How Two Friends Built a Multimillion-Dollar Business While Keeping Their Day Jobs
Shopify Masters4 Nov 2025

How Two Friends Built a Multimillion-Dollar Business While Keeping Their Day Jobs

Rachel Hochhauser and Jena Wolfe didn’t quit their jobs to build Piecework Puzzles—and that’s exactly why it worked. The cofounders share how they turned a stormy weekend experiment into a multi-million dollar lifestyle brand, all while maintaining full-time careers. As VP of Marketing for Goop Kitchen, and renowned Author and creative agency owner, the duo are mastering the art of balancing everything, in real time. From starting with just four puzzle designs shot in Rachel’s grandmother’s garage, to spawning an entire aesthetic movement in the industry, Rachel and Jena have made their mark. They aren’t afraid to do things differently, constantly learning and iterating from production nightmares and successful campaign launches.

Discover their unconventional approach to entrepreneurship, product development, and world building in this candid interview. They both reveal why bootstrapping gave them the creative freedom they craved, how they navigate being business partners and best friends, and the unexpected pivot that led to their viral cocktail napkin line.

For more on Piecework Puzzles click here.

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

  • Why NOT taking investor money gave them complete creative control
  • The “advice tour” strategy that helped them solve business problems
  • How they went from puzzles to viral tomato napkins (and why that shouldn’t have worked)
  • What happened when their manufacturer dropped them during the pandemic
  • Why working with your best friend can actually be brilliant
  • Their approach to brand partnerships with everyone from Goop to Better Homes & Gardens

Chapters:

00:00 Introducing Piecework Puzzles and The Stormy Weekend That Started It All

3:30 How to Find Your Gap In the Market & Stand Out

6:00 Design Philosophy 101: How to Create Products That People Connect With

8:40 The Importance of Creative Freedom & How to Obtain It!

10:45 How to Run a Successful Business with Your BFF

13:50 Starting Cultural Moments: The Origins of The Tomato Craze

16:20 The Product Expansion That Shouldn’t Have Worked (But Did)

20:15 Advice for Overcoming Manufacturing Nightmares

23:00 The “Advice Tour” Strategy That Has Saved Piecework Puzzles

26:49 Brand Partnerships: From Goop to Broccoli Magazine

29:15 Addressing Dupe Culture…

32:45 Leadership Tips For Building a Lean & Productive Team

Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!

Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Avsnitt(600)

How 12 Founders Are Using AI To Get Ahead

How 12 Founders Are Using AI To Get Ahead

Twelve founders building on Shopify reveal exactly how they’re using AI right now—the tools, the tactics, and where to draw the line. Here’s the playbook being written in real time by the founders of ...

30 Apr 27min

How Loftie Sold 200,000 Alarm Clocks Without VC Money

How Loftie Sold 200,000 Alarm Clocks Without VC Money

Matthew Hassett noticed that smartphones were ruining sleep, so he built Loftie, a screen-free alarm clock, to fix it. Without venture capital or paid press, he grew the brand to more than 200,000 uni...

28 Apr 35min

She Had 18 Million Followers. A Cause She Cared About Turned That Into a Business

She Had 18 Million Followers. A Cause She Cared About Turned That Into a Business

She had 18 million followers, a product idea born from panic attacks, and zero paid ad spend on launch day. Within 24 hours, Hugz was sold out. Lexi Hensler built Give Hugz — a line of weighted stuffe...

23 Apr 45min

How a DIY YouTube Channel Became a Multimillion-Dollar Home Goods Brand

How a DIY YouTube Channel Became a Multimillion-Dollar Home Goods Brand

Lone Fox’s Drew Scott on the vintage pivot that doubled revenue, building two million subscribers without ads, and why his business model can’t be copied. For more on Lone Fox and show notes click her...

21 Apr 45min

How Glamnetic Went From $1 Million to $100 Million—And Nearly Lost It All in Between

How Glamnetic Went From $1 Million to $100 Million—And Nearly Lost It All in Between

What happens when the product that made you famous starts holding you back? Kevin Gould co-founded Glamnetic in 2019 with Ann McFerran, launching a magnetic eyelash brand that exploded from $1 million...

16 Apr 36min

The Dropshipping Method That Turns First-Time Sellers Into Million-Dollar Founders

The Dropshipping Method That Turns First-Time Sellers Into Million-Dollar Founders

Supreme Ecom’s AC Hampton breaks down how he turned a dropshipping business into $1.8 million in six months—and why it’s the smartest path to brand ownership. For more on Supreme E-com and show notes,...

14 Apr 40min

How Pistakio Grew 10x by Letting Customers Build the Brand

How Pistakio Grew 10x by Letting Customers Build the Brand

Two recent college grads turned a dorm room pistachio recipe into a fast-growing food brand—by letting their community call the shots. Nicola Buffo and Francine Voit, co-founders of Pistakio, share ho...

9 Apr 47min

The Marketing Mistake Most Brands are Making Today (+ How to Fix It)

The Marketing Mistake Most Brands are Making Today (+ How to Fix It)

Flamingo Estate stayed true to its roots and built an eight-figure brand by saying no to almost every piece of outside advice. For more on Flamingo Estate and show notes click here.  Subscribe and wat...

7 Apr 38min

Populärt inom Business & ekonomi

framgangspodden
varvet
rss-jossan-nina
rss-svart-marknad
rss-borsens-finest
badfluence
avanzapodden
uppgang-och-fall
svd-tech-brief
bathina-en-podcast
fill-or-kill
lastbilspodden
rss-dagen-med-di
rss-kort-lang-analyspodden-fran-di
tabberaset
rss-inga-dumma-fragor-om-pengar
24fragor
kapitalet-en-podd-om-ekonomi
rikatillsammans-om-privatekonomi-rikedom-i-livet
borsmorgon