Hustles
Oleg Lee's family turned a pet photo into a pillow business
Oleg Lee arrived in the U.S. with about $300. He tells Upflip a pillow printed with the family dog grew into direct-to-customer sales.
Oleg Lee says he landed in the United States with about $300. His father had spent years as a seamster. The family was trying to get a footing, not launch a catalog.
After the family dog died, his father printed a photo of the pet on a pillow. People online asked where to buy one. Orders started in the garage, stuffed by hand.
They sold thousands through Groupon, tried retail and took losses. Oleg says the business started to make sense when they sold straight to customers instead of through a deal site. He talks about the project reaching millions a month in sales.
A pillow that was not a product
On Upflip he walks through the garage years and the Groupon stretch that taught them what not to repeat. The episode is about a keepsake that strangers wanted.
The sales figure is his account. The start was a photo of a dog and a question in the comments.
