Today, Sammi is joined by Ariel Kaye, the founder of Parachute—the cult-favorite home essentials brand that helped define the direct-to-consumer movement. Ariel shares the real story behind Parachute’s early days: from bootstrapping her first launch to navigating funding rounds, managing growing pains, and expanding from digital to retail. She opens up about the emotional toll of solo entrepreneurship, the importance of mentorship, and how she kept her business grounded in customer experience—even during the chaos of COVID.

Plus, Ariel reveals how she thinks about growth today, the pressures of staying independent, and why having options—not obligations—is the real founder flex.

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Here’s what Sammi covers today with Ariel:

00:00  Ariel Kaye’s Social Currency

02:49  Early Customer Research and Product Iterations

07:53  Launch Mode: The First Products, First Wins

11:20 Fundraising Without Losing Focus

15:32 What Early Growth Looked Like

17:39 Why Parachute Went IRL With Brick-and-Mortar

21:44 COVID Curveballs

24:19 Building a Full Lifestyle Brand

27:35 Making Marketing Personal

31:32 How Ariel Earns Customer Trust

39:47 The Emotional Side of Building Solo

42:02 How to Show Social Currency Some Love

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