By Angela Lei,Contributor

Copyright forbes

Bree Breakstone, founder/CEO and brand partnership director of Miami Sample, started her now 8-figure business in her apartment
Courtesy of Bree Breakstone

When Bree Breakstone moved to Miami in 2019 for a relationship, she found herself flying back to her hometown almost every weekend. A born and bred New Yorker, she felt Miami was lacking the one thing she was absolutely obsessed with — sample sale. “I would choose to go to sample sales everyday instead of Chipotle,” Breakstone tells me with a laugh, but I know she’s serious.

On one return flight, a lightbulb moment hit her with startling clarity: “How were there no sample sales in Miami? A city that is OBSESSED with brands.” Working at BBDO New York — a full service, creative agency — Breakstone spent her days crafting campaigns for a brand that was immensely successful, but she didn’t necessarily love, which led to a revelation that would define her entrepreneurial journey. “If you have a good idea, all you need behind it is great marketing,” she reflects.

Armed with this insight, Breakstone took action straight away. That same flight saw her draft her first business plan, coin the name Miami Sample, and register the domain.

Miami Sample’s physical store was quickly shut down following the onset of COVID
Courtesy of Bree Breakstone

The initial hustle was relentless. Breakstone spent the following weeks pulling all-nighters and email-pitching sample sales in Miami to every brand contact she could find on LinkedIn, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Brands were eager for Miami market exposure, and Miami Sample opened as the city’s first brick-and-mortar sample sale store on March 1, 2020.

With her past experience, Breakstone knew a community-centric marketing strategy would be the way to go. And her approach to announcing the launch was an instant hit — Miami Sample’s first sale featuring APL Sneakers and S’well bottles drew a 3-hour line of eager customers. But the excitement was short-lived. Two weeks later, COVID hit and the store had to shut down. While others might panic at the sight of crisis, Breakstone saw opportunity.

“I realized that a lot of the brands’ purchase orders were being canceled from major retailers, and they were now stuck with stock they expected to move,” she explains. Her pivot was immediate and historic: Miami Sample became one of the first sample sale companies to fully operate online.

Bree Breakstone says she never goes anywhere without merch. Pictured: A fisherman wearing Miami Sample merch cap, in Nassau
Courtesy of Bree Breakstone

What followed tested every entrepreneurial muscle. With brands running on skeleton staffs and no one working in-person, drop shipping wasn’t viable. Instead, pallets would arrive at Breakstone’s apartment and her parents’ house. Orders of 15,000 units flooded her living space. “You couldn’t see the floor in my apartment for over a year,” she recalls. “The brands didn’t know that I was a one woman show, because our order volume was just through the roof.”

Her routine became a testament to hustle culture: days spent on marketing and brand partnerships, nights dedicated to hand-packing and shipping orders. All-nighters became normal and to date, nothing seems to have changed: Breakstone still pulls 12-hour days with “zero days off a year.”

“In fact, I launched an Emi Jay sale literally while I was in labor, posting IG stories from the hospital bed,” says Breakstone, before continuing: “That turned out to be one of our most successful sales of all time.”

Bree Breakstone posting about Miami Sample’s sale with Emi Jay whilst in hospital bed for labor
Courtesy of Bree Breakstone

The hardwork paid off, and the concept exploded nationwide as fans for the brand grew rapidly on its social channels. Miami Sample today operates with the precision of a well-oiled machine, partnering with over 300 brands while maintaining Breakstone’s high standards. Despite being the founder/CEO of Miami Sample, Breakstone likes to call herself the “brand partnership director”, a title that has been in her email signature since day 1. “I am insanely picky about the brands we work with,” she emphasizes, positioning herself as both the curator and the biggest customer. “I am always wearing Miami Sample from head to toe, 99% of the time.”

Her approach to brand partnerships reflects first-hand experience and knowledge about the driving factors in the industry. “The success of a sale usually comes down to three factors: inventory, discounts, and size runs. When those align, it’s a perfect storm,” Breakstone goes on to cite a recent swim and ready-to-wear sale that moved 20,000 units in the first hour, generating over $1.5 million in revenue with discounts exceeding 85%.

The growth strategy centers on authenticity and community building. More than 50% of brand partnerships now come inbound, driven by what Breakstone calls “brand credibility.” Her social media approach, learned from agency life, treats Instagram as a “loyalty engine” rather than just an announcement channel, rewarding customers with giveaways for every sale. The platform’s VICE membership program, at $20 monthly, offers exclusive access and reflects Miami Sample’s cult following, all with a 75% returning customer rate.

Miami Sample has come a long way since its first sale featuring APL sneakers
Courtesy of Miami Sample

Miami Sample is projecting an 8-digit sales figure for 2025 — and according to Breakstone, this would not have been the first year they have fit this number. Perhaps most remarkably, the business remains entirely bootstrapped.

“The integrity of Miami Sample is paramount to me, and by owning 100% of the business, I’m able to make decisions that put our customers first,” Breakstone states. This independence allows her to maintain the platform’s core mission: making discounted brand goods accessible to everyone, including “the girls in Arkansas who would never have access to a sample sale.”

Looking ahead, Breakstone has big plans for her fast-growing company. The team is currently working on a rebrand that aims to make Miami Sample “timeless” while honoring its Miami roots. The vision extends globally — Breakstone hints on plans for an app, expanded international shipping, and potential retail partnerships. But the fundamental philosophy remains unchanged, grounded in a simple truth Feibischoff discovered years ago: “Everyone loves a deal, no matter who you are.”

Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions