Her T-Shirt Side Hustle Led to a DM From Levi’s and $400M

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Michelle Wahler, co-founder and former CEO of activewear brand Beyond Yoga. Wahler launched Beyond Yoga with Jodi Guber Brufsky in 2006. Years later, Levi’s reached out to Wahler via LinkedIn direct message, ultimately acquiring the company for $400 million in 2021. Under Wahler’s leadership, Beyond Yoga achieved 19% year-over-year growth and surpassed $115 million in revenue in 2023. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

^{Image Credit: Greyson Tarantino. Michelle Wahler.}

What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle?
After graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in graphic design, I moved to New York to work in publishing, originally at People magazine and later Harper’s Bazaar. It was during that time that I started drawing illustrations of my friends, which I would put on T-shirts to give as birthday presents.

This hobby of mine ultimately turned into a company I called Unsweetened, with clothing and accessories featuring illustrations of women — in what I viewed as an “un-sugar-coated” version of them.

Where did you find the inspiration for your side hustle?
[At my magazine jobs], I got a firsthand look at the photoshopping that goes on in the industry. Both jobs were incredible experiences, but they shed light on the unrealistic expectations the media was putting into the market and minds of their consumers. My entire life, I have watched incredible, smart, beautiful women not see themselves as they are and try to conform to a singular idea of beauty. While this frustration was brewing, I struggled to make ends meet, working long hours for little pay but gaining loads of invaluable experience! At the time, my best friend and roommate’s birthday was coming up, and since I didn’t have the means to buy her something great, I decided to make her a birthday present — I sketched her and put the illustration on a T-shirt.

All my friends loved it, so for the next year, everyone got one of these unique drawings of themselves on a T-shirt. These illustrations celebrated them for who they were — curves, careers and fun! I called it the “unsweetened” version of themselves, and before I knew it, I started selling them. It felt so fulfilling to be doing something that I loved while simultaneously promoting body positivity and self-confidence from within.

What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground?
At People, I had a cubicle right in front of the publisher — a high-traffic cube! — and I put all my sketches on the wall. People started asking me to make them for them for their friends, and the next thing I knew, I was buying a T-shirt press, getting a wholesale license, purchasing T-shirts and printing and packing them in my shared apartment after my roommate went to bed.

The T-shirts were a hit, and I started spending all my free time working on Unsweetened. I sold the shirts at holiday bazaars and craft shows and eventually got a booth at the New York City Gift Show and the Los Angeles Gift Show. Ultimately, I left New York City with the intention of making a full run of Unsweetened on the West Coast; however, things quickly changed upon my arrival.

What led you to decide to transform the side hustle into full-time business Beyond Yoga?
I moved to California and was very quickly introduced to Jodi [Guber Brufsky], who would become my future business partner. I instantly fell in love with the mission of Beyond Yoga, put Unsweetened on hold and went full steam ahead building Beyond Yoga — a brand that would eventually permanently change industry standards and expectations. These days, size inclusivity is a given for a new brand starting out, but this was just not the case 20 years ago when we started building Beyond Yoga. It’s really something that we pioneered, and I’m proud to be a big part of that movement.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Beyond Yoga}

The idea of creating a line of clothing that celebrates women of all shapes and sizes was very exciting to me. After meeting Jodi, I shared some of my ideas for the business and the product. From that point on, I spent the next 18.5 years building Beyond Yoga from an idea to a global brand, employing hundreds of people (directly and indirectly), driving over half a billion in revenue, and running a profitable business without taking on any additional funding.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while building Beyond Yoga, and how did you navigate them?
Early on while building Beyond Yoga, everything was a challenge! Getting into stores and securing trusted wholesale partners, learning the ins and outs of the business, teaching myself everything on the fly and building the team from the ground up. It was a lot of work, but it was so rewarding and a time in my career where I learned many valuable lessons and skills.

Some of the biggest challenges I faced included understanding fabric shrinkage and how to apply it to a pattern, figuring out the ERP, teaching myself merchandising and forecasting, hiring and firing, learning how to delegate — the list goes on and on.

It was a long journey, and in the early days, we were a very lean and green team. We did absolutely everything ourselves, and there was a lot of learning to be done. Things started shifting about five years into the business, which is also around the time of one of my most impactful hires: our COO/CFO. Having him on board helped give me more comfort around investing in our team and leveling up by bringing on more experienced professionals.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Beyond Yoga}

What was the experience of growing the company like over the years? What were some highlights?
Growing Beyond Yoga into the company it is today was no small feat, but it’s something I’m so incredibly proud of. Even though we began investing more aggressively over the years, we always ran the business for growth, investing every penny back into the business. Once we reached around $20 million, we thought it might be time to take on investors. After learning a few valuable lessons, we took ourselves off the market and decided to focus on profits and controlling our destiny.

A noteworthy milestone was when I discovered Space Dye, which became the backbone fabric of the company. It was a game changer — so soft, yet durable with the perfect stretch and recovery. It quickly became a fan favorite and is still a huge part of the Beyond Yoga collections today. I love that an exploratory fabric meeting in 2013 led to so much growth and became a pillar for the brand. My love of fabrics gave way to a style revolution that transformed the activewear landscape that still continues to be emulated today.

Another highlight during my career was becoming a mom, when I learned to balance work, love, family and friends. It was also where Beyond the Bump was born. Becoming a mom and seeing my friends and peers go through this transition helped inspire the creation of our Beyond the Bump line. After being so disappointed in the lack of comfortable clothes for women during and after pregnancy, the only way I was going to find options I liked was if I designed them myself, so I did. This ended up becoming one of our most successful brand extensions and a great way to introduce new customers to Beyond Yoga.

When and how did the Levi’s acquisition come about? Why was that a “full circle moment”?
When Levi’s reached out, we were not looking to sell at that point, and honestly, I don’t think we would have sold to anyone else. I was flattered! Levi’s is an iconic brand, and after learning about its values and principles over profits mentality, I was excited to explore this opportunity.

The more we looked into this, the more it felt like the right fit to ensure our company had a legacy that lasted beyond myself and the team. Negotiating a deal of this caliber and scale was something I’d never done before, so naturally, it was exciting. It was easily one of the biggest challenges of my career but also one of my greatest accomplishments. It was a unique experience, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn this side of the business.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Beyond Yoga}

Throughout the entire process, from starting my own business to negotiating the terms of one of the industry’s biggest female-led athleisure sales to date, I stayed true to myself, our shareholders and the company I poured my heart into over the years, which I wouldn’t trade for anything.

What’s your advice for others hoping to start successful side hustles or full-time businesses of their own?
My biggest piece of advice is to make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. Do it because you’re passionate, do it because you want to create and give it your all, do it because you think you’ve solved a problem that will benefit people, or because you’ve created a better version of something that already exists.

Once you’ve figured out what you’re going to do, get started. Don’t wait for the perfect moment — it won’t come! Sometimes, you just need to jump right in.

This Women Entrepreneur® article is part of our ongoing series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of running a business as a woman.