This story appears in the April 2025 issue of Utah Business. Subscribe.
Once a month, Utah Business hosts Founder Friday, a free event that showcases the wisdom of Utah-based founders. In March, Kiln hosted a conversation between Utah Business Assistant Editor Beth Taylor and Minky Couture founder Sandi Hendry. This event was sponsored by Kiln and Kajae. Here are a few takeaways from the conversation.
1. Identify market gaps.
The Minky Couture origin story is a sentimental one. When Hendry’s daughter was hospitalized with a life-threatening illness in 2009, she requested a soft, cozy blanket with a specific requirement: It had to actually be cute.
“I could find soft fleece blankets, or I could find quilts, or I could find baby blankets. But I could not find anything soft, cozy and couture,” Hendry says. So she purchased minky fabric, which had only recently entered the market, and worked with a seamstress to create the first Minky Couture blanket. Soon, hospital staff, family, friends and strangers were clamoring for their own, and Hendry began selling blankets at home parties and even out of her car trunk.
2. Be patient with success.
Hendry points to the pivotal decision to expand from a 1,200-square-foot store to an 18,000-square-foot former Old Navy as her “It’s gonna work moment,” but it took about five years for Minky Couture to start feeling like a successful business. She navigated hiccups and obstacles with patience and never let go of her vision, even when supposed experts told her she ought to quit.
“Don’t give up. If you really, truly believe that [your product is] going to change someone’s life, keep going,” Hendry urges. Today, Minky Couture sells as many blankets in one day as it did in an entire month during year five.
3. Create a nurturing environment for employees.
Today, Minky Couture employs around 300 people — mostly women — and 30-50 local seamstresses who craft each blanket with care. Hendry’s approach to company culture centers around her belief that when people feel loved and safe, they’ll produce for you. She always prioritizes flexibility for her employees’ personal and family needs.
This philosophy extends to the physical workspace, which features green velvet chairs and crystal chandeliers rather than typical warehouse aesthetics. “I want people to feel like coming to Minky is special,” she says. “I don’t think people put forth their best if they’re not in an environment that makes them feel elevated.”
4. Give back.
For every blanket purchased, a portion helps provide a mini blanket to a NICU baby through the Heart of Minky program. Hendry considers giving back “the secret sauce to making a full circle” where customers feel their purchase helps someone else. Today, Minky Couture donates 5,000 mini blankets monthly to NICU babies across the country.
5. It’s never too late to pursue entrepreneurship.
Hendry founded Minky Couture after retiring from a 30-year teaching career, proving that “There’s no age to success, and there’s no age to dreams.”
“You can be 20, you can be 30, you can be 60, you can be 50 … there’s no expiration date [on entrepreneurship],” she continues. Hendry encourages career pivots at any stage.
