It’s easy to underestimate how many things we learn just by doing them badly. Especially the ones that feel avoidable—managing money, building systems, running inventory. The idea that we should already know how creates a kind of paralysis. We avoid looking directly at it, even when it’s costing us. At some point, though, the gaps become unignorable. For Jolene, that point came quietly, through late nights packing orders and delayed restocks. Irregular Sleep Pattern—the ethical, design-led sleepwear and homeware brand she runs with her husband—has been growing steadily since they launched. Now, with one full-time hire and growing monthly revenue, she’s no longer pretending the numbers will sort themselves out. “It’s a mindset thing,” she says. “I know what to do, but I’ve had my head in the sand.” Entirely self-funded, the company was launched with their own savings. They’ve avoided debt, but haven’t paid themselves since starting—and as demand rises, the need for structure is no longer optional.

“We’ve built something people love—but I need to run it like a real business”

Irregular Sleep Pattern was never designed to scale quickly. Jolene and her husband—both creatives with backgrounds in TV and product design—started the business after noticing a gap in the market for tailored, genderless sleepwear. The first years were spent refining brand values and building out a visual identity. They began with pyjamas and bedding, gradually expanding into homewares. Everything is produced with certified materials in ethical factories. Over time, the brand found its audience—especially those looking for design-led, slow fashion alternatives. Growth came organically at first, with followers and orders spreading mostly by word of mouth. But strong ad performance has shifted things quickly. “My ads were working so well that I ended up with an inventory crisis,” Jolene says. “I had to kill those ads and shift to other products.” With lead times and fulfillment still managed in-house, the backend hasn’t caught up. She tracks metrics closely and knows her profitability by product—but planning still happens manually, and time for strategic thinking is scarce. “I still pack every order. It’s hard to step back and be the CEO.”

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“The brand is working. Now I just need to catch up with it.”

Jolene’s biggest struggle isn’t understanding the mechanics—it’s having space to act on them. She’s taken a founder-focused course that helped her build a real-time dashboard pulling data from her shop, email platform, and ad accounts. It’s helped, but she still keeps all finances in a single pot. “I know what my breakeven is, I know my margins. But it’s not clear how much we’re still subsidizing.” Her goal is to separate expenses, forecast with confidence, and avoid relying on guesswork. Email marketing has become a core strength, often outperforming other channels. “People love our emails. They’re not just a hard sell—we’re silly, and we share things that bring us joy.” A substantial percentage of sales now come from their mailing list, and they’re focused on growing it steadily. Content is all produced in-house. Jolene has also run all ads herself after testing a brief agency stint. “No one knows your brand like you do. The DIY ads are performing better.”

The next stage of growth brings new risks. They’re preparing for a London trade show and are in early talks with partners overseas—but there’s a hard ceiling without more cash flow and fulfillment capacity. Licensing designs may help unlock that. They’ve already expanded into homeware and are exploring products like textiles and wallpaper, but limited production capacity keeps timelines long. For now, the focus is simple: stay independent, get more help in-house, and find rhythm in the chaos. “We want it to be a global brand, but still a manageable size,” Jolene says. The brand’s customer base is deeply loyal—drawn not just to the products, but to the values and voice behind them. That connection is what matters most. “Nothing we do makes economic sense,” she laughs. “But we know who we are. And we know who it’s for.”

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