From Journalist to Entrepreneur: How Weighted Plushies Became a $1 Million Business

I turned a wellness side hustle into a full-time business that made over $1 million in sales its first year: I'm ‘doing what I set out to do as a kid'as a journalist and editor to launch a brand of weighted stuffed animals, my friends and colleagues were shocked. Frankly, I was too. But I knew mySo as a pre-teen grappling with anxiety and depression, I turned to magazines for information and validation. They helped me feel less alone, and it became my goal to do the same for others.

I went on to cover mental health as an editor at Cosmopolitan, Women's Health, and Glamour, and as chief content officer at Thrive Global.. I tried a weighted blanket, which calmed my nerves but was too hot and bulky. What I really wanted was something smaller, like a weighted stuffed animal. While there were a couple on the market, I couldn't find what I was looking for: a high-quality, beautifully designed weighted plushie that feels like a hug and is heavy enough to work for adults as well as kids. So I decided to create it myself.For nearly four years, on nights and weekends while I held full-time jobs, I worked to develop the product I wanted: a plushie that would feel like it's giving you a real, comforting hug.Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly I enlisted a team of occupational therapists, psychologists, and product designers to help optimize the product's stress-relieving benefits. For example, we'd make them in calming colors with a sweet, neutral facial expression rather than a big smile, which the therapists told me could be perceived as judgmental or aggressive. I commissioned an experienced toy designer I found online to work with me on my very first prototype. My original goal was to license the idea for Hugimals, which I did, with the help of an early mentor and licensing agent, in 2020. A few different designers then helped me iterate on my initial prototyp

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From Journalist to Entrepreneur: Launching a Million-Dollar Weighted Stuffed Animal BusinessA former journalist turned entrepreneur shares her journey of turning her passion for mental wellness into a successful business, selling over $1 million worth of weighted stuffed animals in its first year.
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