When Comfort Goes Viral: Bette Bentley, The Founder Behind Skimpies and Its TikTok Takeover

Skimpies founder Bette Bentley is rewriting the rules of both underwear and entrepreneurship with a product that literally sticks where traditional solutions fall short. As the inventor of the first-ever underwear alternative that adheres directly to leggings, pants, or shapewear, she’s built a viral, category-defining brand by solving a very real comfort and health problem for women who live in athleisure and refuse to choose between breathable cotton and a seamless look.

Since launching Skimpies in September 2024, Bette has turned a scrappy idea into a TikTok Shop sensation, becoming a #1 seller in her category and a top performer across the platform without relying on paid media, instead leaning on consistency, humor, and a deeply human connection with her “Skimpies Sisters.” She still goes live herself several times a week, treating each stream like brunch with girlfriends as she chats in real time, tests product messaging on the fly, and sells out inventory in front of thousands of viewers who come for both the liners and the laughter.

We had the honor of chatting with Bette, and she broke down the organic growth strategy behind those viral lives, the realities of being both CEO and top salesperson, and what live selling has taught her that no traditional marketing playbook ever could.​

Additionally, she also shares what it took to bring a first-of-its-kind product to market in an industry slow to innovate, from facing early manufacturer rejection to trusting her instincts as a female founder in a largely male-dominated investor landscape. Fresh off securing a deal on Entrepreneur’s Elevator Pitch, she talks candidly about choosing the right investors, protecting unconventional ideas, and building a community-driven brand grounded in faith, service, and radical authenticity. For ambitious women juggling careers, families, and perhaps their own big, “weird” ideas, Bette’s story offers a rare blend of practical playbook and soul-level encouragement on turning a problem only you can see into a category the world can’t ignore.

Check out our interview with Bette Bentley below.

Bette Bentley, founder of Skimpies

What was the “aha moment” that led you to create an underwear alternative that sticks directly into clothing? Was there a specific frustration or experience that sparked this idea?

Bette Bentley: I was a mom with 2 toddlers during Covid, and I was in leggings all day every day. I started getting UTIs. This was never a problem for me before, and I realized we all need breathable organic cotton undies in our leggings. We should not be going commando in them. But period products don’t work as underwear. They don’t stick to pants, they’re not breathable, and they don’t feel luxe and sexy. I know because I tried wearing a panty liner in my leggings and on mile 2 of my jog it balled up and went up my tushy. So, I decided to invent the world’s first undie made like a liner. Basically, the strapless bra of underwear.

Skimpies is truly a first-of-its-kind product. What were the biggest challenges you faced in developing a product that had no existing blueprint or competitor to learn from?

Bette Bentley: Oh boy! Launching a first-of-its-kind product is not for the faint of heart. Everyone wants to slap their name on a soda, a lotion, a perfume, because people already understand those products; they know what they are. I decided early on to release the need for perfectionism, to just go out and try to learn how to market the product in real time! If you have a first-of-its-kind product, one of the hardest things is learning to balance fun social videos with informational and educational content. For me, Live-Selling became the heartbeat of Skimpies because I can do both in real time.

How did you navigate the product development process, from initial concept to a market-ready product, especially as a female founder in an intimate apparel space?

Bette Bentley: Initially, no one wanted to take a chance on Skimpies. We are the first undie made like a liner, so we are both a new type of underwear and a femme hygiene product. People do not want to innovate in femme hy. They are used to doing things the way they have been done for 50 years. We are the first cotton strip made to be underwear and not made to absorb.

Yes, cotton is naturally absorbent, but we do not have a center layer for absorption purposes. I say all this because when I was developing, no femme hy manufacturer wanted to take on the design. It wasn’t until I had a working prototype that I could convince someone to help me make Skimpies. I had to keep going, dig deep, and keep my mouth shut.

Yes, some of my biggest advice is to not talk about your product development with people in your life. If you’re seeking approval, it can kill a great idea! Get all your power from within! And when people tell you no, use it as fuel for your fire.

You became a #1 seller in your category and top 5 across all TikTok Shop in just months, largely without paid media. Can you walk us through your organic growth strategy and what made it so effective?

Bette Bentley: I love people. I’m a girls’ girl. I realized early on that TikTok was the perfect place to talk directly to the Skimpies Sisters. We had our first video go viral and get 6 million views after being on TikTok for about a month. I woke up and our lifetime sales had doubled. My grandpa used to always say, “go where the fish are biting” and the fish were biting on TikTok.

So, I went all in, I decided I would live sell every day for 6 months. At first, it was really challenging. No one would watch; I would get heckled, but after 3-4 live shows, we started getting traction. After a few months, we were “that brand,” aka the “success story,” and I was going to huge corporations teaching them how to live sell on TikTok.

I intentionally waited until we had about a year’s worth of organically viral media to do any ads. It felt right to do the hard work and build our community the real way. We are a community-driven brand, which means we can go anywhere! That’s why you’ll see us on major shelves soon!

You still go live on TikTok yourself several times a week. How do you balance being the founder, the face of the brand, and essentially the top salesperson? What does a typical “live” day look like for you?

Bette Bentley: The balance of live-selling and being the CEO of Skimpies is hard. The first thing I had to do was prioritize just going live and let go of sales, perfectionism, or strategy. Strategy is for the boardroom. Our lives are about community, friendship, and girly-laughing-fun. That feeling of getting brunch with your girlfriends is what you get from a Skimpies live!

A typical live is 1.5 hours – I go on, we chat, and I try on clothes with Skimpies. Of course, there are flash sales, special gifts, and games, too. But a lot of times it’s just me in my kitchen. I remember doing a live the day my husband was fired from his job. I was working full-time on Skimpies. I had just started taking a very modest salary, and I was terrified. I wasn’t my normal bubbly self. I could’ve put on a front, pretended everything was great, but I decided to tell our Skimpies Sisters what was going on. It was one of our best sales days ever.

What have you learned about selling directly to customers in real-time that traditional marketing could never teach you? How has this shaped your product and brand messaging?

Bette Bentley: Selling directly to your customers teaches you that your authentic self will always outperform any kind of act. Who you truly are is your brand voice. For us, that’s the girly, joyful, quirky energy of your best friend telling you, “Your butt looks so good!” For others, it may be serious, sexy, or know-it-all. But be true to yourself. People are sick of the act.

Many entrepreneurs struggle with consistency on social media. How do you maintain the energy, humor, and authenticity that clearly resonates with your audience, especially when you’re also running every other aspect of the business?

Bette Bentley: This may sound cheesy, but I lean on God. He is my shield, my protector, my energy source. I find ways to connect with that Divine energy through prayer, through playing with my kids, snuggling my dog, and looking at the trees. But we are all a part of something bigger. And when I connect with God, I remember – I do Skimpies because I am in service. Every ad, every video, every live needs to be in service to the Skimpies Sister. Then I am doing my job. That keeps me going.

Your approach is built on humor and connection rather than polished advertising. Why do you think this authenticity resonates so powerfully with your target audience, particularly in the intimate apparel space?

Bette Bentley: Underwear is cheeky!! We are so used to men designing undies, slapping them on women, and marketing them to us in such a serious way. I think we were all ready for innovation here – Skimpies is the strapless bra of underwear.

Yes, you’re going to look sexy in your clothes, and you’re also not going to get UTIs from a gnarly-lacey thong! These are things we can talk about! I think when you are a forward-facing founder, it can immediately make your customer more at ease. If she’s wearing, talking, doing the thing, so can I…I can talk about commando disasters – this is normal girl stuff. We just needed undies to catch up with what we needed!

What have been some of the most memorable or surprising interactions you’ve had with customers during your live sessions? How have these conversations influenced your business decisions?

Bette Bentley: It’s not uncommon for Skimpies Sisters to come into lives to celebrate or even to ask for a prayer. We had a Skimpies Sister come on to grieve her miscarriage. I sent her a large white bouquet of Lilies and roses and some door-dashed treats.

She later wrote us an email about how much she needed that hug. I was blessed to be able to be there for her in a small way.

For our audience of ambitious professional women juggling multiple responsibilities, what advice would you give about building genuine connections with their customers or clients while managing everything else?

Bette Bentley: This is a great question. I care so much, I’ve had to remind myself that I don’t always have to think about work. It’s important to treat your mind like a dresser. There are many drawers: your spiritual life, your family, your health, your work, and so on. When I find myself opening the work drawer (always) at 11 pm, I visualize putting those thoughts back in and closing the drawer. I can take them out tomorrow.

Congratulations on securing a deal on Entrepreneur’s Elevator Pitch! Can you tell us about that experience? How did you distill your entire business story into such a short pitch, and what was going through your mind in that moment?

Bette Bentley: Thank you!!! I told myself, I am more interested in the IG promo video than the deal, to be honest, so I wanted my pitch to be something America would love even more than the investors. I wanted to make the promo! I treated the camera just like it was my best friend and told her all about the product.

What made you decide to pursue investor funding at this stage of your business, especially when you were already experiencing significant success through organic growth?

Bette Bentley: Investors bring so much to the table. For example, we have an investor who was a founding investor for Alo, we have incredible doctors and health professionals on the cap table, we have an investor on the board of YPO, and we have another involved with SpaceEx. When you can build a cap table full of advisors who add value to your business, it’s such a win.

You launched in September 2024 and achieved remarkable success in just a few months. What were the biggest obstacles or moments of doubt during those early months, and how did you push through them?

Bette Bentley: Physically getting our product through the LA port and into our warehouse was very stressful.

Honestly, I prayed a lot and didn’t sleep. But I leaned on my husband to help me emotionally. It’s really hard when $100,000 of your business is floating in the ocean. It’s hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t been there. You have to trust. It was my first time really putting the business into God’s hands.

As a female entrepreneur who built a business around solving a problem specific to women’s experiences, what unique challenges and advantages have you encountered in a still largely male-dominated investor and business environment?

Bette Bentley: I have different ways I talk about the product to different people, but I will say this, I can tell if someone is a seasoned investor by their response to Skimpies. If you feel like you can’t invest because you don’t “understand the product” because you’re not a woman, you are not the right investor for us.

One of our lead investors mostly invests in Space Tech, but we met, and he was impressed by me, our social traction, and our online presence. He didn’t really even care to see a prototype. Most investors are looking to invest in a founder who believes in their product.

After all, we are launching a brand – when you think of Organic Cotton, I want you to think of Skimpies. In undies, in femme hy, and beyond. Most investors know the MVP is just the beginning. So, it can be challenging to say no to investors, but I highly advise you to do so. I’ve said no to both male and female investors. The vibe has to be right!

For the ambitious women in our community who are balancing career growth, personal well-being, and possibly building their own ventures—what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about taking an unconventional idea from concept to category leader in record time?

Bette Bentley: Find time to be in the moment; with your kids, in prayer, in your garden, whatever it is. Not something that still serves the business like getting a haircut (we all know you’re going to shoot a social vid with your great hair the moment it’s over), something truly tactile and screen-free.

Lastly, is there a specific mantra, quote, or affirmation that you hold close to your heart?

Bette Bentley: “Put on your best lipstick and let them have it!” -RuPaul