106. Softies President Tim Murphy

It took nearly a decade for Tim Murphy and his father Dennis to build Softies into a modestly profitable women’s loungewear brand, and just one mention by Oprah to catapult it into a whole new stratosphere. A career manufacturer’s rep specializing in women’s apparel, Dennis Murphy decided to start his own company in 2006. Inspired by his wife Peggy who was battling leukemia, Dennis Murphy created a line of super soft, moisture wicking sleepwear. His son Tim Murphy joined the business, based out of their Edina garage, in 2008 and together, they built a decent following. "It was enough to live on, but we were at the point where it was stagnant," Tim Murphy says. Six years ago, at a Dallas trade show, the Softies Snuggle Lounger caught the eye of Oprah’s longtime creative director Adam Glassman. Softies debuted on Oprah’s Favorite Things list is 2017 and has managed to stay on the list every year since. How does a small company prepare for an Oprah-sized spotlight and not buckle under the pressure? Tim Murphy, who has served as president since his father retired, talks about how Softies has leveraged the attention to keep growing—from hiring a CEO to expanding the product assortment. He shares advice on leadership, perseverance, and product development. "You have to make a quality product, you have to sell a product you believe in. If you don’t believe what you’re selling, no one else is going to believe you.” Following our conversation with Murphy, we go Back to the Classroom with the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business. Marketing professor Mike Porter points out that Softies didn’t just get lucky in making the Oprah list; the company positioned itself to get recognized and was ready to make the most of the opportunity. “That’s just good business,” Porter says.