How JIGGY Founder Kaylin Marcotte Turned a Personal Hobby Into a Thriving E-Commerce Brand

When JIGGY crossed $1.6 million in revenue in its first nine months and landed a $500K deal with Mark Cuban on Shark Tank, most people saw a pretty puzzle brand go viral.

What they didn’t see is a bootstrapped founder repackaging burnout into beauty and solving real pain points most early-stage brands ignore.

Let’s rewind and take a closer look at the JIGGY founder Kaylin Marcotte story.

The Puzzle Brand That Quietly Disrupted a Tired Category

According to neuroscientists, solving puzzles lights up both the left (logic) and right (creativity) sides of your brain like a happy little bonfire. They soothe your stress. Boost memory. And deliver dopamine kicks every time you slot in that one stubborn edge piece you’ve been side-eyeing for hours.

And that could be one reason out of many why Kaylin Marcotte started JIGGY.

Kaylin Marcotte, is a ex-corporate hustle queen, first employee at theSkimm, and self-confessed “burnout baby.” After endless startup chaos, she found her daily detox in jigsaw puzzles! 

But the puzzles she found in the market weren’t exactly cute or eye-catching. We’re talking cats in baskets, photos of canned peaches, and that same 1970s barn scene your grandma might’ve loved (bless her).

That disconnect sparked an idea inside Kaylin’s mind:

Turn puzzles into frame-worthy art that supports real, living and breathing artists.

And one fine day in November 2019, JIGGY was born. 

But, within a few months of launch, the pandemic hit. And suddenly, the whole world was stuck inside… and looking for something, anything to kill boredom.

Puzzles exploded in popularity. And JIGGY? Well, let’s just say Kaylin’s launch timing was chef’s kiss.

• JIGGY sold out multiple times.

• The brand hit $1.6 million in revenue in its first nine months.

• Mark Cuban came on board with a $500K investment during a Shark Tank pitch.

• And a community of puzzle-loving, art-hungry humans started growing. Fast.

But of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. So, how did Kaylin keep JIGGY relevant while staying true to her vision? 

Let’s take a closer look.

Burnout to Breakout Brand: How JIGGY Founder Kaylin Marcotte Started

Here’s a lowdown on Kaylin Marcotte’s background:

Kaylin kicked off her post-Barnard career at theSkimm, joining as employee No. 1. She led brand ambassador programs, community building, and grassroots marketing.

Her days were filled with high-energy launches, tight deadlines, and founder-level hustle.

But in the evenings, she’d carve out time to recharge, with something calming that also challenged her mind, without draining it. As we mentioned earlier, solving puzzles became her way to release stress and reset mentally.

At the time, puzzles were stuck in a creative rut, same old artwork, same old packaging, and zero brand storytelling. No one had reimagined them as design-led, emotionally resonant products.

Kaylin saw the white space, tapped into her marketing instincts, and launched JIGGY, a puzzle brand that blends mindfulness, creative expression, modern design, and direct support for women artists.

A Moment With the Sharks!

The growth of JIGGY even earned her a spot on Shark Tank. Kaylin asked for $500,000 for 5% equity, valuing JIGGY at $10 million.

Most sharks loved the concept but balked at the valuation, except for Mark Cuban. He offered her the full amount for 15% equity and agreed to match future artist-focused fundraising.

Cuban’s support became a major catalyst in JIGGY’s growth and popularity. 

The brand scaled into retail, partnering with Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Anthropologie, and dozens of boutique stores. It launched custom puzzles for corporate gifting with clients like Spotify and Meta, and rolled out a JIGGY Puzzle Club subscription for superfans.

The brand also introduced limited-edition artist drops, puzzle frames, and ultra-premium collectible pieces.

To date, JIGGY has crossed $4M in lifetime sales, and continues to grow, not just in revenue, but in relevance.

But the growth came with pressure and challenges. Here’s what Kaylin had to navigate.

The Beautiful Mess Behind JIGGY’s Success: Real Challenges Kaylin Had To Navigate

Here’s what she likely faced, and how she kept her DTC e-commerce brand strong without losing sight of what made it special.

Managing Logistics Amid Sudden Demand

The puzzles, which were packaged in  glass jars, paired with custom glue kits, required careful handling and fulfillment.

In the early days, Kaylin reportedly packed these orders herself from her apartment.

And, as volumes increased, finding a fulfillment partner who could meet her standards without compromising the unboxing experience likely became a top priority.

Dealing With Cash Flow Pressure After Going Viral

Rapid sales can lead to unexpected financial strain. When inventory sells out quickly, restocking requires upfront capital, often before the next wave of revenue comes in.

Because Kaylin chose to bootstrap the business in its early phase, she likely had to make strategic decisions about which SKUs to restock and how to pace growth without overcommitting resources. 

Staying True to Her Brand’s Purpose at Scale

From day one, JIGGY was about supporting women artists and creating a calm, creative experience for customers.

As the business grew, maintaining that mission while exploring retail partnerships and new revenue streams could have easily diluted the original intent.

Instead, Kaylin built the brand slowly and intentionally. Artist stories remained front and center. New products like custom puzzles and subscription boxes expanded the experience without losing the core message.

Navigating Customer Experience and Fragile Fulfillment

Shipping glass jars filled with puzzle pieces is no easy task. Every order had to be packaged securely and arrive intact.

And when orders scale, so do opportunities for error.

In addition, customer service expectations in the DTC space are high. Managing returns, delays, or damaged products while preserving the premium feel of the brand would have required operational maturity and constant oversight.

Building Artist Partnerships and Managing Licensing

Working with artists requires more than a simple commission. Intellectual property rights, licensing terms, and fair compensation models all come into play, especially when you’re building a business that relies on those partnerships.

Kaylin appears to have approached this with transparency and fairness.

Artists are credited on the packaging, receive a share of each sale, and are regularly featured in JIGGY’s brand storytelling. But managing those relationships at scale likely added a layer of legal and emotional complexity to her role as a founder.

Sustaining Momentum Beyond the Pandemic

After the initial surge in puzzle interest during the pandemic, JIGGY had to find ways to remain relevant. Kaylin did this by expanding thoughtfully.

By launching the JIGGY Puzzle Club, creating limited-edition drops, and building a corporate gifting program, she introduced the brand to new audiences.

These small yet meaningful initiatives helped her build a long-term business with a loyal customer base.

Lessons From Kaylin’s E-Commerce Journey Every First-Time Founder Should Know

Kaylin Marcotte didn’t have a background in logistics, manufacturing, or product development. What she did have was a personal pain point, sharp brand instincts, and the courage to start small and stay intentional.

Here’s what you can learn from her journey with JIGGY.

1. Start With A Deeply Personal Insight, Not Just A Trend

Kaylin didn’t set out to build a business.  It just happened. She was trying to manage her own burnout.

That’s what makes JIGGY feel so real. It wasn’t born from a brainstorming session, it came from a necessity to manage mental fatigue. And eventually, she realized she wasn’t alone.

💡 Lesson for you: If your idea comes from something personal, something that genuinely helped you, then it’s going to carry more weight. You’ll speak about it differently. Build it differently. And people will feel that difference. Not because you said it’s authentic… but because it actually is.

2. Make the Product an Experience, Not Just Something to Sell

Kaylin could’ve stopped at making puzzles with prettier art. That alone would’ve set her apart.

But what she created was more than a product. It was an experience. Slow, intentional, and satisfying from the moment you opened the jar to the moment you glued the final piece.

She thought about how it would feel to receive it. To sit with it. To frame it as a wall painting.

💡 Lesson for you: Your product is just one part of the experience. Think about the whole journey. What does it feel like to use it? What happens before and after? How can you make even the small moments meaningful?

3. You Don’t Need Funding to Start, But You Do Need Focus

JIGGY started with $25,000 of Kaylin’s savings. No investors. No big launch budget. Just a clear idea, one product line, and a strong point of view.

She didn’t try to build everything at once. No oversized catalog. No paid ads right away. Just a tight, well-executed launch. 

💡 Lesson for you: You don’t need funding to begin. You need clarity. Know what you’re building, who it’s for, and what you can realistically handle now. Don’t rush to look big. Just start small and build something solid and memorable.

4. Let Your Early Customers Shape the Brand

JIGGY’s first customers were part of Kaylin’s story.

They shared their completed puzzles on social media. They tagged the artists. They told their friends. That kind of organic momentum doesn’t happen unless people feel a connection.

Kaylin leaned into that by celebrating their content, listening closely, and building a brand that invited participation.

💡 Lesson for you:  Treat your early customers like collaborators. Make it easy for them to share, and make sure they feel seen when they do. The strongest brands grow through community, not just conversion.

5. Growth Means Choices. Protect Your Values as You Scale

As JIGGY grew, it would’ve been easy to cut costs, scale fast, or add generic designs to meet demand.

But Kaylin held the line. She continued to feature independent female artists. She chose slower growth over cutting corners. Even when she landed a Shark Tank deal, she made sure the partnership supported her mission..not diluted it.

💡 Lesson for you: Not every opportunity is worth saying yes to. As your business grows, you’ll be asked to compromise in small ways. Know what matters most, and hold onto it. Growth is important. But staying grounded is what makes it beautiful.

6. Don’t Ignore the Unsexy Stuff

In the world of startups, everyone talks about branding, product-market fit, and going viral. But not many talk about what happens when your Stripe account doesn’t match your bank balance, or, when quarterly taxes sneak up and wipe out your cash cushion.

Bookkeeping, taxes, formation, compliance, these are the things that quietly hold everything together. And when they fall apart or break, your customer experience will also suffer, maybe not immediately, but it’s coming

💡 Lesson for you: If you’re spending your entire week on growth and product, but haven’t filed for an LLC, or your books are a mess, you’re inviting trouble.

Don’t wait until things break. Get organized early.

• Track every dollar.

• Separate your personal and business finances.

• File your taxes correctly.

• Build clean operations that don’t need your daily oversight.

And most importantly: delegate early. Bring in a bookkeeper. Find a tax advisor. Use tools that can do the sorting for you.

Check out: How doola Helped Alexandru Tausch Fuel the Growth of Turbo Madness Parts LLC

The 2025 Founder Mindset: What Kaylin Would Do Differently Today

If Kaylin Marcotte were launching JIGGY in 2025, not 2019, her playbook would probably look a little different.

The fundamentals would still matter: a strong mission, a product people genuinely love, and a story that’s real. But the way she’d build and operate the business, that would be very evolved.

And if you’re starting a business in 2025, it should evolve for you, too.

Step 1: She’d Still Start With a Personal Problem

This part wouldn’t change. Kaylin’s biggest edge was that JIGGY came from something she needed, a creative, offline ritual to deal with burnout. That type of personal insight still beats trend-chasing any day.

Step 2: She’d Use Every Tool She Could to Simplify the Back End

In 2019, Kaylin packed orders out of her apartment. She likely figured out taxes on the fly. She bootstrapped, Googled, and asked for favors.

But in 2025?

She’d form her LLC online in minutes, not weeks. She’d set up business banking, bookkeeping, and compliance from day one, not year two. She’d use a service like doola to handle the paperwork, taxes, and state filings so she could devote more time in marketing and sales.

Step 3: She’d Expect the Noise, and Plan for It

In 2025, starting a business is easy. And, that’s the problem.

With Shopify, Canva, ChatGPT, and off-the-shelf templates, anyone can launch a brand in a weekend. But when everyone has access to the same toolkit, the real challenge isn’t starting, it’s standing out.

Kaylin, if she were launching JIGGY today, wouldn’t waste time romanticizing the build. She’d know she’s entering a saturated arena where “aesthetic” is the default and attention spans are microscopic.

She wouldn’t just launch a product. She’d build a brand that’s built to cut through.

Here’s what she’d expect, and how she’d prepare:

👉🏼 An oversaturated market where everyone’s shouting and customers are tuning out.

She’d go deep, not wide. No vague “premium puzzle brand” positioning. She’d carve out a clear story only JIGGY could tell, backed by real artist collabs, design transparency, and repeatable community moments.

She’d build brand equity by being unignorable, not just visually pleasing.

👉🏼 Ad costs that don’t care about your margins, and platforms throttling organic reach.

She wouldn’t play the CPM lottery. She’d invest early in what scales sustainably: founder-led storytelling, niche creator partnerships, and retention-first channels like email.

Paid ads? Strictly for retargeting and launch windows. She’d make every dollar work twice.

👉🏼 Audiences that demand a reason to care, and a reason to believe.

She’d lead with proof. Not hype. She’d share the process, the people, the decisions. Because in 2025, “authenticity” is something customers are actively running on you.

If you’re vague, you’re invisible. Period.

👉🏼 Customers who expect frictionless service and near-instant replies

She wouldn’t wait for complaints. She’d pre-empt them. Smart workflows, fast replies with human tone, and brutal clarity on timelines.

If your support team sounds like a template/script, you’ve already lost.

Start Your JIGGY-Like Journey With doola

You don’t need an MBA or a trust fund to build something big. You just need the right foundation.

doola helps you set up the essentials, so you can focus on building your brand, growing your customer base, and doing the work that actually moves the needle.

Here’s what we handle for you:

• LLC formation – U.S. business setup, even if you’re based abroad

• E-commerce tax compliance – so you’re not scrambling come sales tax season

• Bookkeeping and business banking – clean books mean clearer decisions

Ready to launch your e-commerce business the right way? Sign up today!

Ready to Go Deeper?

If you’re serious about growing your brand like Kaylin did, with clarity, edge, and zero backend chaos, dig into some of our blogs, e-books and case studies:

• What Is the Reality of Starting an Ecommerce Business?

• Inventory Accounting for E‑Commerce Business Owners

• How to 5× Your Revenue as a Bootstrapped Founder

• A Step‑by‑Step Master Guide for Non‑U.S. Entrepreneurs