Entrepreneurs
From Side Hustle to $7M Brand: The Rise of Sleepy Sundays
“How a 26-year-old turned a cozy clothing idea into a cult empire”
When Ava Monroe posted three pastel loungewear sets on TikTok in 2022, she didn’t expect a revolution. But three years later, her brand, Sleepy Sundays, has turned into a $7 million sensation—featured in Vogue, stocked in Nordstrom, and worn by influencers across the U.S.
What began as a weekend hobby is now one of the most talked-about indie fashion brands in the loungewear space. But this isn’t just a feel-good tale of virality—it’s a blueprint for modern entrepreneurship.
The Spark: A TikTok, a Question, and 50 Preorders
It all started with a video captioned, “Why is cute loungewear either super expensive or super ugly?”
That single question, shared to a few hundred followers on a sleepy Sunday night, triggered an avalanche. By the next morning, Ava had 50 preorders. She didn’t even have a business name yet—just a sewing machine, three fabric rolls, and her mom helping her cut patterns in their dining room.
That question became a brand.
That brand became a movement.
From Bedroom Business to Viral Brand
Ava didn’t rush. She made each order by hand for the first three months, testing styles and fabrics. When customer feedback exploded—“This is softer than SKIMS,” one commented—she knew she was onto something.
In early 2023, Ava partnered with a local ethical manufacturer. She built a Shopify store, set up a mailing list, and launched a simple but effective drop model: new colors every Sunday at 10 a.m. PST. The result? Scarcity + ritual = obsession.
Shoppers set alarms. Sets sold out in minutes. “I got cart-jacked twice!” one fan posted.
Within a year, revenue skyrocketed by 400%, with almost no paid advertising. Just TikTok and word of mouth.
Brand Aesthetic That Sells Itself
From her color palette (muted pastels + earthy tones) to her minimalist packaging, Ava understood her audience deeply: Gen Z women who craved both comfort and cool.
Sleepy Sundays didn’t just sell clothes—they sold a feeling. A Sunday morning vibe. A lifestyle where softness wasn’t just physical, but emotional. Every product came with a handwritten note and a Spotify playlist link. Details mattered.
Smart Scaling: Growth Without Chaos
In mid-2024, Ava secured a $250,000 angel investment to hire a small team—two full-time designers, a content strategist, and a logistics manager. The brand stayed lean and profitable.
Instead of expanding to dozens of products, Ava stuck to three core items: the “Cloud Set” (her original bestseller), the “Drift Robe,” and the “Midnight Romper.” Each was released in small batches, allowing for feedback-driven iteration and nearly zero inventory waste.
By Q4 2024, she was generating $580,000/month in revenue, with a loyal following and 40% repeat purchase rate.
Social Strategy: Mastering TikTok’s Algorithm
TikTok wasn’t just Ava’s launchpad—it was her marketing backbone. 85% of her traffic still comes from short-form content. Her strategy?
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No hard selling. Just storytelling, outfit inspiration, and behind-the-scenes content.
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Customer features. Real people wearing the product in their homes.
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Aesthetic consistency. Every post felt like part of the same cozy universe.
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Authenticity. Ava appears often on camera, unfiltered, sharing struggles and wins.
A 15-second video showing her dog sleeping next to folded loungewear went viral with 3.2M views. The caption? “It’s called brand alignment.”
Lessons for Entrepreneurs
There’s more to this story than fabric and filters. Ava’s journey offers powerful lessons:
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Start before you’re ready. Ava didn’t have a business plan—just a question and a sewing kit.
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Lean works. For 18 months, she ran everything from her bedroom: design, fulfillment, customer service, content. Constraints became creative fuel.
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Purpose > product. People didn’t just buy sets—they bought into Ava’s ethos of softness, self-care, and slow living.
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Be human. Every mistake she made (delayed shipments, wrong sizes) was owned publicly and turned into relatable content. Transparency built trust.
Challenges Along the Way
Not everything was smooth.
Managing explosive growth while maintaining quality was hard. In late 2023, a batch of defective stitching led to 300 refund requests. Ava posted a TikTok addressing it: “We messed up. Here’s what we’re doing to fix it.” The video gained 1M likes—and strengthened customer loyalty.
Another challenge? Copycats. Fast-fashion giants began mimicking her designs. But Ava stayed focused. “You can copy the clothes, but not the connection,” she said.
Where Sleepy Sundays Goes Next
In 2025, Ava plans to open a pop-up experience store in Los Angeles—not to push product, but to build community. Picture a space with a reading nook, fresh tea, cozy corners to nap, and exclusive try-ons.
She’s also launching Sleepy Kids, a mini collection designed for children with sensory sensitivities. The idea came from DMs she received from parents of autistic kids who loved the fabric feel.
This isn’t a brand chasing trends. It’s one building a universe.
Level Up Insight:
In today’s digital economy, authenticity scales faster than ads. Entrepreneurs who build communities, not just companies, are rewriting the rules. Ava Monroe didn’t just sell loungewear—she sold a feeling, a moment, a message: you deserve softness.
Her story proves that sometimes, the most powerful businesses start from the most personal places. Like a question asked on a Sunday.