Thirty minutes north of Salt Lake City, in a small cul-de-sac in Kaysville, Christine Krogue is overseeing an army of neighborhood moms sorting wool laundry balls and assembling boxes. Her husband checks the numbers. They have a few hundred more boxes to assemble before the next shipment goes out.
The scene represents something Krogue never imagined when she started Smart Sheep in 2013. Today, the company employs hundreds of workers across two continents. In Nepal, Smart Sheep’s Amazon orders support three factories that employ approximately 300 people, mostly women who work while their children attend school. In Kaysville, neighborhood moms earn $25 per hour, more than three times the state’s $7.25 minimum wage, working completely flexible schedules.
“I really wanted to hire other moms or parents that want the same thing, want to be able to work their own hours,” Krogue said. “All of our employees work whatever hours they want. We don’t have a schedule.” The company pays $25 per hour across the board. “I wanted to pay them what I would want to make. I wanted to make it worth their time and I wanted them to feel valued.”
The employment story began in 2013 when Krogue discovered wool dryer balls from a businesswoman named Kalpana in Nepal. “I didn’t really know what they were or how they would be helpful,” Krogue recalled. “So I just bought a small amount for me to use myself.” After testing them in her own laundry, she contacted Kalpana about bringing them to American customers. She created Smart Sheep and listed the products in the Amazon store, where she herself liked to shop.
Smart Sheep’s dryer balls replace disposable dryer sheets and liquid fabric softener. Made from felted wool sourced from New Zealand and hand-crafted in Nepal, they soften laundry naturally without chemicals while reducing waste. The balls are reusable for over 1,000 loads.
When her first shipment checked into Amazon’s fulfillment centers, she was on vacation. “Within about 15 minutes I had sold like five units, which actually blew my mind out of the water.” She’d only bought 50 units total. At this rate, she’d sell out within days. “I immediately contacted Kalpana and said, ‘I need more, ASAP. They’re just selling like crazy.’”
As reviews accumulated and the holidays approached, Krogue faced a decision. “We ended up placing a really large order. We actually refinanced our house to fund it,” she said. “It was a leap of faith, but we were very confident that we were going to sell what we purchased and we did.” Within a year, Smart Sheep hit $1 million in revenue. Within five years, they reached $5 million. The modest side gig had become a thriving business, and Krogue’s husband quit his job to join her full time.
For a company in Kaysville, Amazon’s infrastructure solved what would have been impossible logistics challenges. “If we had to ship to 500 customers a day, that would be very costly for us,” Krogue explained. “Amazon does it for us at a very cheap price, and they spread it all across the country through their warehousing system, and then they ship it to customers within a day, something that we would never be able to do on our own.”
Amazon’s tools became essential to Smart Sheep’s expansion. A+ Content allows them to tell their brand story through customized modules, videos, and photos. “We love having this way of telling customers why we’re different, why they should buy from us, and who they’re supporting,” Krogue said. More recently, Smart Sheep began using Seller Assistant, Amazon’s AI tool that answers business questions instantly.
“Seller Assistant is like having a business expert at your fingertips. I can ask ‘How many units will I sell this week?’ Or get advice on product improvements, and it comes up with solid answers. It saves me time from researching and gives me the information I need right when I need it,” said Krogue.
Smart Sheep’s partnership with Kalpana has evolved into a deep friendship. Krogue has flown to Nepal twice and stayed in Kalpana’s home. “She is the ultimate mom,” she reflected. Kalpana, her husband, and two daughters have visited Utah and stayed with the Krogue family. “I visited Nepal a couple times. I love going there and meeting everyone that works for the company,” Krogue said. “They all are wonderful people and we’ve had parties with them. It’s awesome to know that these women can make a living wage and support their families through this business.”
Smart Sheep also gives back through product donations to school fundraisers and organizations, plus detergent donations to homeless centers and domestic violence shelters. “We donate detergent because it’s a very useful product for people that are on a low budget,” Krogue said.
Looking back, Krogue reflected on the unexpected journey. “When I hit a million dollars back in 2014, it was surreal. That was definitely not something I ever expected to happen.” Today, owning a business alongside her husband, raising six children, and supporting hundreds of workers across two continents represents something she never pictured. “It is definitely like a dream come true though. It’s been really great and we love it.”
“For a small business in a small town, there’s no way we could ever have achieved this kind of growth and revenue without Amazon,” Krogue said. “The tools and resources they provide have been instrumental to our success.”