My mother-in-law's side hustle made $1M selling pillows?!?

February 12, 2026

Here's a story that’ll make you do a double-take — Smithe, in her 50s, built a $1M pillow empire. And no, she wasn’t a startup guru; she just started with a simple idea and a lot of hustle, as My First Million highlights. What’s wild is how she got her first 100 customers — by tapping into her network and sharing her passion, proving momentum really is your first dollar. According to My First Million, she had nothing to lose, so she went all-in, learning as she went. And the secret? Consistency and genuine connections can kickstart big success, even later in life. Now, get this — her story shows that you don’t need a fancy MBA or tons of funding. You just need a clear vision, some grit, and a willingness to start small. So what does this actually mean for you? Maybe it’s time to revisit that side hustle idea, no matter your age. Because sometimes, the simplest products — like pillows — can turn into real gold, as My First Million points out.

*Get 100 more side hustle ideas to make your first $1M:* https://clickhubspot.com/smt

Episode 794: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) talks to his mother-in-law about how she built a $1M business in her 50s by selling pillows.
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Show Notes:
(0:00) Smithe's origin story
(6:37) Pillows!
(12:57) First 100 customers
(15:32) momentum is your first $1
(19:40) nothing to lose
(31:56) the first time Smithe met Sam

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Links:
• Smithy Home Couture - https://smithyhomecouture.com/

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Check Out Shaan's Stuff:
• Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com
• Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents.
• Mercury - Need a bank for your company? Go check out Mercury (mercury.com). Shaan uses it for all of his companies!
Mercury is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC
• I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out:
beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge

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Check Out Sam's Stuff:
• Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/
• Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/
• Copy That - https://copythat.com
• Hampton Wealth Survey - https://joinhampton.com/wealth
• Sam’s List - http://samslist.co/

My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

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