We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Satie Shottha a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Satie, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I came up with the idea due to my own needs. I designed a pillow for myself after researching the market and not being able to find one. Once i felt the benefits of the pillow I designed, I decided to turn it into a business. I interviewed random people about their needs in a body pillow. I found out that they wanted a natural, multifunctional, adjustable and compact pillow for traveling. I got to work and created exactly that. HipPillowPlus is a toxin free, 100% latex core manufactured in the USA. It’s also multifunctional, adjustable, and comes in a compact travel bag. Bamboo fabric Pillowcases are removable and washable.
Satie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Satie Shottha. I am the designer and founder of HipPillowPlus. I designed the pillow for my own needs, and it turned into a thriving business. I consider myself blessed that I was able to solve my own problem but also able to help other people with sleepless nights due to pain. As we all know, our body regenerates physically and mentally during sleep.
“Studies over the years have shown that numerous genes are switched on as we sleep and switched off during wakefulness. For pain reduction in our brain oligodendrocytes generate new myelin sheaths and replace old or damaged ones.” Medical News Today
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
I started during Covid lockdown in 2021. I wanted to find someone local to manufacture my product, but no one wanted to speak to me due to supply chain issues. They were having a lot of issues as is and didn’t want to add a new business to the already troubled waters. I decided to do some research and went on Alibaba and found a trading company. My prototype was made in China. By the time the prototype got ready, I was able to find a US manufactured product that I could buy from my local Canadian supplier. We only use toxin free 100% natural latex, manufactured in USA and packaged in Canada.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Of course, business looks simple from the outside but internally businesses are intricate with multiple things happening at the same time. I started my business as a wholesale business but due to the high price of manufactured in USA products. I had to pivot to an online store and provide my customer with the lowest prices. I wanted my customer to enjoy restful sleep without paying a retail price.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hippillowplus.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hippillowplus/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hipPillowPlus/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/satie-shottha-3471a324/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/home
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFvjv0G0nrS3RZrHztBn4TQ