In the ocean of entrepreneurship, finding your own path can often feel like you’re sailing against the wind. Mischa Couvrette, founder of a furniture and lighting company Hollis + Morrisknows it very well.
Mischa took an unconventional path to becoming a designer. He studied marine biology and environmental science at university before embarking on a sailing voyage that would forever change his career trajectory.
Mischa and some friends bought a sailboat, fixed it up and sailed from Toronto to Guatemala. “It was this big project that made the even bigger project of starting a business even easier,” he says.
Inspired by the building process, Mischa returned to Canada – and school – to learn design before launching his furniture and lighting brand. He says the key to taking off was following in the footsteps of other companies. “I really looked at some brands that I admired and thought, ‘Yeah, how can I make this happen?’ “, he said.
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Develop confidence in design
One of Mischa’s first big successes came from making a connection at a trade show, where he was offered a showcase at Klaus, a premier furniture showroom in Toronto. This gave him the confidence to continue perfecting his aesthetic, which embraces elements of nature. “I became more and more comfortable and felt like I had a really keen eye for what people liked,” he says.
![Three Hollis + Morris Constellation pendants hung near a Swell bed.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/Constellation_Pendant_and_Swell_Day_Bed.jpg?v=1708452685)
Mischa realized, however, that selling furniture in physical stores had its limits. Hollis + Morris often competed with more established furniture brands, and store sales representatives were unfamiliar with its brand.
That’s when Mischa decided to start selling directly to interior designers and other industry professionals. He flew to New York and San Francisco to pitch architecture and interior design firms. Mischa says that in the beginning, companies appreciated that he took the time, as a designer, to show his work, instead of speaking to salespeople.
Rethinking the B2B model
The majority of Hollis + Morris’ revenue comes from B2B sales. The brand works with companies that have large enterprise clients like Equinox, Netflix and Google.
In doing so, Mischa broke with the traditional business model by offering price transparency. In retail and B2B sales, furniture prices were often hidden. “We just decided at one point, ‘You know what? We’ll go alone. We will put our prices online,’” says Mischa, motivated by his experience entering the field as an outsider. In the years since, Mischa has seen other brands follow suit, especially as the industry undergoes a transformation.
![Hollis + Morris fixtures above the exercise machines at the Equinox gym in Greenwich Village](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/Equinnox_GReenwichAve_Benn.jpg?v=1708452756)
Commit to sustainability
One of the themes throughout Mischa’s career has been his concern for environmental impact. It’s what first drew him to science and now determines how Hollis + Morris operates and evolves. Products are made locally in Toronto using locally sourced materials. Mischa is wary of greenwashing, but he says the company does what it can, even in terms of product design. “The goal is for the product to last longer than any of us,” says Mischa.
To hear more about Mischa’s journey from renovating a sailboat to launching a furniture and lighting business, listen to full interview on Shopify Masters.