Meet Dylan Demery | Founder & Owner of She’s Fly

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dylan Demery and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dylan, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I still have a full-time day job while I’m trying to get my own business off the ground, so work life balance has shifted for me significantly in the last few years. The business I’m starting is based on my passion and I find myself working on it all the time. I enjoy it because it’s mine! But I also find that I can easily get burned out so I’m making it a point to schedule some downtime for myself. I’m allowing myself to have entire days without any plans and they are pretty amazing. When I take a day to unplug, I come back ready to go after it again.

What should our readers know about your business?
She’s Fly is a shop that focuses on fly fishing products and services by and for women. We think that alone sets us apart from most of the other fly shops out there. Women are the fastest growing demographic in the outdoors and deserve to have gear that fits so they can feel comfortable and confident. We’re working to make that happen.

We started this business with very little experience… none of us had owned a business before. We are learning as we go and having an online model makes us more flexible so we can pivot when something isn’t working. We also work with others in the fly fishing community to learn from their successes and failures and apply that knowledge as we go.

She’s Fly is all about building community, not competition, and we want to help this sport become more inclusive.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Old Town Fort Collins is one of the best areas in the city. There are tons of shops, eateries, breweries, fun bars, and even a concert venue (The Aggie). I also love going to Totally 80s Pizza because I grew up during the 80s and actually plan on taking my best friend there the next time she comes to visit. Another of my favorite places is the Mishawaka Amphitheater outside of Fort Collins in the Poudre Canyon. Odell’s is my favorite brewery and has a wonderful patio. The Poudre River Trail through town is a wonderful place to walk and fish near Lee Martinez Park.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think the women who own Damsel Fly Fishing out of Belgrade, MT deserve some recognition. I met Kara Tripp and Lynae Axelson at a Fly Fishing Retailer Expo in Denver in 2019. We hadn’t launched She’s Fly yet and were a little nervous about how we’d be received in our hometown. I worried about whether we could be successful since there were other fly shops in the area. Kara explained how there were probably 5 fly shops in Bozeman and that Bozeman is probably smaller than Fort Collins. She looked at me and said, “There’s room for you.” Lynae nodded her head and said we should go for it. I keep those words in my mind all the time when I feel discouraged about the business… “There’s room for you.” And with that, I keep going.

Website: https://www.shesfly.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shesflyfishing/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/she-s-fly-fishing-98406727a/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShesFlyFishing/