The Client

Founded in 2009 in Provo, Utah, Minky Couture revolutionized the luxury blanket market with their signature plush, ultra-soft fabrics that quickly became a household favorite. What started as a small family business creating custom blankets has grown into a nationally recognized brand known for premium comfort products that blend quality craftsmanship with innovative designs. With a loyal customer base built on word-of-mouth recommendations and social media enthusiasm, Minky Couture has established itself as the go-to brand for those seeking the softest, most luxurious blankets on the market.

The Challenge

Despite their success in the retail comfort products market, Minky Couture recognized an untapped opportunity in the licensed merchandise space. Their customers were already passionate fans who cherished their Minky blankets—what if they could combine that same beloved softness with their favorite team logos? The potential was enormous, but the path forward proved more challenging than anticipated.

Minky initially attempted to navigate the licensing landscape on their own, dedicating internal resources to breaking into the collegiate market. However, they quickly discovered that sports licensing was far more complex than expected. The maze of IP management organizations, each with different application processes, approval timelines, and compliance requirements, consumed countless hours with little progress to show for it. After months of frustration dealing with institutional approvals, categorical clearances, retail channel authorizations, and product-level sign-offs across multiple platforms, Minky was ready to abandon licensing altogether.

The breaking point came when they realized their team was spending more time trying to understand licensing requirements than actually getting products to market. The opportunity cost was too high—every hour spent decoding licensing complexities was an hour not spent on their core business. Minky had nearly written off sports licensing as an impossible venture for a company their size.

The Solution

Just as Minky was ready to give up on licensing, Onbase approached them with a different vision: what if they could access the lucrative licensed merchandise market without the operational burden? Intrigued by the possibility of a second chance, Minky partnered with Onbase to completely reimagine their licensing approach.

Onbase delivered a comprehensive licensing strategy that included:

• Zero-to-Launch Licensing Development: Building Minky's entire licensing infrastructure from scratch, learning from their previous attempts to create a streamlined approach

• Rapid Portfolio Expansion: Systematically securing licenses across major conferences and IP management organizations, achieving in weeks what Minky couldn't accomplish in months on their own

• Multi-Platform Growth Strategy: Expanding beyond collegiate into professional sports and entertainment licensing opportunities to maximize brand reach

• Complete Compliance Management: Handling all royalty reporting, product approvals, and ongoing compliance requirements across CLC, Affinity, Fanatics, and other IP management organizations

• Strategic Market Positioning: Identifying Minky as the premium blanket option in sports merchandise, differentiating them from lower-quality competitors

This partnership enabled Minky Couture to finally enter the licensed products market with confidence, knowing that licensing experts were managing every detail while they focused on creating the high-quality products their customers expect.

The Results

In just six months with Onbase, Minky achieved what seemed impossible during their solo attempt:

• Explosive License Growth: From 0 to 75 collegiate licenses in six months—after nearly giving up on licensing entirely

• Multi-Sector Expansion: Successfully launching into collegiate sports with active expansion into professional sports and entertainment properties

• Streamlined Operations: Complete outsourcing of licensing management eliminated the burden that nearly derailed their licensing ambitions

• Market Differentiation: Positioned as the premium blanket choice for sports fans who refuse to compromise on quality

• Revenue Diversification: Opened an entirely new revenue stream that leverages Minky's existing manufacturing capabilities and brand reputation

• National Conference Coverage: Strategic presence across major conferences including SEC, Big 12, ACC, and Big Ten schools

• ROI on Partnership: The licensing revenue potential far exceeded the cost of outsourcing, validating their decision to try again with expert help

By partnering with Onbase, Minky Couture transformed from a company that nearly abandoned licensing to a licensed products powerhouse in record time. Their initial struggle attempting to manage licensing in-house makes their current success even more remarkable. The combination of Minky's unmatched product quality and Onbase's licensing expertise has created a new standard in the sports merchandise market—proving that fans don't have to sacrifice comfort for team pride, and that companies don't have to sacrifice their sanity for licensing success. As Minky continues to expand into professional and entertainment licensing, they're bringing their signature softness to fan experiences nationwide, grateful they gave licensing a second chance with the right partner.