In this episode of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Joe Demin and Rachel Connors, Co-Founders of Yellow Leaf Hammocks on their social enterprise journey from selling hammocks out of a van to getting a $1 million investment on Shark Tank.
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This is a fantastic conversation with two founders who bootstrapped their social enterprise for years, created design innovations, and created sustainable impact.
Years of hard work and dedication led to a $1 million investment from the founder of KIND Snacks, Daniel Lubetzky.
This episode is a must listen for any impact entrepreneur!
Founded by husband and wife Joe Demin and Rachel Connors, Yellow Leaf Hammocks is a lifestyle brand focused on relaxation and driven by positive impact.
About Yellow Leaf Hammocks
Yellow Leaf Hammocks are a unique and comfortable way to relax outdoors. With an array of colors, styles, and sizes available, there is something for everyone.
Whether you’re looking for a single hammock for your patio or a double-size option for your outdoor living space, Yellow Leaf Hammocks has you covered. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of these luxurious yet durable hammocks.
The brand’s first product was a line of hammocks that are impeccably handwoven, shockingly soft, and technically engineered for extreme comfort.
Best of all, Yellow Leaf Hammocks is committed to creating high-wage jobs for women in rural Thailand who weave each hammock by hand.
The team’s goal is to empower artisans to lift their families from poverty to the middle class.
Yellow Leaf Hammock Durability
One of the best benefits of Yellow Leaf Hammocks is the durability. They are made from high-grade, weatherproof material which means they will last season after season without losing their shape or color vibrancy.
This material also allows air to pass through the fabric which keeps you cool and comfortable on hot summer days. Plus, it can easily be wiped clean with mild soap and water so you can keep your hammock looking new no matter how much use it gets.
Yellow Leaf Hammock Versatility
Not only are Yellow Leaf Hammocks incredibly durable, but they are also incredibly versatile as well. The variety of sizes ensures that there is something to fit any space, indoors or outdoors.
You can choose from single or double options depending on how much room you have available, as well as several different patterns and colors to suit your taste. Plus, each hammock comes with its own carrying case so you can take them wherever you need to go.
Comfort and Relaxation
The most important benefit of having a Yellow Leaf Hammock? Comfort and relaxation! Nowhere else can you find such luxurious comfort that still stands up against time and wear like these hammocks do.
Whether it’s reading in the shade or lounging in the sun, these hammocks provide optimal support while being gentle on your skin — all day long.
And because they come equipped with hanging hardware, you don’t even need to worry about finding a spot to hang it up — just attach it to any sturdy surface in minutes.
Yellow Leaf Hammock Social Impact
Yellow Leaf Hammocks is are committed to breaking the cycle of poverty. The comapny understand that creating jobs and building long-term financial stability is essential for sustainable change.
Their mission goes beyond providing temporal support; rather, the direct approach allows the brand to assist families in establishing a path towards their brighter future – one based on dignity, security and opportunity.
By enabling smart, resourceful mothers to take hold of their own destinies, Yellow Leaf Hammock initiative empowers three unique weaving communities through the creation of livelihoods and flexible wage work.
The company’s goals are ambitious; they strive to give families a pathway out of poverty into economic stability. Together, consumers forge new opportunities for these artisans as they move towards improved lives with greater independence.
Recent studies illustrate that women are more prone to investing their incomes back into the family, with up to 90% dedicated towards health care needs, nutrition and education of dependents.
This translates not only into improved living conditions but also strengthens self-confidence among breadwinning mothers which creates a multiplying effect on local resources used to enhance infrastructure development around them.
Yellow Leaf Hammock Founders
Joe Demin has been an entrepreneur since before he knew what that word meant. When he came to America at age 5, his family was fleeing the USSR as refugees. Like many Jewish families, they came with what they could fit in their suitcases and prepared to build a new life from scratch.
Joe taught himself English by watching Sesame Street and soon began growing the lustrous black beard he’s known for today. Joe’s first job came at age 6, when he persuaded the adults on his block to pay him to move their garbage cans down to the curb every Monday morning.
His next was selling gas station candy to other kids on the school playground (at a reasonable mark-up). After Joe put himself through college at DePaul University (through a handful of Ferris Bueller-esque schemes), he entered the high-stakes world of commercial real estate development.
As the first undergraduate ever hired at Chicago’s most prestigious firm, he was convinced that he’d found the path he’d tenaciously pursue to the top. This was 18 months before the 2008 recession kicked off by toppling the commercial real estate markets.
Making layoffs into lemonade, Joe took off for Hawaii, where he discovered that his personal definition of success didn’t revolve around ruthless money-chasing or putting his name on buildings.
Instead, he realized that he wanted to pursue … happiness. Joe is now the co-founder and Chief Relaxation Officer of Yellow Leaf Hammocks, whose mission is to spread global bliss and empower families to rise from poverty.
The origins of Yellow Leaf are a pretty crazy story (involving elephants, a secret map and a 600-mile cab ride), but the results have been absolutely incredible.
Yellow Leaf sells the world’s most ridiculously comfy hammocks and preaches the life-changing results of daily relaxation. Through their supply chain, they’ve empowered hundreds of families in rural Thailand to rise from poverty to the middle class.
Yellow Leaf Hammocks has received international accolades (Best for the World B Corp, Kiva.org Microfinance Partner, Oprah’s Favorite Things, shoutouts in Vogue, Forbes and Fast Company), but by far the greatest measure of their success is the bright future they’ve assured in their weaving communities.
Joe sees himself as a conduit to share these families’ stories with the world.
Rachel Connors is the co-founder and Chief Enthusiasm Officer of Yellow Leaf Hammocks, a social enterprise dedicated to defeating global poverty through sustainable artisan job creation. She is passionate about social justice and impeccable design, the twin pillars of Yellow Leaf.
Artisan activity is the second-largest employer in the developing world. Through her work with Yellow Leaf, Rachel is dedicated to conquering the supply chain challenges that have trapped artisans in poverty and kept their goods from breaking through to the mainstream marketplace.
By working with mothers in BOP communities to create authentic, inspired products that enrich customers’ lives, her work is creating a transformative new model for 21 st century artisan enterprise.
Under her leadership, Yellow Leaf has been recognized as a “Best for the World” B Corporation and amplified their global message through partnerships with Kiva.org, Made in a Free World and as the “official hammocks” of SXSW.
She has collaborated on products with Bloomingdales, Tommy Bahama and CB2 and her work for Yellow Leaf has been featured by Good Morning America, the Wall Street Journal, Vogue and Oprah’s “Favorite Things.” Rachel is a fellow of GSBI, the Global Unreasonable Institute, the Opportunity Collaboration, REALITY and The Coaching Fellowship.
Full Interview
[00:00]
Host (Grant):
Hey, everyone! Welcome to another episode of the Disruptors for Good podcast. Today, we have an incredible episode with Joe Demin and Rachel Connors, the founders of Yellow Leaf Hammocks. They’re one of the original social enterprises I covered back in 2013, and it’s amazing to see how far they’ve come. They recently raised $1 million after their appearance on Shark Tank, where they received investment from Daniel Lubetzky, the founder of KIND Snacks. Joe and Rachel share their journey—from starting with a few hammocks to scaling their business, all while making a huge impact on rural communities in Thailand. It’s a truly inspiring story of perseverance, and I think you’re going to love it. Let’s dive into the episode!
[03:17]
Joe Demin:
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial streak, and back in 2011, I saved up all my vacation days and went backpacking in Thailand with some friends. One day, I stumbled upon a hammock in a small shop on a remote island. I jumped in, and it was unlike any hammock I’d ever experienced—super comfortable. I started asking about it, and the shopkeeper told me the story of the Mlabri tribe, who weave these hammocks. The weaving provided them with high-paid jobs, helped eradicate malaria in their village, and preserved their culture. The impact of this weaving was huge. I couldn’t get the story out of my head, so I traveled 600 miles to visit the village. I saw firsthand how making hammocks was transforming lives and thought, “Screw business school, let’s build a hammock company that can change the world.” I came back to the U.S. with a backpack full of hammocks, and that’s when Rachel and I started brainstorming how to turn this into a real business.
Rachel Connors:
Joe came home with this huge smile and a backpack full of hammocks. He was so confident it would work! But I was a little more cautious—I wanted to test the waters first. So we started small, selling hammocks out of the back of my Volkswagen at local markets and fairs. We spent two summers getting face-to-face feedback from customers, figuring out price points, and learning what people wanted. The best part was that we didn’t lead with the mission. We focused on the product, and once people loved the hammocks, we’d tell them the story behind them. It was a great way to validate the product.
[09:44]
Host (Grant):
It’s really impressive that you focused on the product first. A lot of early social enterprises lead with the mission, but you guys prioritized product quality. How did those early sales shape your business?
Joe Demin:
Selling face-to-face helped us understand what people valued most. For example, many people told us they’d bought hammocks on vacation but never hung them up, so we started including a “Hammocking 101” guide with every purchase to help them. We also learned that people wanted durable, weather-resistant hammocks, so we sourced the best materials. The first 1,000 hammocks we sold were all in person, and that gave us so much insight into what worked.
Rachel Connors:
We also learned early on that we weren’t pricing correctly for scaling into wholesale markets. We initially set our prices too low, but after increasing them, sales actually went up! That allowed us to reinvest in better packaging and other product improvements.
[13:34]
Host (Grant):
I love that you evolved the design and presentation based on customer feedback. Let’s talk about a pivotal moment in your journey—the Unreasonable Institute in 2014. How did that experience change things for you?
Joe Demin:
Unreasonable was a game-changer for us. It was the first time we really professionalized our operations and started thinking long-term. They connected us with mentors who helped us create a strategic plan for scaling the business. We learned about wholesale, marketing, and how to differentiate our products. It was an intense five-week incubator, but it gave us the tools to start thinking about how to build a sustainable, scalable business.
Rachel Connors:
They also helped us focus on our core mission—creating jobs for mothers in rural hill tribe communities. Before Unreasonable, we had so many ideas about preserving culture, protecting the environment, and other goals. But they helped us simplify and focus on the most impactful goal: selling more hammocks so we could create more jobs. That focus has been key to our success.
[18:16]
Host (Grant):
How has your relationship with the communities you work with in Thailand evolved over the years?
Joe Demin:
It’s been amazing. We’ve been working with the same village for nearly a decade now, and we’ve seen incredible progress. Kids who were young when we first started are now driving and going to college, which is unheard of in this community. The weavers are constantly amazed that people all over the world love their hammocks. We’ve built a deep bond with them, and it’s been a privilege to see the impact firsthand.
Rachel Connors:
We’ve also seen real improvements in nutrition and overall quality of life. The children are growing up healthier and taller than their parents, which is a sign of better childhood nutrition. It’s been such a rewarding experience.
[24:48]
Host (Grant):
I love how you’ve incorporated the culture of relaxation from the Mlabri tribe into your brand. Let’s talk about product innovation. You mentioned focusing on intellectual property (IP) earlier. How did that come into play with your new hammock chair, the Hammock Throne?
Joe Demin:
We wanted to make our hammocks more accessible, especially for people who live in small spaces or don’t have trees to hang them from. The Hammock Throne was our first major product innovation in hard goods. It’s a portable stand for our hammock chairs, and it doesn’t require hanging. It’s also created a new category of relaxation furniture. Our goal is to continue innovating and solving the problems that prevent people from enjoying hammocks in their everyday lives.
[31:19]
Host (Grant):
Let’s talk about funding. You bootstrapped for a long time, which is tough. What was the process like when you decided to seek investment?
Rachel Connors:
We bootstrapped for years, but eventually realized we needed more capital to scale. At first, we looked at mission-driven investors, but we found the due diligence and reporting requirements were overwhelming. It felt like impact investors wanted perfection, and it wasn’t sustainable for us. I think the impact investment space needs to take a hard look at how they’re supporting early-stage social enterprises. We ended up finding more success with traditional investors who appreciated our mission but didn’t demand as much oversight.
Joe Demin:
We also secured revenue-based loans through the BOMA Foundation, which was a great fit for us. It allowed us to repay loans based on sales, so we weren’t under constant pressure.
[38:03]
Host (Grant):
And then came Shark Tank! How did that come about, and what was your experience like?
Joe Demin:
We were invited to apply after they saw our Kickstarter for the Hammock Throne. We were skeptical at first, but we knew it was a great opportunity for exposure. Right before we went on, we found out Daniel Lubetzky, the founder of KIND Snacks, was a guest shark. He’s a perfect fit for us—he built KIND on similar values, and his experience in both business and philanthropy was exactly what we were looking for.
Rachel Connors:
We went into the tank asking for $400,000, but Daniel offered us $1 million for a larger stake. It was an incredible moment, and partnering with him has been transformative for our business. It’s allowed us to scale much faster and invest in product development and marketing.
[48:23]
Host (Grant):
What does the future look like for Yellow Leaf Hammocks? Where do you see the company in the next 3-5 years?
Joe Demin:
We’re really focused on making relaxation a daily ritual for people. Our goal is to empower people to slow down, relax, and enjoy their lives. We’re expanding our product line beyond hammocks and creating more innovative relaxation furniture. At the same time, we’re committed to maintaining the positive impact on our weavers and continuing to grow that aspect of our business. We want to see these communities out of poverty within the next few years.
Rachel Connors:
We’re also focused on building partnerships that align with our values. We’re looking at strategic partnerships with hotels and other places where people can experience our hammocks firsthand. And of course, we’ll keep innovating and finding new ways to bring relaxation to more people.
[57:00]
Host (Grant):
Thank you both so much for sharing your story. It’s been an amazing conversation, and I wish you continued success!
Joe Demin and Rachel Connors:
Thank you, Grant!
