Nell Diamond on Building Hill House Home, the $150M Brand Behind the Nap Dress

2025-10-02

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After turning a simple idea into a cultural phenomenon, Nell Diamond has built Hill House Home into a $150M+ fashion and lifestyle brand beloved for its viral Nap Dress™ and fiercely loyal community.In this conversation, Nell shares how a slow-burning idea became her company, how she scaled from a direct-to-consumer bedding startup to a multi-category brand, and the intentional choices that shaped Hill House’s signature blend of comfort and elegance. She opens up about early fundraising rejections, building community without trying to “manufacture” it, and why she treats ...

In this conversation, Nell shares how a slow-burning idea became her company, how she scaled from a direct-to-consumer bedding startup to a multi-category brand, and the intentional choices that shaped Hill House’s signature blend of comfort and elegance. She opens up about early fundraising rejections, building community without trying to “manufacture” it, and why she treats influencers like artists, not metrics.

From the behind-the-scenes reality of launching a hit product to navigating wholesale, collaborations, and retail expansion, Nell reveals the creative and business principles that keep Hill House distinctly itself. She also gets candid about motherhood, leadership, and the art of blocking out the noise so you can build the brand only you can create.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[05:59] The idea that led to Hill House Home

[09:43] Building community and treating influencers like artists

[12:41] Lessons learned from early fundraising challenges

[16:33] How collaborations stay authentic to the brand

[19:58] Expanding into wholesale and physical retail

[27:09] Balancing personal presence on social media with boundaries

[30:04] Hiring for different stages of company growth

[33:51] Navigating motherhood while running a company

[37:02] Advice on blocking out noise and staying focused on your vision

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