In 2009, 18-year-old Amanda Zuckerman was shopping for college dorm room supplies with her mother Karen when "[they] were really surprised to find that stylish twin XL bedding and everything that you need for outfitting and organizing a small space was practically non-existent, and was not sold in one place," she says. So, in the middle of Bed Bath & Beyond, the pair resolved to design their own dorm room bedding line.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Dormify. Amanda Zuckerman, left; Karen Zuckerman, right.
Fast-forward to Zuckerman's sophomore year of college, and Dormify was officially born. The mother-daughter team launched a blog about college life and dorm decor. Zuckerman's friends contributed as writers, ultimately growing an extensive network of brand ambassadors that offered "proof of concept" in the era just before social media filled that gap. Print-to-order posters became the company's first product line.
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Despite not raising much capital off the bat, as was common with direct-to-consumer brands at the time, the small space decorating business Zuckerman started in her dorm room would transform into a multimillion-dollar company thanks to its "grassroots tactics." Dormify hosted trunk shows so people could interact with the product, "very much like Tupperware parties back in the day," Zuckerman says. Eventually, those efforts led to seasonal pop-ups and retail partnerships in more than 200 stores.
"It's hard because we have a........