Aaron and Leor validated demand by searching Google Trends and finding 300,000 monthly searches for "weighted blankets." They then built a basic pre-order site with a single sample product and basic images, and bought Google Ads targeting the keyword "weighted blankets" — the most expensive keyword in the category. Their first sale netted ~$20; within days they were making 3 sales/day, then scaled to 20 sales/day within their first months after launching in January 2018. They were running this entirely as a side project — Aaron was opening his juice shop at 6am and both founders met nightly at 7pm, working until 1–2am. There was no influencer campaign, no PR, no social — just direct Google Ads driving traffic to a pre-order page for a product they hadn't fully manufactured yet.
Hush Blankets
Premium weighted blankets and sleep products sold direct-to-consumer online
10 moves, in order
- Pre launch / ValidationGoogle trends research
Used Google Trends/search data to identify 300,000 monthly searches for 'weighted blankets' as proof of concept before building anything. Built a pre-order site with a single sample and basic images.
Validated demand before spending on inventory - Launch – Jan 2018Google Ads
Bought Google Ads targeting the high-competition keyword 'weighted blankets' driving traffic directly to a pre-order landing page with a single product sample.
First sale on day one (~$20); scaled to 20 sales/day; hit $30k/month then $60k/month then $90k/monthMRR $90k - Summer 2018 – CrisisDirect customer calls
After sales collapsed to near-zero in summer, emailed their entire customer list with a Calendly link and personally called every single customer to ask why they stopped buying. Every customer said the same thing: the blanket was too hot in summer.
Discovered the core product problem — lack of year-round usability — and identified the exact product improvement needed (cooling fabric) - Late 2018 – Product DevelopmentSupplier sourcing
Spent September flying around to suppliers to source a cooling fabric. Eventually created a proprietary fabric called 'Ice Fabric' — the first cooling weighted blanket fabric — at a cost of $100,000 for the first roll, which they could not afford outright.
Developed differentiated product (Hush Ice) with a defensible feature competitors didn't have - Early 2019 – Kickstarter LaunchKickstarter
Launched the Hush Ice cooling weighted blanket on Kickstarter with a low goal of $25,000. Had already spoken to ~3,000 customers on the phone who confirmed they would buy a cooling version. Used that validated demand as the campaign's foundation rather than a 'hack' or agency.
Raised over $1,000,000 in first 30 days; top 10 Canadian Kickstarter of all time - 2019 – TV / Viral MomentTv appearance dragons den
Appeared on Dragon's Den (Canadian TV equivalent of Shark Tank), pitched their story, and became the first pitch in 14 seasons to increase their valuation live on air through dragon debate. The segment went viral on Netflix.
Went viral; catapulted brand awareness nationally - 2020 – New Product Launch via Email ListEmail list plus customer calls
Called thousands of existing customers to gather detailed feedback on what would make the perfect pillow, then launched the product exclusively to their email list.
Sold 3,000 pillows in 72 hours; posted on LinkedIn which drove further organic buzz - 2020 – Product Line ExpansionRepeat customer feedback loop
Applied the same customer-call formula to launch two more products: Hush Ice Blanket 2.0 and Hush Ice Bed Sheets. Each launch was preceded by extensive customer interviews to define the product spec before manufacturing.
$20M in sales that year - 2021 – Mattress LaunchDirect customer calls plus email
Spent three months calling customers to define a mattress product. Discovered the top pain point was discomfort during sex; engineered a Zone Technology mattress with targeted spring zones to address it. Launched to existing customer base.
$1.5M on launch day - Throughout – Brand / Community BuildingBrand storytelling social linkedin
Documented the entire founder journey publicly — the failures, near-shutdown, and breakthroughs — to build an emotional connection with customers. Aaron posted milestone updates on LinkedIn. Opened a pop-up in the highest-grossing mall in Canada.
Pop-up drew 1,500 customers vs. competitor Alo Yoga's 700 on the same day; customers asked Aaron to sign their blankets
No significant pre-existing audience or capital — they started with $4,000. However, their key edge was an unusually customer-obsessed feedback loop: they personally called every single customer, which gave them product insights competitors couldn't buy. Leor also had a background running a software company, giving them some operational and digital marketing savvy.
Kickstarter campaign combined with viral Dragon's Den TV appearance
Running a seasonal product (original weighted blanket) without forecasting summer demand — sales went to near-zero in July/August, threatening the business. Inventory piled up unsold. Leor wanted to shut it down entirely. Also, growth from initial Google Ads was shown to be partly "beginner's luck" and not sustainable without product-market fit across all seasons.
The Underdog: He Turned His Last $4,000 Into $48M
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