Founding story: from mask lanyards to play couches

Haylene explains how mask lanyards led to pre-orders for the Joey Play Couch and the decision to launch during COVID.

Play episode from 04:31

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Helen Smith built Roo & You from hand-sewn mask lanyards in 2020 into a 100,000+ customer brand, and didn't touch paid ads for the first 3.5 years. In this episode she walks through the Facebook community that became her growth engine, how she landed Warner Bros and Harry Potter as a licensing partner without a media buyer, and what scaling through a tariff war actually looks like behind the scenes.

For DTC founders scaling from $1M to $10M who want to lower CAC and build a real retention moat.

What we cover:

The mask lanyard side hustle that funded her first container of play couches
How a private Facebook group became Roo & You's primary growth engine
The one-strike kindness rule that keeps the community alive
Cold-DMing Warner Bros on LinkedIn (and getting a yes)
Why licensing is a marketing channel, not a revenue play
Adding tariffs as a line item instead of a stealth price hike
Launching an affiliate program in November for existing customers

Who this is for: Founders leaning too hard on paid, or operators who want to build a community moat before they scale spend.

What to steal:

Show up in other people's communities for months before launching your own
Set strict community rules on day one, not after things go sideways
Make tariffs a visible line item to keep customer trust intact
Hand affiliate codes to existing customers before paying creators who've never used the product

Timestamps:

00:00 Building a brand through community

02:00 Using data to make better decisions

04:00 Handling tariffs and margin pressure

06:00 Launching through Facebook groups

08:00 Early demand and product expansion

10:00 Finding manufacturers and testing products

12:00 Pricing, value, and product longevity

14:00 Organic growth without paid ads

16:00 Transitioning into paid advertising

18:00 Leveraging community for content and growth

20:00 Licensing deals and brand partnerships