My mother-in-law's side hustle made $1M selling pillows?!?

Summary

Podcast Summary: My First Million – "My mother-in-law's side hustle made $1M selling pillows?!?"

Podcast: My First Million
Hosts: Sam Parr and Shaan Puri (HubSpot Media)
Guest: Smithy Sodine
Date: February 11, 2026

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Episode Overview

This inspirational episode features Sam Parr interviewing his mother-in-law, Smithy Sodine, who turned a modest $10,000 investment and a passion for sewing into a seven-figure decorative pillow business: Smithy Home Couture. Smithy shares her immigrant journey, how she transitioned careers in her 50s, the realities of starting and scaling a handcrafted e-commerce brand, and lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs at any age—especially those feeling stuck or overthinking their business launch.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Origin Story: Immigrant Drive and Career Pivots

• Smithy immigrated from Haiti to Miami at age 16, ultimately settling in New York to pursue her love of fashion and sewing ([02:32]).
• She juggled part-time courses at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), motherhood, and work, before becoming a teacher and later seeking a new path as her children grew up and her husband’s business wound down ([03:29]).

Smithy: "Sewing has always been a passion of mine... It was just a way to express my creativity." ([02:32])

2. Starting a Business in Midlife (and with No E-Commerce Experience)

• Smithy decided on decorative pillows—not bed pillows—leveraging her sewing skills and fabric collection despite no experience with online stores or marketing ([05:42]).
• She launched Smithy Home Couture with $10,000, learning Shopify, Photoshop, Canva, and other tools from scratch in her 50s ([09:03], [17:46]).
• The business model: stock fabric, sew to order, fast turnaround (3-5 days), and prioritize excellent customer service ([09:03]).

Smithy: "It was so simple to start this business... I started it with $10,000 and have never invested another penny in it." ([09:03])

3. Overcoming Doubts (Internal and External)

• Smithy faced skepticism: “Everyone kept discouraging me… they’re saying, why would you want to sell pillows?” ([03:29])
• Sam admits to being initially doubtful: “In my head I was thinking, this is just another conversation I’ve had tens of thousands of times…” ([09:53])

4. Building Momentum: The Power of Taking Action

• She attributes her success to taking fast, decisive action rather than overthinking:

Sam: "Just move fast, you know, momentum to your first dollar." ([16:59])

• Smithy emphasizes action over perfection. She started selling immediately, received a rush of demand during COVID lockdowns, and was profitable from year one ([13:03], [14:53]).

Smithy: “I was able to pay myself the very first year... maybe I made like $60,000.” ([14:53])

5. Metrics, Growth, and Scaling Realities

• Smithy hit seven-figure sales within six years, doubling revenue in 2025, and aims for 50% growth in 2026 ([15:48]).
• Maintains a small, flexible team (5–6 subcontractors), operates from a New Jersey “workroom,” and does not stock finished pillows—everything is custom ([08:23], [09:03]).
• Core channels are Etsy, Wayfair, and her own site. Exceptional customer reviews: 17,000+ orders and a 4.9/5 rating ([06:41]).

6. Customer Experience, Consulting, and Personal Touch

• Smithy personally consults with clients and interior designers, handles fabric buying, and treats every customer as she would like to be treated ([07:15]).
• Offers custom work: customers can provide their own fabric ([33:09]).

7. Growth vs. Lifestyle: Choosing Fulfillment

• Despite inbound interest from big retailers (e.g., Bed Bath & Beyond), Smithy resists scaling for its own sake ([25:03], [31:30]).
• She values personal client relationships and flexible hours, allowing time for family and grandchildren ([27:14], [28:03]).

Smithy: "There's a lot to lose by going bigger. I have to really consider if that's what I want to do." ([27:14])

8. Mindset, Learning, and Resilience

• Smithy’s advice to older aspiring entrepreneurs: “There are ways to do things if you really want to do something, there's always a path to take… I never doubted myself that I couldn't learn things.” ([17:46])

• She stresses the advantage of immigrant mindset and resilience:

Smithy: “If you’ve traveled this far, you’ve left your homeland… you have nothing to lose.” ([21:10])

9. Family, Community, and Entrepreneurial Support

• Discussion of how family support—especially emotional, not just financial—makes a huge difference in tackling entrepreneurship at any age ([38:55]).

10. Notable Anecdotes and Memorable Moments

• Smithy recounts her first real sale to a non-friend and the rush of validation ([13:03]).
• Hilarious family stories: Sam meeting Smithy (and her initial impressions), immigrant culture shock, encounters with high-powered suitors for the business ([34:50], [31:02]).

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "How do you create a multi million dollar business starting with only $10,000 without having much of a plan...?"
  — Sam Parr [00:00]

• "I made decorative pillows...couch pillows, the sofa pillows, and also the decorative bed pillows that people used."
  — Smithy Sodine [05:42]

• "Etsy made it pretty easy at the beginning...but the first time I actually had a client that I have never met ordered something, it was amazing. It was exhilarating."
  — Smithy Sodine [13:03]

• "I was able to pay myself the very first year...maybe I made like $60,000."
  — Smithy Sodine [14:53]

• "In 2025, my revenue grew by 100%. So we are in the seven figures now."
  — Smithy Sodine [15:48]

• "I'm okay making mistakes. I've always been that way. But I've also taken action on the things that I wanted to do."
  — Smithy Sodine [17:46]

• "Immigrants don't feel like they have a lot to lose...the opportunities are here. We left there because there weren't any opportunities."
  — Smithy Sodine [21:10]

• "There's a lot to lose by going bigger. So I have to really consider if that's what I want to do."
  — Smithy Sodine [27:14]

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Segments & Timestamps

• Intro & Smithy’s Background: [00:00–05:33]
• Why Pillows? & Learning E-Commerce: [05:33–09:53]
• Road to First Sale & COVID Impact: [13:00–14:53]
• Hitting Profitability & Scaling Up: [14:53–17:46]
• Mindset, Action, and Lifelong Learning: [17:46–21:10]
• Immigrant Resilience & American Dream: [21:10–22:34]
• Growth Intentions, Wholesale, and Lifestyle: [24:55–28:41]
• Work-Life Balance & Fulfillment: [28:41–29:55]
• Family Support & Entrepreneurial Roots: [38:55–40:35]
• Anecdotes and Closing Stories: [33:24–38:00]
• How to Find Smithy / Promotion: [40:35–41:03]

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Taking action is more important than exhaustive planning—start messy and iterate.
• Core business principles: find passion, solve a real-world problem, prioritize customer experience.
• Age, background, and prior experience are not barriers; technology is learnable at any stage.
• Emotional support and belief from friends/family can be more impactful than funding.
• Scaling up should be intentional; lifestyle businesses can be fulfilling and lucrative.

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How to Find Smithy Sodine

• Website: smithyhomecouture.com
• Instagram: @smithyhomecouture

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Final Words

This episode is a must-listen for anyone contemplating a career pivot, aspiring to start a side business, or doubting it’s too late to pursue a new path. Smithy’s story is a powerful example of how grit, learning, community, and customer focus can build both wealth and meaningful work—at any age.

Transcript

[Sam Parr]

So how do you create a multi million dollar business starting with only $10,000 without having much of a plan, without doing a lot of research, without even knowing how to use Shopify or basically you had to learn the Internet from scratch. Well, we have talked about this a little bit on this podcast, but I finally wanted to do an episode with a very special person, my mother in law. So about five years ago, my mother in law sat me down. She goes, sam, I have this idea for a business. I want to start this pillow company. Can you teach me how to do it? I gave the most generic advice ever on how to do it. Not expecting her to do anything. Turns out she listened and she googled and found actually significantly better advice. And she built a company that is now making millions a year in revenue. She started it in her early 50s and it's killing it. And after years of just kind of quietly chugging along and building this epic business, I asked my mother in law, Smithy Sodine, to come on the pod and give her story. If you are in your 30s, 40s, or 50s, and you are thinking about starting a business and you're sort of overthinking, you're not sure what to do, or even if you're in your 20s and you want to figure out how to change your life, this is probably the most relatable and I think inspirational episodes that we have ever done. So it's a very special episode for me. For obvious reasons. I love her to death, but I think you guys are going to like it. Check it out.

[Smithy Sodine]

I feel like I can rule the world. I know I could be what I want to. I put my all in it. Like, no days off on the road. Let's travel.

[Sam Parr]

So let me set the stage here, Smithy. Okay, Smithy, do you even listen to the podcast?

[Smithy Sodine]

I do. I do listen to some episodes.

[Sam Parr]

All right, so the story is this. Basically you came over in your early teens as an immigrant, you had some kids and you were a stay at home mom. And then the kids grew up and you were like, well, I'm not really sure what to do next. And so you kind of were like trying a bunch of different stuff. I think at one point you got your real estate license and you did something a lot of people want or they think about. They think like, I want to start something. I want to like do something. And you thought about it for a couple years, I think, and then all of a sudden we had a conversation and you basically told me what you were going to do and I wasn't sure if I even believed that you were going to do it, but basically you were like, I'm going to start a pillow business. You had done zero research, you didn't do any market research. And then all of a sudden, two weeks later you have this online store and before I know it, you had a bunch of sales. And now after doing this for six years, you've made multiple millions in revenue. I don't know if you're going to say what it is or, you know, you could say the numbers, but you built like a seven figure business without any Internet experience or any research. We talked about you on the podcast and that was pretty cool. And a lot of people have asked. And so we have Smithy here, who's actually my mother in law.

[Smithy Sodine]

Well, okay, I'll just change a few little bits of information in that summary. So I came to the US with my family when I was 16 years old. So it was in 1983. We lived in Miami for a couple of years. And then I wind up going to school in New York City. I wanted to be in a fashion industry. Sewing has always been a passion of mine. So I've my grandparents sewed and my mom did, so I learned from them. And then I wind up just liking it. It was just a way to express myself, my creativity. I made clothes for myself and then I wanted to go to Fashion Institute of Technology to study fashion. So I wind up being majoring in pattern making. I also had to work full time and while I was going to school part time. So I never graduated from fit.

[Sam Parr]

I didn't know you went to fit. That's pretty cool.

[Smithy Sodine]

Yes, I went to FIT for about a couple of years, maybe two, three years part time. I was really close to graduation. Then I got married, had a child, your wife, and decided that I wanted to move out of New York City. So and we moved to the suburbs and there was no fashion industry in the suburbs and I really didn't want to travel back and forth to work in the city. Then I stayed at home. I became a stay at home mom for about three or four years. Then I realized, oh, wow, I'm raising a child but I don't have enough information to raise her. What am I going to do when she needs knowledge? How am I going to help her? And so on. I'm like, okay, fine, I'll go to school to become a teacher. So I went to school, major, did a dual major, English lit and education. I actually went to school for 10 years while I was raising my kids and Wind up with a master's degree in linguistics, then. It really helped having children. But I always sewed or did alterations for my neighbors, and vests were in style in the 1990s. So I made vests and sold them on the side. So I was always sewing, doing something in that field. So when I started teaching, I thought for a while, my husband and I own a business. For sure, I helped out. And then when the business was winding down, I was like, I really needed to work, to keep working. I was just too young to retire. So I really brainstorm ideas. And then pillows just kept coming back to me because my friends always ask me to make them for. For them. I made them for my sisters. I made them for everybody. So I'm like, okay, pillows. You know, it was funny because everyone kept discouraging me. They're saying, why would you want to sell pillows? How many pillows can you sell? This is ridiculous. Nobody buys pillows, but I bought a ton of them and made a ton of them. So I know women like them and people in general like them.

[Sam Parr]

And when you're saying pillows, like, when you said pillows to me, I was thinking, like, pillows I put my head on at night and go to bed. You're talking about, like, fancy decorative pillows, like throw pillows.

[Smithy Sodine]

Okay, yes, you're right. I should correct that. I made decorative pillows, the couch pillows, the sofa pillows, and also the decorative bed pillows that people used. So I thought to myself, well, I really don't want to sell millions of pillows. I just wanted to sell enough. And I also wanted to keep myself engaged in something that I was passionate about. I was passionate about working with textile, looking at fabrics, shopping for them. I had closets full of them. So that's what I wind up doing. It was definitely tricky because I knew how to sew and I knew how to shop for the fabric. I had a pretty good eye for interior design. The problem was I had no knowledge of an online business. The technology part was a problem. So I had. I had to really learn a lot in order to open an online store for the listener.

[Sam Parr]

And, Ari, if you want to see this as well, Google. Okay, so Smithy's name is S, M I, T, H E, but she spelled it Smithy with a Y. So the word Smith and then a Y. Smithy Home Couture. You guys got to Google that right now. And if you go to it, you'll see your website. But more importantly, click the Etsy link. And I'm not looking at it now, but I'm going off memory. I think it says that you have sold or you've had 17,000 orders, and those orders could be multiple pillows. And the Reviews are like 4.9 out of 5 stars. And it's like 3 or 4 or 5000 reviews. Is that right?

[Smithy Sodine]

I have very, very, very good reviews. I think there are multiple aspects of the business. There's a consultant side of it where I help people select pillows for their homes. There's another side of it where you actually have to manufacture the pillows. We get in order, make the pillows, pack, and ship to the client. But you also. I have customers. You know, the customer service. You have to. It's a service to the client. So I really try to maintain a relationship with my clients. I treat them the way that I want to be treated. So I respond to their questions right away. If there's a they request something that I cannot do, I make sure that it expresses them. Hey, I can do that. So let's try something else. Or maybe I might even recommend somewhere else for them to find a product that they're looking for. So customer service is really important to me because I want to be treated well. The reviews are a reflection of that.

[Sam Parr]

Yeah, they're crazy high. And right now, just so people have context, right now, I think you have. I don't know how many employees you have. Four or five or six. How many do you have?

[Smithy Sodine]

So they're really all subcontractors. I use about five to six subcontractors. Yeah.

[Sam Parr]

And you have like a. I don't know what you call it. An office, A workspace where you have. I've been there. And you have these five or six or six.

[Smithy Sodine]

I have a work room.

[Sam Parr]

A work room. And you're just sewing the. Like. I think people. It's pretty cool because I think a lot of people listening to this, they're like, oh, I'm going to go, like, find something online and just resell it. You have five or six people in there with sewing machines, and you're. And you're sewing them. Like, you guys are actually. And so, like, a lot of people brag about Made in America, which I love. I love Made in America stuff. But you're, like, making all this in New Jersey. This is just, like. It's just crazy how straightforward you made this process. And it has worked really, really well.

[Smithy Sodine]

It's very simple. We don't stock pillow covers. We don't stock them. We stock fabrics. So I have about 400 different rolls of fabrics in my workroom. Someone places an order, and we make the pillow that day or that week, we ship within three to five days from the time you order to making it. Packing and ship, it's pretty simple. I have people who help me with the sewing, but I do all the buying. All the creative side is all me. And we also make the answer the actual what you are thinking about, the pillows, the stuffing. We also make them there and pack them and ship. It was so simple to start this business in terms of financial investment. I started it with $10,000 and I've never invested another penny in it.

[Sam Parr]

All right, so a lot of people watch and listen to the show because they want to hear us just tell them exactly what to do when it comes to starting or growing a business. Now, a lot of people message Sean and I and they say, all right, I want to start something on the side. Is this a good idea? Is that a good idea? And again, what they're really just saying is just give me the ideas. Well, my friends, you're in luck. So my old company, the Hustle, they put together a hundred different side Hustle ideas. And they have appropriately called it the side Hustle Idea Database. It's a list of a hundred pretty good ideas, frankly. I went through them, they're awesome. And it gives you how to start them, how to grow em. Things like that gives you a little bit of inspiration. So check it out. It's called the side Hustle Idea Database. It's in the description below. You'll see the link, click it, check it out, let me know in the comments what you think. Can I retell the story of how I remember it? And I've probably exaggerated it so many times that I don't know what is the truth or what's an exaggeration. And you could tell me what is true and what's not. So basically, if I remember correctly, five or six years ago, you drove me to the airport. Sarah and I were still living, I think, in San Francisco or Austin, I don't remember. And I was there by myself on a work trip. And you drove me. I was like, why do you want to drive me? And you're like, I want to talk to you about something. I was like, what do you want to talk about? And you're like, I want to start this pillow thing, a pillow business. Can you like, just like, tell me anything you think I should know? And I was like, oh, wow, okay. Well. And in my head I was thinking, this is just another conversation that I've had tens of thousands of times where someone tells me something, they're going to do, and they're never going to do it. But I was like, okay, well, I'll just. Like I said, I don't really know anything about, like, E. Com, but I could just tell you, like, what this thing called Shopify is, and I could tell you that you probably might want to buy some ads and you probably want to do this. I gave you the most generic thing ever that you could just have Googled. And then two weeks later I get a link to, I think it was your. A website or an Etsy store. And I was like, oh, this person has a company named exactly what you were going to name your company. And you're like, oh, no, this is mine. I did what you said. I created an Etsy or I think a Shopify store, something like that. Woocommerce. And I flew down to North Carolina and I bought a bunch of fabrics and I am now getting my friends to buy the stuff to give me a good review. And that's where we are. Is that right?

[Smithy Sodine]

That's basically how. That's basically how it happened. I wanted to understand what an E commerce entails because again, I know how to sew. But someone my age or most people my age have a very hard time understanding the E commerce concept and all the lingo that goes along with it, like, what is SEO, what is, you know, conversion rates, you know, all this stuff. So I wanted to understand from your perspective what you understood and really, should I buy ads or not? Like, what is this exactly? And I was able to pick your brand and I got a lot of information about it. And also I needed encouragement from, from people who were maybe young, young entrepreneurs, people who were doing it. And you were, you were always creating new companies, you're always talking about businesses, what you're up to. So I, I wanted, I wanted some encouragement and, and you provided that. That was cool.

[Sam Parr]

How did your first customers find you?

[Smithy Sodine]

So Etsy is a wonderful platform. Etsy made it pretty easy at the beginning. You're right. I want, I needed a couple of reviews. I have sold for, like, so many of my friends and family, so I had to get a couple of people to buy a few pillows and then just write a couple of reviews. But the first time I actually had a client that I have never met ordered something, it was amazing. It was exhilarating. I was so excited. And that feeling that you get, like someone says, hey, you worth something? So. And then when it kept happening, I really kept doing it. It really helped. I started my business in 2020, in January 2020. I opened my Etsy store, and March 2020, we shut down for Covid. So Covid really helped launch my business. I think the first month in January, I sold about maybe like $300 of pillows. February, maybe about 500. But by the end of March, April, I was selling multiple thousand dollars of pillows. And then the issue was I couldn't keep up the demand. I couldn't make them all by myself, but I did for the first nine months, I did make them all by myself, pack them and ship them and all that. And then eventually I had to find help.

[Sam Parr]

So I'm known on this podcast. It's so funny. I have, like, my home life, and then I've got, like, this, like, public life. And people on the audience, they. They know me as someone who asks very blunt questions.

[Smithy Sodine]

Yes, you do. I know that, too.

[Sam Parr]

I was like, I'm still going to ask blunt questions, but I respect you to. You can. You can respectfully tell me, Sam, I'm not answering that, but I will definitely do that. When were you able to pay yourself?

[Smithy Sodine]

I was able to pay myself the very first year.

[Sam Parr]

Do you remember how much, or you want to say how much or.

[Smithy Sodine]

No, I think the first year, maybe I made like $60,000. It wasn't a lot.

[Sam Parr]

What was the most money you made as a teacher?

[Smithy Sodine]

Probably about $67,000.

[Sam Parr]

So you beat your. You matched your teaching, your job in one year?

[Smithy Sodine]

The first year, yeah.

[Sam Parr]

That's pretty awesome. How's that feel?

[Smithy Sodine]

Oh, it was. It was great. I did enjoy teaching as well, so I don't regret it. It was fun. I thought I was rewarding as well, so. But it's nice to be able to do this and get paid well for doing it.

[Sam Parr]

In order to give the viewer and listener some context, are you able to say, like, how much revenue or profit or sales you want to. You're going to be doing in 26 or 25.

[Smithy Sodine]

So I can tell you this. And in 2025, I. My business, my revenue grew by 100%. So we are in the seven figures now in terms of, like, profit. I mean, we have a. I make a very healthy profit. I'm very happy with the income that I make.

[Sam Parr]

So I. I know what it is, and I'm not going to say what it is, but I'll say that I know people who have businesses that do 20 million in revenue, econ businesses that do 20 million in revenue. And I have a feeling you're making more money than they are in terms of.

[Smithy Sodine]

I don't know about that. But I would say that I do very well. I love what I do. I never think about it as work work. I love it, and you know that. But I think it's a viable way to measure your success. So I, I do try to. I pay myself. But in 2026, our goal is to probably try to grow the business by, like, another. By at least 50%. That's crazy. And I think I can definitely do that. I have a very clear path ahead to how to grow the business. And I know you think it's really funny. That's how we started.

[Sam Parr]

I think it's awesome. One of the many reasons why I wanted to do a podcast with you was because, you know, me and Sean, we get all these people reaching out to us that say they want to start whatever, and they, like, write up these complicated reasons or these complicated business plans or something like that, and we're like, that's just not important. Just, like, start something in a week. Just move fast, you know, momentum to your first dollar. And I don't know if this is, like, a genetic thing or people can become this, but there's this weird thing that I tend to have. Sean has it. You definitely have it. Where I almost call it like, being a caveman, where you're, like, smart enough. Like, like, you're, you can be both. You can be really smart, but at the same time, you're like, this seems so simple. It's just straightforward. I'm not gonna overthink it. I'm just gonna, like, do step one, step two, step three. Whereas a lot of people tend to, like, overthink things.

[Smithy Sodine]

Well, I think a lot of people would think about it. They don't take action. So I'm okay making mistakes. I've always been that way. But I've also taken action on the things that I wanted to do. I'll give you a quick, quick example. So when I moved to the U.S. i was 16. I went to high school. I went from Catholic schools in 80 to high school in one of the worst neighborhoods in Miami, right? So high school was horrible. I didn't know the language. The students were awful to us in general. And I wanted to not stay in high school. I had three years left, but I was like, well, I, I really don't want to be here. So I decided to go to night school as well. So I did three years in high school in two years without knowing English. So I graduated and got out. So I, I, I just knew that there are ways to do things if you really want to do Something, there's always a path to, to take. There's always a way, always a way to do it. For me, it was that I, I learned how to do. I know I can definitely say that I know my business from inside out. I knew from how to manage the website and how did I take all my photos. The learning curve, that was really huge because then I had to learn Photoshop, Canva and tons of other programs. But I also knew that again, I could learning. I never doubted myself that I couldn't learn things. So you just break it down in small chunks and you learn a little bit every day. So at the end of the month, it's like all of a sudden I know how to use Photoshop. And I know like, your audience generally are really young entrepreneurs, but I think I was thinking, well, what kind of value can I add to your podcast? And I think the value would be in people who are maybe in their 50s and don't want to retire or want to have a different kind of career, who really had a passion that they didn't have an opportunity to follow. And for me, that's what I did.

[Sam Parr]

It's pretty crazy. I remember looking at some photos of you when you were still in Haiti, and I was like, isn't it incredible that like, in such a short amount of time, in one lifetime, you can go from living in an entirely different country to then going to the. One of the busiest parts in America in New York City, Manhattan, where you live, owning a multimillion dollar econ. But it was just like, it's pretty. I just, I'm so inspired and fascinated about how far someone could come. I was just reading Barack Obama's book, his biography, and he was telling the story about how I think it was his, his father's father, so his Kenyan grandfather, or maybe it was his Kenyan aunt who came to America for the inauguration. And they were, they, they were from Kenya and they were living in like a, in like the countryside of Kenya, like, not like the most nice setup. And I was like, isn't this incredible that in two generations you go from just being a person in Kenya to like holding this baby, and you're like, this baby is going to be the future president of America, not even Kenya of America. And I was like, it's just incredible, like how far that the journey of two gen, two or three generations. And then I was like, you know, that's pretty incredible. I've got a bunch of immigrant friends or immigrant family members now, you being one of them. And the, the, the place where they are is so far from where they started. And I think that's, like, very inspiring.

[Smithy Sodine]

Well, immigrants don't feel like they have a lot to lose. So if. And I would consider myself to be first generation immigrant, but my parents really were the first generation immigrants, but they came here when they were already in their 40s, so it was too late for them. So they sacrificed a lot so that we could do well. So if you've traveled this far, you actually, you've left your homeland and you travel to a foreign land to make a new life. Immigrants kind of feel like they have nothing to lose. They have give it their all because you're displaced. You feel displaced all the time anyway, like, you're not fully from one place or the other. So you really have to go for it because the opportunities are here. We left there because there weren't any opportunities. So we won't want to be here and not take advantage of the opportunities offered to us or try to really hard. I love New York, though, I have to say, even growing up in Haiti, there used to be a 7Up commercial that was filmed in Times Square. I thought it was amazing. I wanted to be right here in New York. And you know how obsessed I am with New York City.

[Sam Parr]

You're the most New York person I know. Like, when we walk on the street, I'm like, smithy, you have to slow down.

[Smithy Sodine]

Well, yeah, yeah, you kind of like, once you leave here, you become a little bit more aggressive. But I do like the energy of New York. It's a really cool place. But I had that idea. I knew I would be in New York at a very young age.

[Podcast Sponsor/Host]

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[Sam Parr]

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[Sam Parr]

You know, on this podcast, we've talked to, like, you know, billionaires and people have these, like, companies worth tens of billions of dollars. And Sean and I always say we're like, we're equally impressed by them as we are a small business that is small, but does great work because what we love are people who kind of blaze their own path and kind of, like turn dreams into reality. And it doesn't exactly matter how big the reality is. It's just really cool to see people kick their debt in the world. And I think that, like, the takeaway when I talked to you and why I wanted you on was because I think that inertia is strong. I think that people tend to do the same thing for years, and it's hard to break that. And the older you get, it's not. It's. It's just for the reason of inertia. You've been doing the same things for a long time, and so you're like, I don't want to change. And what was fascinating was I don't know if it's true that you were wanting to start something for a while, but I do know you, like, were.

[Smithy Sodine]

I did.

[Sam Parr]

I think you had, like. I think you had thought of it maybe. I heard you, like, brainstorm out loud. But then what was interesting is, like, you went from maybe talking about all these other things, talking about a pillow business and then launching it literally in two weeks. And then like, before I knew it. I think I don't remember what you did your first year, but it was like. I remember the first time you told me you crossed six figures. I was like, are you serious?

[Smithy Sodine]

I think a lot of people like to change the look of their home. It's a new season. It's. It's a really, a very easy way to transform your space without spending a huge amount of. Of money. And the way that we were able to build our website, we also work with interior designers. Interior designers buy a ton of pillows.

[Sam Parr]

Is there a world where you would want to, like, go really hard and turn this into a big 100 million plus company?

[Smithy Sodine]

I don't know. I think I really like working one on one with the clients. If it were to be really big, I think I would lose that aspect of it. So I don't know. I am considering a wholesale program, though. So stores will contact me. They want to buy the pillows, and I've done some business with some smaller local stores. So if I wanted to sell the pillows on a national, international level, they would not be made to order anymore. So I will stack the pillows or get a lot of orders ahead of time. And maybe Bloomingdale's might want to order a hundred of them for their store in New York or something like that. So that would be wholesale. They will be buying by the GROSS, which is 144 of them at a time.

[Sam Parr]

Are you gonna do anything besides pillows?

[Smithy Sodine]

For the time being, no. But there are different kinds of pillows that I would like to consider, maybe throws. I actually hired a group of artisans to make throws for Smithy Home Couture. Do you know what a throw is, Sam? Just like a blanket for your couch.

[Sam Parr]

I thought a throw pillow. Yeah. I don't know. I thought a throw. I thought throw pillow was a term. Wait, I've been telling people, throw pillows. Is that the wrong word?

[Smithy Sodine]

Same thing. They'll throw pillows, but a throw would be, like, just a blanket. So people often ask, you know, do you have throws to match with your pillows? That's something that I will look into. I am looking into.

[Sam Parr]

On one hand, I'm like, I don't want you to do this because, you know, you watch your grandkids on Wednesdays, of which I'm a huge recipient of that, so I like that. But on the other hand, I'm like, man, you totally could become Martha Stewart. I could totally. Like, because this is for the listener. If you guys ever go to Smithy's house, it's like the most perfectly decorated home. And it's like, it looks. It's. It's insane. And the way that you make dinners, it's like you are basically Martha Stewart.

[Smithy Sodine]

Yes. I like home decor, gardening, and cooking. Yes.

[Sam Parr]

And I'm like, you could definitely become a thing and make this a thing. And I'm like, that sounds awesome.

[Smithy Sodine]

I'm just conflicted. Do I want to change the business model or not? So this year will be the year that I think I will make this decision right now. I love working one on one with the clients a lot. And I also have a great work and life balance. I have very flexible hours. I can spend a lot of time with my grandkids, your children. And there's a lot to lose to go by going bigger. So I have to really consider if that's what I want to do. It's so interesting because I listened to your podcast of, like, the young entrepreneurs, and I think it's amazing how well that they're doing, and they're really excited. They take the really small business and scale it up and really fast, and I want to do that, But I do. By doing that, I believe that I'll have a lot to lose.

[Sam Parr]

I think what you have is actually the ideal situation, which is intentionality. I think that there's a lot of people, myself included, even though I try to be really intentional, but there's a lot of people who they do things. You know, it's sort of like a ready, fire, aim. They kind of just like, do stuff and like, whatever happens, happens. And then sometimes. We were actually just talking about this in a previous podcast. You kind of eventually, if you don't do it intentionally, you can build your own prison where you're kind of like, trapped in this thing that you created. You seem to have this good attitude of, like, knowing what you want and who you are, versus the dopamine rush of more, more, more.

[Smithy Sodine]

Well, I would say that I had that in my 30s. Like, it was a time to build a career, a family, and to make sure that you're financially stable for your family. Right. I did have to pay college tuitions for our children. We did have to pay college tuition. So we worked really hard so that I could have this time where I can really think about what I want to do moving forward and to really follow something that I really liked and I'm interested in. So I wake up every day, I'm interested about going to work. I spend hours online looking at fabrics. I love this. So I had to work, really. We had to grind first in order for me to have this time. And I think there are a lot of people who do do that. Why am I in situation when you get to later on in life and you still want to work, but you don't want to do things that you don't enjoy doing. So I do very well financially selling pillows, and I love doing it. I'm actually making money doing something that I used to do for free for people. So that's amazing.

[Sam Parr]

What do you do with the money once you've already made it? This is a question Sean and I ask our successful guests all the time. And the reason we ask it is because if you are successful, if you do have a little bit of money, information on how to spend or invest your money, it's actually really hard to come by. And I know this because inside of Hampton, which is my community of founders, people ask this question all the time. People have made 10 or $50 million. How do you spend it? How do you invest it? And so to help solve this problem and answer this question, I actually interviewed 80 plus founders, guys like Scott Galloway, Alex Hormozi, Brian Johnson, people who are worth fifty, a hundred, even billions of dollars. And we got them to reveal everything. So their net worths, how much they pay themselves, their monthly expenses, their portfolio, things like that. And we turn these 80 interviews into one document. And I don't think you can find this type of information literally anywhere on the Internet and it's completely free. So if you want to see behind the net worth of people who are worth billions of dollars and their portfolios, their expenses, everything, you go to join hampton.com/reveal. Again, join hampton.com/reveal. Check it out. I remember one time I tweeted out your story and I think I forget. What's the guy's name? Mark Marcus Lee Leomonis. Or, you know, I'm talking about the guy who is the chairman of Bed, Bath and Beyond.

[Smithy Sodine]

He's from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

[Sam Parr]

Y and he's part of the TV show, I think it's called, like, the Prophet. He's. He's. I think. I think he's a pretty big deal. And he, like tweeted at you and he was like, hey, email me. Let's get you in Bed, Bath. Bed Bath and Beyond. And I remember I was like, smithy, I think this is a huge deal. And you, very calm and collectively were like, that's interesting. Maybe I'll reach out or something like that. It was just like. Like, there was like, it was just smooth. It was just straight. There was no.

[Smithy Sodine]

Well, I really believe, like, no one will give you anything for free. Like, if he wants to talk to me, he does something for him. So I have to evaluate what is it that he wants out of this. Is it going to be worth it for me, as it turned out, I think it was a good opportunity, but it just didn't work out for us. I didn't like their business model, so I did go. We did have our pillows on Bed, Bath and Beyond, but after two or three months, I pulled them out. I don't have to do anything I don't want to do. It's just great. It's a great place to be in. I really like that. But we are on Wayfair. I do very well on Wayfair. We have a very strong presence on Wayfair. And I love Wayfair. And I know a lot of people complain about Wayfair, but I like it. I like working with them. Their software is very strong, simple, and we do great business. I know Wayfair sells a lot of stock items, but we're still a made to order company on Wayfair. We make. We get tons of orders for Wayfair, and then we make them that day and then we ship them. And we have very low returns on Wayfairs. Maybe I think the return is 5%. So it works for us. If it didn't work out. I'll just also not sell on Wayfair. Our website is doing very well, and between SC Wayfair and our website, we are doing very well. There's also another service that we offer that's really interior designers really like, and some of our clients use it, too. So we allowed clients and interior designers to ship their own fabrics. If they can't find the fabric that they like on my website, they ship their own fabrics, and I provide the labor to sew the pillows and ship to them. Ship it back to them.

[Sam Parr]

This is fun. I love celebrating your success. Last. Last question. Explain the first time that you met me when I was dating Sarah.

[Smithy Sodine]

Oh, yes. Okay. Well, that was our first. That was our first trip to San Francisco. I think I went there and dropped her off in San Francisco because she landed a great job and all that. So I took her to San Francisco, made sure she was settled down. And then the next time that we went to San Francisco, she said she was dating someone and she wanted us to meet you. And of course, as parents, we were really concerned, like, oh, my God, who is she dating all the way in San Francisco? We live in New York and all that. And you insisted that we went directly from the airport to your space, to your house. I was like, wait a second. Why can't we just. Why can't he wait for us to meet him tomorrow at dinner like a normal family would do? And Sarah's like, mom, can you please just go to his house? He really wants you to meet his dog. And I was like, oh, my God. All right, fine. I'll go. We'll go. We'll go to his house to meet his dog. And your dog turned out to be, like, this huge, massive pit bull. I was terrified at first. I was like, oh, my God. And then, of course, you started doing all the tricks with. With him and with Sid. And I was really cool.

[Sam Parr]

I thought the first time we met was when I was eating a hot dog or something.

[Smithy Sodine]

Oh, yes. That's the next day. Do you want me to tell the story of the next day, too?

[Sam Parr]

Yeah.

[Smithy Sodine]

Okay.

[Sam Parr]

Yeah.

[Smithy Sodine]

Oh, first I have to say, that night before we left your house and we were leaving, I was like, goodbye, Sam. And you said to us, oh, wait, you didn't say goodbye to Sid. And I thought I was very cute. I was like, oh, my God, he thinks his dog is a baby. Okay. And then the next. I think I had mentioned that I wanted to go to the botanical garden. I love flowers and all that. And you Said you wanted to go with us. And I was like, what? He wants to go to the botanical garden. I think you were really cool to want to spend time with Sarah's parents. Most guys would be like, oh, it's nice to meet you. Bye. But you wanted to spend time with us. I thought it was cool. And you wind up. We drove there. You wind up going there on your motorcycle. And you walked up to us with a hot dog dripping with sauerkraut and ketchup. It was like falling to the ground. I was like, ew, what is this? It's just awful. I'm like, sarah, you sure you want to date this guy? But I really trusted the Tara. I felt like she's an amazing person. I always felt like she was an amazing person. And I really trusted her judgment. And she really seems to like you. And I was like, okay, so I guess we really should get to know Sam. As. As it turned out, you're pretty cool, Ari.

[Sam Parr]

You'll. The. You guys will have to, like, Google if you could, like, Google Sam par fat. And you'll see photos of what I looked like back then, but I was significantly heavier than I am now, and I was much sloppier. And when I look back at those photos, I'm like, oh, my God. I can't believe Sarah talked to me when I. When I walked up to her. And then I remember of, like, I think we were dating for six or 12 months. I don't remember. And. Well, first of all, when I met Sarah, she was like. I was like, you. You. I don't remember how I said it, but I was like, you seem kind of fancy. Did you go to, like, a good college or something? And she's like, I went to Penn. And I was like, is that, like a good school? I don't know anything. And she's like, yeah, it's called Wharton. And she didn't say it in, like, a rude way, but she's like, yeah, it's this thing called Wharton. It's like a. It's like, kind of big. It's. It's part of the Ivy League. I was like, what's the Ivy Ivy League? I don't even know what that is. And I had to, like, look it up. And then she was like, I'm from New York City. My parents live in Manhattan. I was like, people live in Manhattan. That's a thing. And then six or 12 months later, I go to New York for the first time ever. I was such a. I don't know how you could Describe what I was. I was a little bit of a hillbilly, but I went to New York City, and I remember seeing your apartment, and it was on floor 50 or something, and I was like, this is the highest I've ever been, like, in a building. And I can't believe that someone lives here. And I remember walking in, and I walked in as if it was like, my parents or, like, you know, like parents recording something on video. I like the whole thing. I was holding an iPhone, like, recording everything. I was like, I can't believe someone lives here. It was crazy.

[Smithy Sodine]

You know that. Of course, my husband tells this story all the time. Because we're like, we thought you were a keeper. That day. Literally, that day made a huge difference. Because you walk into the apartment, I must say, we had an amazing view. We could see all the way downtown. It was just spectacular. And you weren't in the apartment for, like, five or 10 minutes. You pulled out your phone, and you FaceTime your parents. You're like, you have to see this view. And Jeff and I thought it was so endearing that the first thing you wanted to do was to reach out to your parents, to share the moment with them. So. Well, like, well, this guy's amazing. If he likes his parents and his mom, he has this kind of relationship with his mom, maybe he'll be all right. Maybe he'll be. Want to do the same thing with Sarah. And so far, it's been proven true. So that's really cool.

[Sam Parr]

I think. I think people on having. So my parents are entrepreneurs as well. You guys are entrepreneurs. Jeff, your husband started a really successful company as well, and I think my parents have a successful company. And I think that not. Not at one point have my parents or you or Jeff ever said, like, are you sure that you should go and do. And start this business versus going get this job? Like, when I told my parents I was gonna leave school and move to San Francisco, they were like, we'll come help you pack. Like that, like, support. And I remember, like, I've told you some of my. Like, before I started Hampton, I think I, like, would brainstorm different ideas. And, like, there was never, like, are you sure? It was always like, that sounds interesting.

[Smithy Sodine]

Yeah, I can. I can't wait to see what you do next.

[Sam Parr]

Well, what I mean is, like, having entrepreneurial, like, parents, like, just emotionally support you versus say, are you sure you don't want to play it safe? I think is such a huge advantage. When I started my business, my parents didn't. I purposely didn't ask for any money. I wanted to do it on my own, but what I had was even more valuable, which was, like, emotional support. And I think that's a huge deal.

[Smithy Sodine]

Yeah, I agree. I think it's a huge deal. And for us, it's, like I said, I really think it's very exciting. Like, you have such great ideas. Like, everything that you try to do, I'm always excited because I want to see what's the outcome. Were you able to do it? It's a challenge, and I think that's the way we grow. We take on challenges, and sometimes they work out and sometimes they don't. But if you don't try, you will never know.

[Sam Parr]

So let's promote you here. All right, so Smithy, I'm going to Google it. So do you want people to go, Smithy home? Smithyhomecouture.com and then do you use Instagram at all?

[Smithy Sodine]

I do. I have an Instagram. Smithy Homecouture.

[Sam Parr]

I think you've got to promote yourself sometimes. I think that getting people bought into your lifestyle I think is a win. You're never going to do that.

[Smithy Sodine]

I'm afraid of cameras.

[Sam Parr]

Thank God you're doing this podcast.

[Smithy Sodine]

I know this is. I know it's interesting, especially because it's with you, too. So not so intimidating.

[Sam Parr]

All right, well, thank you for doing this. Let's see what happens. And that's it. That's the pod.

[Smithy Sodine]

I feel like I could rule the world. I know I could be what I want to.

[Sam Parr]

All right, my friends, I have a new podcast for you guys to check out. It's called Content is Profit, and it's hosted by Luis and Fonzie Cameo. After years of building content teams and frameworks for companies like Red Bull and Orange Theory Fitness, Louise and Fonzie are on a mission to bridge the gap between content and revenue. In each episode, you're going to hear from top entrepreneurs and creators, and you're going to hear them share their secrets and strategies to turn their content into profit. So you can check out Content is Profit wherever you get your podcasts.