By MaryBeth Matzek | Photo by Miriam Bulcher
When inspiration strikes, you need to run with it. For Rachel Neill, inspiration came in the middle of the pandemic. Her then two-year-old was playing with a popular play couch designed for dorm rooms when he had an accident. While trying to clean the fabric, she had an idea: What if there was a toy that kids could rearrange into different shapes — covered in child-friendly fabric and thoughtfully designed — built for them to jump and climb on? With that, Figgy was born.
“I called a friend, Chris Roepe (a product design expert), who had recently left Lands’ End. He came over and we immediately began prototyping a product,” says Neill, who serves as Figgy’s CEO. “We took it to Kickstarter and raised $40,000 in eight minutes, so we knew we had an idea that was worth something.”
Figgy is a play couch with individual base cushions and Velcro fasteners that children can connect any way they want to play. The waterproof, washable cushions are made of soft, yet sturdy, material. With several million dollars in sales, Figgy has won multiple awards, including a 2023 Parents’ Picks Award, a 2023 Mom’s Choice Awards Gold Recipient and a 2024 Retail Innovator Award from Retail Touchpoints.
“Kids can use it to build whatever they want. It’s a tool of their imagination,” she says. “With the business, it was hard at first figuring out manufacturing and shipping since that’s when everything was bogged down with shipping delays because of the pandemic. But we made it through.”
A mom of six with children ranging in age from 23 to two, Neill says balance is essential to handling work and motherhood.
“My husband and I prioritize our kids and working hard. I wore my kids when they were babies. I take my kids to work with me,” she says. “I work at night. I’ve always been high energy, which serves me well.”
Figgy is Neill’s second successful business. In 2017, she founded Carex Consulting Group, a staffing company. Neill also serves as CEO of Carex.
“Carex is a different kind of staffing company with clear pricing — we share our bill and pay rates — and no one works on commission. It’s a model that appeals to businesses and prospective employees,” she says.
Neill’s entrepreneurial success is all the more remarkable given she was a teen mom who took her son with her when she attended the University of Pennsylvania. “I made it through with pure determination, balancing taking care of my son and my classes,” she says.
After graduating, she married her now-husband and began law school. But after starting law school, Neill realized law was not for her. Her husband ended up getting a job in Madison, so they moved to Wisconsin. Once here, Neill dove into the startup community, becoming internal employee No. 10 at Nordic Consulting.
“I learned a lot about the entrepreneurial community and decided to go for it myself and started Carex. It wasn’t always easy,” she says. “Women get a small percentage of venture funding. It was sometimes uncomfortable being the only woman in the room and people sometimes discount you. I didn’t give up and kept pushing forward.”
What’s one workplace trend you’re embracing as a business owner?
“Flexibility. I’ve hired some talented, educated stay-at- home moms who work at Figgy. They get the work done when they can. I also have an open PTO policy. You don’t need to take PTO to go to the doctor or to go see your kids in a school activity.”
Read more from our September/October 2024 cover story “Success Stories” here.
