Early Career and Discovery

I was a chef from 17 to 27 (circa 1996-2006). When I was 22 (around 2001), I took a break to work in my father’s furniture store for a few months. That’s when I first noticed problems in the mattress section. One day my father said, mattresses are like sausages son, nobody knows whats in them. I remember thinking “I’m sure somebody knows”.

Starting the Business

One day, a friend came to me and said he had 17 brand new mattresses from a closing factory. I sold them from my living room on gumtree. After scrapping around on gumtree and ebay for years I founded Ausbeds, choosing the name because I wanted something people would trust. I believed selling mattresses required integrity. I felt the name “Ausbeds” had integrity.

Learning and Struggles

I struggled for years, but I observed and listened to customers’ issues. I frequently read themattressunderground.com the only source of truth in the industry. In 2014, I started selling mattresses by body weight (really badly). Returns bacame a very big problem – between 10-15%. I never said no to returns because I wanted to do right by people, but it was draining the business’s cash. Something had to change. I wasn’t ready to change this yet, but I would revisit this later.

The Turning Point

In 2017, I cut open a mattress and called the factory to ask about a certain layer. I couldn’t understand why they glued a layer to the top of the pocket springs. They couldn’t explain why it was there, they did it “because everyone else does” it turns out in this industry, most mattress companies don’t know why they do things, but they just do these things “because everyone else does”. . That’s when I had a painful realization: I needed to make my own mattresses and do whats right, not what everyone else does. I sold my house, bought machinery, started making my own, and began importing latex based on my research. I was now, and am still “all in”.

Continuous Improvement

A year into making mattresses, I learned big lessons about springs. I could write a 10 pages about that alone. Long story short, trust me, springs are the most important and most difficult thing to get right. Few in the world today, get it right.

Here is the exact page I found that provided the most accurate information I could find on the whole internet. It’s quite possible had I not found this one page, I wouldn’t have created the solution I have today. https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/spring-mattress-buying-guide/11554 This page discusses the elastic bed principal which most manufacturers fail to grasp.

That’s always going to be your problem

Geoff, who helps tune the sewing machines, a friend and a 40-year mattress industry veteran, popped by one day. There was a pile of 15 returned mattresses right there. I said, “Geoff, did this happen to you guys at Resteasy bedding factory? Did you get lots of returns?” “Yep,” he said. “That’s always going to be your problem.” I remember in that moment I had a strong voice in my head saying, “No, it’s not”.

His words really drove me to solve the returns problem. That put me on the path to making every part of the mattress replaceable, and highly adjustable.

“Mise en Place”

My experience with Geoff made me reflect on applying professional kitchen principles to the mattress industry. Instead of focusing on returned mattresses, I realized I needed to prevent returns altogether by being better prepared.

In culinary, we use “mise en place” – everything in its place. This preparation is crucial for efficient, excellent meals. Customers get upset waiting more than 30 minutes for food, but sleep issues cause even more distress.

I applied this concept to Ausbeds. My “mise en place” became different springs, foams, and comfort layers to address various sleep issues. I aimed to be ready to modify any mattress component quickly.

Mattress companies often avoid addressing issues because fixing mattress problems is challenging. However, with proper “mise en place” – having everything prepared and ready – solving these problems becomes much easier.

The correct spring tension proved crucial for comfort. After years of work, I can now change springs in customers’ homes – the final step in achieving mattress “mise en place”.

Ausbeds Today

We feel we are helping people, and we enjoy the process of helping each person using the Ausbeds system. Many people appreciate being able to change these components. Many people tell us that we changed their lives for the better. It’s this attention to detail with the springs and foam and fitting and adjusting that changes lives.

It may sound like a big statement that we are changing lives. But when you have trouble sleeping, and someone can figure out why, and they solve it, your life changes. I wouldn’t say I’m interested in sleep, I would say I’m interested in changing as many people’s lives for the better as I can.

What drives Ausbeds as of 2024, is my idea that anybody in Australia should be able to have access to the Ausbeds system. It might take me another 10 years, but if everyone in Australia can have access to the Ausbeds system, I reckon I’ll be able to change a few more people’s lives. Also, when I used to get home from the kitchen I smelled terrible, I don’t have that issue at Ausbeds. So I’d rather do the mattress thing than the kitchen thing. I don’t know anything else.