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How does a successful startup take flight? In the case of Yogabed, it took a new idea, a leap of faith, endless hard work and a fanatical commitment to delighting their customers.
Back in 2014 Chris Marsh and Tim Oakhill—both with extensive experience in the traditional mattress world—decided to do something very non-traditional. They pooled their considerable expertise and, sensing an opportunity in the public’s changing buying habits, created a mattress company that sold its wares not in big, expensive stores but directly to its customers.
It wasn’t just the sales channel that was different. The product itself was innovative: A combination of technically advanced materials (including proprietary YogaGel™ and Yoga Instant Response Foam™) resulting in a mattress that is supremely comfortable as well as affordable.
Like Yogabed’s namesake product and novel delivery approach (the mattress comes compressed in a custom-fit recyclable box), the Yogabed company doesn’t adhere to conventional practices. “In the industry today, customer service is focused on problems and returns,” says co-founder Oakhill. “Our customer service is focused on building relationships.”
“It’s not about doing what the industry has always done but doing what’s relevant to the consumer,” Oakhill says. “The consumer has changed and we’re following them like a laser.”
Having worked for some of the most respected and best-run firms in the bedding sector, Marsh and Oakhill incorporated what they learned into their young company’s culture. “We hired a variety of people with deep experience, some from the bedding industry and some not,” Oakhill says. “What each person does have is passion and smarts.”
Chris Marsh adds, “We want everyone to have a voice and believe that no one has the market cornered on brains.”
Concludes Oakhill: “Treat people right, create an environment without fear and you’ll have a team motivated to win.”
Based on the number of happy customers and glowing reviews, it appears the Yogabed team is indeed winning.
