Kaylin Marcotte of JIGGY: The Puzzle Startup Empowering Female Artists
04/20/22 • 78 min
Kaylin Marcotte is the founder and CEO of JIGGY, a company at the intersection of jigsaw puzzles and artwork. While working as the first employee at theSkimm, a digital media company focused on bringing information to audiences in bite-size pieces, Kaylin discovered a passion for Jigsaw puzzles. She later combined her startup experience with her love of jigsaw puzzles to create JIGGY. JIGGY’s designs highlight the work of female artists, and their puzzles can be found in various retailers across the country.
Visit JIGGY at https://jiggypuzzles.com/
Episode Notes
“What would it look like if I made my dream puzzle?” How Kaylin began turning artwork into puzzle designs [0:20]
Initial hurdles and learning how to navigate the supply chain, manufacturing, and customer service [4:30]
Using the product’s packaging to make puzzles a premium lifestyle product [8:42]
Leading with community — how JIGGY tapped into the art community and began to build partnerships that support artists [12:17]
Using your network to learn industry norms and scrap together a plan that works [17:04]
Media training 101: Crafting JIGGY’s narrative and preparing to pitch on Shark Tank [19:40]
Not all money is created equal. The partnerships you form can greatly impact your business’s future [25:48]
Finding a personal connection with your business’s mission and product [28:32]
Kaylin’s approach to work-life balance — focus on doing one thing well at a time rather than trying to stay balanced at all times [33:44]
Time audits can be a great tool for finding ways to intentionally use your time and work with your own strengths [39:02]
Sharing your business’s story and resonating with audiences is an important step for growing your brand [48:44]
Using both retail and direct-to-consumer models in order to best position JIGGY for consumers [51:26]
The process of going from no retail partners to landing a partnership with Anthropologie [54:45]
Leveraging social media to build community, receive feedback, evolve your brand, and generate buzz prior to launch [58:36]
One of the hardest things about being a founder is dealing with issues that are out of your control [1:05:43]
Pivoting a business model during COVID, how JIGGY created a product when supply chain problems left them without an inventory [1:10:21]
Everyone is winging it — if you are not afraid are you learning new things? [1:15:15]
Get more exciting entrepreneur content and podcast exclusives on StartupSavant.com.
Watch Startup Savant founder interviews on YouTube and follow us on social media:
Kaylin Marcotte is the founder and CEO of JIGGY, a company at the intersection of jigsaw puzzles and artwork. While working as the first employee at theSkimm, a digital media company focused on bringing information to audiences in bite-size pieces, Kaylin discovered a passion for Jigsaw puzzles. She later combined her startup experience with her love of jigsaw puzzles to create JIGGY. JIGGY’s designs highlight the work of female artists, and their puzzles can be found in various retailers across the country.
Visit JIGGY at https://jiggypuzzles.com/
Episode Notes
“What would it look like if I made my dream puzzle?” How Kaylin began turning artwork into puzzle designs [0:20]
Initial hurdles and learning how to navigate the supply chain, manufacturing, and customer service [4:30]
Using the product’s packaging to make puzzles a premium lifestyle product [8:42]
Leading with community — how JIGGY tapped into the art community and began to build partnerships that support artists [12:17]
Using your network to learn industry norms and scrap together a plan that works [17:04]
Media training 101: Crafting JIGGY’s narrative and preparing to pitch on Shark Tank [19:40]
Not all money is created equal. The partnerships you form can greatly impact your business’s future [25:48]
Finding a personal connection with your business’s mission and product [28:32]
Kaylin’s approach to work-life balance — focus on doing one thing well at a time rather than trying to stay balanced at all times [33:44]
Time audits can be a great tool for finding ways to intentionally use your time and work with your own strengths [39:02]
Sharing your business’s story and resonating with audiences is an important step for growing your brand [48:44]
Using both retail and direct-to-consumer models in order to best position JIGGY for consumers [51:26]
The process of going from no retail partners to landing a partnership with Anthropologie [54:45]
Leveraging social media to build community, receive feedback, evolve your brand, and generate buzz prior to launch [58:36]
One of the hardest things about being a founder is dealing with issues that are out of your control [1:05:43]
Pivoting a business model during COVID, how JIGGY created a product when supply chain problems left them without an inventory [1:10:21]
Everyone is winging it — if you are not afraid are you learning new things? [1:15:15]
Get more exciting entrepreneur content and podcast exclusives on StartupSavant.com.
Watch Startup Savant founder interviews on YouTube and follow us on social media:
Previous Episode
Turning an iPhone Into an AR-Powered Foot Scanner with Artem Semjanow of Neatsy
Artem Semjanow is the founder and CEO of Neatsy, a B2B company that helps customers find their ideal shoe size using their smartphone’s camera. Artem previously led a machine learning team at Prisma Labs. This experience along with his background in economics empowered him to create Neatsy and change the future of online footwear retail.
Episode Notes
How flat feet lead Artem and his brother to develop Neatsy [0:30]
The process of trying various business models before ultimately choosing a B2B (business to business) model [5:28]
Neatsy’s first major hurdle — finding tech precise enough to actually measure foot size [9:50]
Entrepreneurship can involve lots of trial and error, and Neatsy had numerous iterations while attempting to measure a shoe when its shape changes once its slipped onto a foot [14:32]
Using the Mom Test to take something that is difficult and complex and turn it into an easy-to-use product for everyone [17:02]
Using Neatsy’s tech to help people identify potential health concerns and track body changes with 3D body measurements [25:08]
Finding ways to stand out from competitors is important. Neatsy keeps your personal data in your phone allowing them to improve data security and get a leg up on competitors [30:55]
Determining pricing for your product or service based on analytics and the value you generate for clients [32:30]
Establishing initial partnerships can be difficult if you don’t find the right people willing to give it a try [37:33]
Finding initial funding can be challenging, and Artem leveraged his personal network to get the initial funds [41:25]
Artem’s biggest surprise — how difficult it can be to get others to buy and invest in your product [44:00]
“Start it and figure it out on the fly,” Artem’s advice to his younger self [48:34]
From an economist to a machine learning engineer and founder, our experiences allow us to further build our skill sets overtime [51:08]
The need to compartmentalize: Work hours are for work, and family hours are for family [57:52]
Do not sacrifice your own freetime. Starting a business is a marathon commitment not a sprint. [1:00:00]
Artem’s advice to entrepreneurs — if your business is growing, you will be inspired. Find something that scales, find product-market fit, and be a hype beast [1:01:36]
Download the Neatsy app to try it yourself [1:03:51]
Neatsy Links:
https://neatsy.ai/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/neatsyai
Get more exciting entrepreneur content and podcast exclusives on StartupSavant.com.
Watch Startup Savant founder interviews on YouTube and follow us on social media:
Next Episode
How a Year-Old Startup Secured $124M in Funding: Christine de Wendel of Sunday
Christine de Wendel is the founder and CEO of Sunday, which uses QR-code technology to improve the payment process at restaurants while helping generate more revenue and tips. Within Sunday's first year as a company, they’ve raised $124 Million and currently operate across five different countries. Christine previously had experience scaling various startups and has leveraged that experience to help lead the Sunday team to astronomical growth.
Episode Notes
How restaurant norm changes during COVID-19 led to Sunday’s conception [1:54]
Obtaining $124 million across two rounds of funding [6:08]
Acquiring competitors to combine forces and grow quickly [10:10]
Why Atlanta? Christine de Wendel’s decision to return home and join Atlanta’s thriving tech scene [11:55]
Running a global startup — the benefits and the difficulties that come from working across borders and using four different languages [14:18]
Adapting Sunday to fit each market’s tipping culture [17:38]
Over-investing in your brand and creating a memorable image [19:53]
Industry disruption and building a tangible impact [22:00]
Overcoming initial hurdles to assemble a network of early adopters [28:20]
How Christine’s background scaling previous startups helped her develop the guts and boldness needed to grow a company [35:02]
Finding talent without a pre-existing network and focusing on hiring people who can spot challenges early on [38:07]
Christine’s advice for entrepreneurs — You must be passionate, and you need to build a great team in order to succeed [41:47]
Get more exciting entrepreneur content and podcast exclusives on StartupSavant.com.
Watch Startup Savant founder interviews on YouTube and follow us on social media:
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