How She Pitched Whole Foods & Got a Response in 3 Hours

Rachel Hochhauser and Jena Wolfe didn’t quit their jobs to build Piecework Puzzles—and that’s exactly why it worked. The cofounders share how they turned a stormy weekend experiment into a multi-million dollar lifestyle brand, all while maintaining full-time careers. As VP of Marketing for Goop Kitchen, and renowned Author and creative agency owner, the duo are mastering the art of balancing everything, in real time. From starting with just four puzzle designs shot in Rachel’s grandmother’s garage, to spawning an entire aesthetic movement in the industry, Rachel and Jena have made their mark. They aren’t afraid to do things differently, constantly learning and iterating from production nightmares and successful campaign launches. Discover their unconventional approach to entrepreneurship, product development, and world building in this candid interview. They both reveal why bootstrapping gave them the creative freedom they craved, how they navigate being business partners and best friends, and the unexpected pivot that led to their viral cocktail napkin line.In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why NOT taking investor money gave them complete creative controlThe “advice tour” strategy that helped them solve business problemsHow they went from puzzles to viral tomato napkins (and why that shouldn’t have worked)What happened when their manufacturer dropped them during the pandemicWhy working with your best friend can actually be brilliantTheir approach to brand partnerships with everyone from Goop to Better Homes & Gardens Chapters:00:00 Introducing Piecework Puzzles and The Stormy Weekend That Started It All 3:30 How to Find Your Gap In the Market & Stand Out6:00 Design Philosophy 101: How to Create Products That People Connect With8:40 The Importance of Creative Freedom & How to Obtain It!10:45 How to Run a Successful Business with Your BFF13:50 Starting Cultural Moments: The Origins of The Tomato Craze16:20 The Product Expansion That Shouldn’t Have Worked (But Did)20:15 Advice for Overcoming Manufacturing Nightmares23:00 The “Advice Tour” Strategy That Has Saved Piecework Puzzles26:49 Brand Partnerships: From Goop to Broccoli Magazine29:15 Addressing Dupe Culture… 32:45 Leadership Tips For Building a Lean & Productive Team Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Discover the best Black Friday Cyber Monday strategies from 13 successful founders. Get actionable tips on sales, inventory, marketing, and more for 2025.For more on BFCM and show notes click here.  Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Ridge scaled to $5M in revenue per employee using AI. CEO Sean Frank shares his tips on harnessing the power of AI to grow revenue.For more on Ridge and show notes click here.  Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Bold Bean Co grew 250% by redefining beans as a premium, building community through storytelling, and scaling with purpose.For more on Bold Bean Co and show notes click here Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

One cold email landed Elavi in more than 50 Whole Foods Market stores. Learn the three-step pitch framework that gets buyers to respond in hours, not weeks.For more on Elavi and show notes click here.  Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

MALK’s president scaled the organic plant-based milk brand to $100M in revenue through smart growth strategies and tactics.For more on MALK and show notes click here.  Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Province of Canada grew from $1,500 to $100K monthly revenue through 5 years of organic growth, daily content, and community building.For more on Province of Canada and show notes click here.  Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Solgaard founder Adrian Solgaard shares how crowdfunding, design, and sustainability shaped his global travel brand.For more on Solgaard and show notes click here Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Building a company with your best friends can be the best way to reach $100M. Learn about sustainable growth through a Meta strategy from Unbound Merino’s CEO, Dan Demsky.For more on Unbound Merino and show notes click here.  Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Launched with $4000 in 2020, footwear brand Larroudé scaled to 550 staff and nine-digit revenue within five years using vertical integration and a direct-to-demand model.For more on Larroudé and show notes click here Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.