How a $30 Million Valuation (and a TV Show) Changed the Way I Think About “Deals”
Featuring: Luxe Du Jour Founder, Tammy Phan
If you’ve ever watched a pitch show and thought,
“I wonder what actually happens after the cameras turn off…”
this story is for you.
On the Amy Plus Podcast, I sat down with Tammy Phan, the founder of Luxe Du Jour—the luxury resale and rental company I personally trust with my own bags. You might recognize her from her Dragon’s Den appearance, where she confidently walked into the room with a $30 million valuation.
And yes, the Dragons’ jaws dropped.
But the real story starts after that.
Today, I want to walk you through what Tammy shared with me—because it’s not just about money and numbers. It’s about self-worth, strategy, and knowing when a “no” is actually the best yes you’ll ever give yourself.
👜 A little something from Tammy
Because she’s an angel, Tammy also gave us a special offer:
$100 off anything over $2,000 at Luxe Du Jour
with code: AMYPLUSJOE1 (all caps)
If you forget it, just DM me and I’ll send it to you. 😉
Who Tammy Is (And Why I Trust Her With My Bags)
Before we get to the $30 million part, here’s what you need to know:
Tammy is the founder and CEO of Luxe Du Jour, a global platform for luxury resale and rentals.
She built her business from scratch as a young woman, a high school dropout, with parents who didn’t always understand her path.
Today, she’s a mom, a wife, and a serious operator in the luxury space working with brands and bags many of us dream about.
I’ve bought some of my favorite pieces through her, including my Himalayan crocodile Birkin and several classic Chanel and Dior bags. When I say I trust her, I mean: if I’m wiring that kind of money, it’s going to someone who knows exactly what she’s doing.
Walking Into Dragon’s Den With a $30 Million Valuation
Imagine this:
You’ve built your company.
You know your numbers.
You’ve lived every late night and every “this might not work” moment.
And now you’re standing under bright studio lights, facing a row of investors, and you say:
“I’m valuing my company at $30 million.”
That’s exactly what Tammy did on Dragon’s Den.
She wasn’t guessing. She had the revenue, the projections, and the brand momentum to back it up. Still, you can feel the tension in the room. TV loves drama, and a big number makes good television.
What I loved most was not just her confidence, but the way she held her ground. She told her story honestly—about being a young Asian woman, a high school dropout, feeling like a disappointment, and still choosing to bet on herself.
It was emotional. And it was powerful.
What You Don’t See: The Deals After the Show
Here’s where it gets interesting.
On TV, you see:
The pitch
The back-and-forth
An offer (or a rejection)
The big handshake moment
What you don’t see is that many of those deals… never actually close.
After the episode filmed, Tammy did what any smart founder should do: she went home, reviewed everything, and kept building. The exposure from Dragon’s Den brought in not just customers, but other investors.
One of those was a strategic angel investor who came in with:
A higher valuation than the show
Real mentorship and guidance
A deal structure that made more sense long-term
So while the TV moment was beautiful and exciting, the real deal, the one that moved her business forward, happened off-camera, with someone who truly believed in her vision at the number she knew her company deserved.
Why She Didn’t Just “Take the TV Money”
From the outside, it’s easy to say:
“Why didn’t you just take the deal? It’s TV! It’s exposure!”
But what Tammy reminded me of is this:
A deal that looks glamorous on camera
doesn’t always serve you in real life.Not all money is equal.
And the loudest offer is not always the best one.
She chose alignment over applause. And to me, that’s the part of her story that more women—and honestly, more founders in general—need to hear.
The Rental Program That Impressed the Dragons (and Me)
One of the Dragons’ big reactions came from Tammy’s rental program.
If you’ve never rented a designer bag before, here’s the basic idea:
You can rent a high-end bag (think Birkin, Kelly, Chanel, Dior)
Use it for a wedding, trip, photo shoot, or special event
Treat it like a business expense if it’s for content, branding, or marketing
Send it back, without being locked into owning a $15,000–$100,000+ bag
Tammy built a system that:
Authenticates every piece
Specializes in a select group of luxury brands
Serves both everyday women and serious collectors
And for many people, especially creators and entrepreneurs, this is a smarter way to play in the luxury space.
Why buy every single look when you can rotate, enjoy, and still invest where it really counts?
What I Learned Sitting Across From Her
A few things stayed with me after that conversation:
Self-worth shows up in your numbers.
The valuation you put on your business is often a reflection of how willing you are to stand by your work—even when people doubt you.Exposure is not the same as equity.
Being on TV is great. But the question is: who actually has a stake in your long-term story?Being strategic is a form of self-respect.
Saying “no” to a misaligned deal, even a public one, takes courage. It’s choosing your future over a moment.Women in luxury can also be women in leadership.
There’s a narrative that loving handbags or fashion is “shallow.” Watching Tammy talk valuations, investors, and structure while also talking about Birkins and rentals completely destroys that stereotype—and I love that.
How This Helps You (Even If You’re Not Pitching on TV)
You might not be walking into Dragon’s Den any time soon, but you probably are:
Negotiating a salary
Pricing your services
Setting rates for your time or your work
Considering a partnership or collaboration
Here are a few questions from Tammy’s story I think are worth asking yourself:
What is my work actually worth and am I standing by that number?
Am I saying yes for validation… or because the terms truly serve me?
Is this a TV moment, or a long-term move?
Do I need applause, or do I need alignment?
You don’t have to be a founder with a $30M company to apply this. You just have to be someone who’s willing to value their time, talent, and story.
Want to Hear the Full Conversation?
This blog is just a small slice of what Tammy and I talked about.
In the full episode, we go deeper into:
Her journey from high school dropout to CEO
The behind-the-scenes reality of pitch shows
How luxury rentals and resale really work
What it looks like to build something big as a woman in a male-dominated world
You can listen to the full episode of the Amy Plus Podcast on all the things, or go straight to:
👉 AmyPlusJoe.com to find the latest episodes.
And if you’ve ever watched a pitch show and thought,
“I wonder what really happened after that…”
this is one episode you don’t want to miss.
