVIDsTEA with candy. And I saw this opportunity at a certain point. I remember wanting the vibe of opening stores and trying that entrepreneurial spirit and just so excited about the candy space and discovering this world of gummy bears,” she said of how Squish was created.
When Segal looks back at her family background and its entrepreneurial spirit, she said she learned that it takes hard work.
“I really do think (her parents) led by example. They worked 24/7. I don’t know if that’s a generational thing or a cultural thing. I’m sure a lot of people can speak to it in their own ways but for my parents they worked 24/7. I never really saw them turn off. Even on our family vacations, they would be on buying trips. It was their whole life,” said Segal. “I guess I just knew that from a very young age that it’s very involved.”
Segal said it’s definitely a time of change and evolution today in the retail industry.
“But I think retail has been evolving for quite a number of years. There are some things that haven’t changed. I still think that people want to connect in a very real way with the brand, have discussions, learn about the products, have an experience. We’re seeing such great energy in our stores. It’s still really relevant to have that human connection and to smell, touch, taste,” she said.
“I think the things that are changing are how many stores you need to have that impact, how far people are willing to displace or go to have an experience. That’s been changing for 10 plus years and kind of accelerated at this point. So I think being very, very thoughtful of where you go and how you reach your customers now with all the data we have with online sales and everything you can be very thoughtful about where you pop up or where you open. It can change and has changed.
“But I don’t think stores and in person activation is declining in any way. It’s even more relevant as a complement to a digital experience.”
Segal said she tries to lead by example. She’s very involved in the business.
“I believe authenticity and trust is something that you build over time. I was lucky enough to come into an organization where a lot of people already knew me. That really helped in terms of me getting feedback, having that trust and open communication,” said Segal. “I believe that’s what allowed us to survive through such a big transition. It’s been our ability to communicate openly in our organization. I’ve had two children since I’ve been in this role. I’ve been a working mom. I didn’t even take a mat leave. There’s other parents in the company who were very collaborative.
“It’s a very honest and open communication and it is something that prioritizes flexibility. I hope the team feels they can talk to me about the real life struggles they face because I live it every day and share with them that you can be fully committed and work a lot but also not at the expense of your family. That’s something we’re all aligned on internally.”
Her children are two and five years old. How does she manage to juggle that, being a parent of young children and running a company?
“A lot of support. I have support here at the office. So much understanding . . . I think everyone understands when I go home for dinner. I’m going to cook for my kids, I’m going to drop them off for school. If my daughter is with me, they know why. I think it’s really normalizing those two roles. I’m not alone. Everybody aligns here and has the same situation and appreciates my values around that.”
Beyond family time and work, Segal loves playing tennis. She’s a long-time tennis lover.
“I’m very active. I played a lot of sports in the past. Team sports don’t translate into adult life so easily because of the time restrictions . . . So tennis is what I’ve been able to keep going. And I walk a lot. It’s my life hack, my pandemic habit, that continues. It’s something I can do while pushing a kid or having them on my back,” she said.
“That’s the one thing I’ve been able to maintain that doesn’t have a schedule. With work and kids, I’m at the stage where scheduling is almost impossible.
“I’ll walk in the rain or the snow, whatever. I’m very Montrealer like that. My other hack I started a few years ago was restorative yoga . . . Twenty minutes at night changed my whole alignment. It’s so enjoyable . . . It’s been a way for me to process the day and when you’re with so many people in the day, that time has been a big win for me.”
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