A true entrepreneur and marketer at heart with a passion for anything she can market, from products to services, Jami Furniss is the founder of Moxie Agency, an SEO marketing agency, and Moxie Weighted Blankets.

Even after being a celebrated entrepreneur, first and foremost, Jami considers herself a mom. She says, “I am without a doubt “that mom” who is decked out in head-to-toe team gear and cheering at every hurdle my daughter jumps and every homerun my son hits.” Being her kid’s cheerleader for everything they do is one of Jami’s favorite things. As a businesswoman, she tries to be the one in the room that has something to offer or a way to help.

First Step- Utah to New York

Jami had always wanted to work in marketing. She recalls seeing the Niners play the Broncos in the Super Bowl in 1990. She didn’t want to be in ads as she saw them; she wanted to make them. She desired that her creative work be seen by millions of people. That was the beginning of her journey.

As a child, Jami was playing office while her pals were playing barbies. She’d set up what she thought was the “boss’s office.” She says, “I would pretend to pitch companies like Doritos and Coke and make up the perfect commercial for them.” She also knew she wanted to be a business owner and started  by selling candy bars for from her locker for .10 less than the vending machines.

To kick off her career, Jami packed two bags and travelled from Utah to New York when she was 18 years old. She figured it was the best spot to begin her advertising  career. To say she was culture-shocked would be an understatement, but she was lucky enough to meet some of the most incredible individuals she has ever met.

Jami began working out at a dance/fitness/karate studio shortly after arriving in New York. She recalls, “I was in a kickboxing class when a man told me that I needed to start training with him in Goju karate. I thought he was nuts, but I went to the first class, and I was hooked.“ She trained extensively and earned her black belt under his training and leadership, but he taught her so much more than how to kick and punch. She says, “He taught me confidence. That was everything I didn’t know I needed. His family took me in as their own, and being in New York alone, I surely needed it! We are still close to this day.“

Jami’s journey from working for a few marketing agencies and becoming the VP of Sales and Marketing for the largest jerky manufacturer in the US brings her to 2016 and the start of her own company, The Moxie Agency. She says, “We were a full-service agency for the first 3 years and then decided to be more targeted and focus on SEO. We still offer some clients full service, but our main focus is  SEO.“

The Inception Story of Moxie Blankets

In 2019, Jami was wide awake due to her son having another night terror. She knew she needed to find a solution to help. She shares, “I did extensive research trying to find what I felt would be the best. I came across weighted blankets and loved the concept. I went out and bought a few but didn’t like them for one reason or another and knew I could do better. So, I got to work engineering what I felt was the perfect weighted blanket. I quickly found a manufacturer and had them create a prototype blanket. The first night I brought it home, I told my son a story of how it was trained to protect him from nightmares and creatures of the night. That night was amazing! He slept through the night! That’s when the Monster Protection Academy was born!“ Jami understood the importance of weighted blankets and was compelled to help others. She had her business up and operating in less than 60 days. She had the website finished, the items in stock, the packaging designed, and everything else ready to go. Jami was on a mission, and nothing, not even COVID-19, was going to be able to stop her.

Prioritizing Comfort through Innovation

Moxie Weighted Blankets are handcrafted in the United States from start to finish, which is unusual in the weighted blanket market. They’re also machine washable and created with certified top grade Minky non-shedding fabrics, weighted with silica-free glass microbeads, uniformly quilted so the glass beads are in  5×5 squares  over the entire blanket.

Moxie Blankets has 3 lines, with a special line that was created specifically for children with nightmares and bedtime anxiety called The Monster Protection Academy. This bundle comes with a certified weighted blanket, a certificate, and a story book of how the MPA Blanket has helped another child with nightmares. The certificate states that this blanket has completed training and is ready to protect the child from nightmares and creatures in the dark.

A Renowned Professional

Jami works as a marketer, designer, janitor, fulfillment manager, and a variety of other jobs within her company. She’ll take care of whatever has to be done. She does, however, have a fantastic support system. She has received Utah Business Magazine’s 30 Women to Watch Award and the Best of State Innovation Award. She says, “I’d kept a close eye on them for years and knew that one day I wanted to be the recipient of each of them.”

Defining Success

Jami used to believe that success meant having fancy titles and accolades in addition to a lot of money, but as she’s gotten older, her definition of success has shifted. She emphasizes that it is more important to her than a title or an award to be able to provide a nice life for her children, including attending all of their school and athletic activities and, of course, taking them to Disneyland.

She plans to increase Moxie Blankets to the point where the majority of people understand what a Moxie weighted Blanket is and how it may benefit them. She admits that the organization still has a lot of work to do in terms of mass education, but she and her team have laid a strong foundation and plan to keep growing year after year.

Website: www.moxieblankets.com