Millionaire University

Reinventing Furniture: How Lovesac Scaled from Side Hustle to Household Name | Shawn Nelson

Sep 25, 2025
Guest
Shawn Nelson
Shawn Nelson, founder and CEO of Lovesac, turned a college side-hustle of giant foam-filled beanbags into a national furniture brand. He shares the journey of overcoming financial hurdles, launching the first retail store, and pivoting to modular couches—Sactionals. Shawn reflects on the importance of instincts in business, building a fun company culture, and redefining success beyond money. He discusses the evolution of Lovesac’s design-for-life philosophy and the innovative strategies that fueled its growth to over 300 stores.
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ANECDOTE

Humble Origins In A Living Room Project

  • Shawn stitched the first giant LoveSac at 18 using vinyl, packing peanuts, and chopped foam over three weeks.
  • That single homemade beanbag became a side-hustle through college and the seed of Lovesac.
ADVICE

Start By Doing, Not Talking

  • Do something instead of overplanning; action reveals opportunity.
  • Shawn's first lesson: stop talking and start building to discover what can grow.
ANECDOTE

Big Order, Bigger Risk

  • A trade-show order for 12,000 sacks nearly bankrupted Shawn after he built a factory on credit cards.
  • He later opened the first retail store in 2001 and that location became wildly profitable.
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