Jackie Hutson’s Pajama Brand Combats Night Sweats for Mamas

Hi, Jackie! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business:

Hi! I’m Jackie, Owner and Founder of Piper & Mint, an innovative pajama brand helping combat the issue of night sweats for both postpartum and menopausal mamas through our proprietary mint-infused fabric! We just launched a little over 4 weeks ago with our postpartum jammies and are well on our way to helping all the sweaty mamas out there! I am also a part-owner of a large-scale design and manufacturing company that creates apparel and accessory products for other businesses, so making products is what I know how to do!

Who are your customers?

Pregnant and postpartum Mamas, but this fall we will be launching our peri/menopausal line of pajamas so our audience will be expanding!

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

I have been a lifelong entrepreneur…from selling my beanie babies for $5K in fifth grade (TRUE STORY!) to starting my own accessory company when I studied abroad in Florence, Italy, and selling to boutiques in the Chicagoland and Columbus area…I have always been a dreamer, innovator, and hustler! Prior to buying into my “day-job” company (Atrium Apparel), I worked in corporate retail as a merchant for over 15 years — working for many of the big box brands (ie: Abercrombie, The Limited, Justice, etc.)

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

For the past 7 years working at Atrium Apparel, I have been helping others bring their products to life, all while sitting on my own idea for over 10 years! After a crazy tarot card reading where my Grandmother came through (funny and WILD story!) I decided it was time to go for it…so I did!

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Yes and no LOL! I think I was a BORN entrepreneur but didn’t realize what that meant until much later in life. But I’m wired for ideas, taking risks, betting on myself, and not worrying about others. I also don’t LOVE following the rules, so being an entrepreneur has allowed me some flexibility to create my own rules.

Take us back to when you first launched your business; what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?

Well, I’m still in the beginning phases LOL…but we wanted to take a different approach than the typical paid ads via Instagram and FB…instead, we built out an affiliate marketing platform where we have signed up doulas, lactation consultants, OBGYNs, and social media influencers to help spread the word about night sweats and the solution we have created. We are slowly building a following and creating an authentic community, and I believe that is an important way to grow. We just need to continue getting exposure so that mamas know there IS a solution out there!

What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way so far and what have you learned from it?

I didn’t realize how hard it was to grow a social media following starting from 0 followers. Growth takes time…and I’m not the most patient person LOL! So I’m learning to celebrate the small wins and keep pushing forward with testing and tinkering to see what sticks.

What accomplishment are the most proud of to date in your business?

Taking the risk and making the investment to hire help so I could get this business off the ground! Since I still work a full-time job, I pulled money aside to hire a full-time employee to solely focus on Piper & Mint. Without me taking that leap, this business would still be an idea in the back of my mind…

What’s next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

SO MUCH AHEAD! As I mentioned, we are launching peri/menopausal pajamas this fall and I know this will be a GAME CHANGER for our business as it will further expand our market and it is the #1 demographic of women reaching out to us! I will also be on Shark Tank, and the menopausal jammies will make their way to QVC as well! BIG DREAMS but I know they will happen 🙂 Also, I have yet to mention that our business also has a philanthropic give-back. We partner with Baby Quest, a nonprofit organization that gives fertility grants to families that cannot afford the journey…so I also foresee this business being able to fully fund families to have a child and THAT will be my greatest accomplishment!

Congrats on those huge accomplishments and amazing mission! What is your top productivity tip? 

Outsourcing 🙂 I try to stay in my zone of genius as much as possible which allows me to be super productive in the work I am doing…and then outsource or delegate out the tasks that drain me to my team. I still have a LOT of opportunities ahead here, but working on letting go and empowering the great team I have so I can bring my best energy and work for the tasks at hand.

On the flip side, how do you avoid burnout?

Making time to fill my cup — dinner dates with friends, playing competitive tennis, crafting and sewing, dreaming and manifesting, having fun with my kids.

What is your approach to work-life balance / integration?

I don’t use the word “balance” but rather integration — work is woven into my life and different seasons bring different time allocations. I also LOVE what I do, and sometimes that means I’m excited to log back on after bedtime to continue working on an exciting project or spend a Sunday night laying out my calendar for the next week. I try to include my children on some of the “cooler” things I get to do and help them understand what I’m doing when I’m traveling or missing a game. I am also getting better at saying “no” which has been immensely helpful 🙂

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

To ask for help more often, especially from other women — women WANT to help one another. Women WANT to lift each other up. We do not see it as “competition” but rather a collective win.

We couldn’t agree more! Are you a Mamaprenista? If so, please share your best advice for simultaneously managing a business and a family

I think involving the family and my children has been very helpful for me. Letting them in on what I’m doing and why and giving them some context has them asking me questions ABOUT the business vs. why I may not be at a game or school event. It isn’t always easy, but I am a STRONG believer in quality time over quantity of time.

What is your favorite business tool or solution and why?

I wish I had more budget for SO many more tools LOL…but for right now Klaviyo has been a game-changer in managing the email flows…UpPromote has been easy to work with for our affiliate platform. And we just launched Manychat with our last giveaway and it was a huge success!

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

Big goals are just a bunch of small steps, so start walking! And you can start small with an idea. Test it out on friends, give services for free, and get creative before you throw your life savings into it. I think focus groups and feedback in the development stage can help you learn and avoid BIG problems down the road.

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