I left my Fortune 100 HR career to launch a pumpkin display business. Here's how my cofounder and I scaled it.

Jen Carmichael and Rebecca Paxton, the cofounders of My Front Porch, a Dallas-based pumpkin-display business, left their corporate careers to launch the venture in 2025. The company quickly grew, achieving over $120,000 in sales by leveraging social media. In an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Rebecca Paxton, the cofounder and managing partner, the pair share how they scaled their business.

The idea for My Front Porch came about in 2022 when Carmichael saw a neighbor's pumpkin display and inquired about it. The neighbor's daughter had ordered it from a local business, but when Carmichael visited the website, the display was already sold out for the year. Intrigued, Carmichael shared her idea with her cofounder, Jen Carmichael, and the joke quickly turned into a serious plan.

In late 2024, both women left their corporate jobs to pursue the business full-time. Carmichael needed flexibility to spend time with her family, while Carmichael wanted to be a career woman. They set up their LLC, operating agreement, and bank account, and began working on their supply chain logistics, including sourcing pumpkins, delivery, and customer communication.

One key factor in their success was their corporate backgrounds, which provided them with high standards, strong problem-solving skills, and a recruiting background. This helped them quickly adapt to the logistics of the business. They each invested $25,000 into the business, purchasing pumpkins wholesale and renting a climate-controlled storage space.

Initially, they aimed to sell a specific number of displays, but the demand throughout the fall season was so high that they decided to over-order to meet customer needs. Despite the physical demands of the work, the pair worked long hours, often installing displays for 50 to 60 homes in their first week. Social media played a crucial role in connecting with customers, as they shared their mission to bring joy across Dallas on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest.