OPERATORS How The Woobles Built a Cult Brand: Product, Not Marketing
Mar 26, 2026
Adrian Zhang, co-founder handling operations and strategy, and Justine Tiu, creative lead and UX designer turned craft educator. They recount turning crochet from therapy into a retail and licensing business. Topics include scaling from a Brooklyn apartment, product-first design and tutorials, channel pivots after iOS14, wholesale pitfalls, licensing wins, and balancing marriage, family, and company growth.
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Crochet Began As Therapy Not A Business
- Justine started crocheting after burnout at Google to reclaim identity and confidence.
- She turned a private hobby into weekend patterns and eventually kits after failing to monetize PDF patterns.
They Sell Fiero More Than Yarn
- The Woobles sell fiero: the pride of doing something you thought impossible, not just a crochet kit.
- That emotional payoff explains customer loyalty and why packaging and UX matter as much as product specs.
Started From Parents Garage To Learn Every Role
- Adrian, Justine and family did everything early on: manufacturing, shipping, and media buying from parents' garages.
- They delayed hiring for ~1.5–2.5 years to save cash and learn roles before scaling the team.
