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Sheree from Sheet's Down Under...

02 December 2016

(business, entrepreneur, mental strength )




You wake up, paralysed on the left-hand side of your body. Initially thinking that this might be a stroke, it takes weeks of rigours medical examinations you reveal the hollowing news that you now have Multiple sclerosis (MS). For Sheree Broadhurst, the founder of Sheets Down Under, it was this very reality that enabled her to find her true calling. 

Facing a life-changing disease, the extremely motivated Mother, successful sales representative and all round go-getter was extremely determined to adapt to the new challenges in her life. After her diagnoses, Sheree bravely forged on with her career, but quickly realised that work wasn't the best option for her long-term health. In her words, “I was on track to end up in a wheelchair much quicker if I kept working” 

With new found time on her hands and a multitude of new challenges in her day to day life, Sheree identified an occurring problem and set out to solve it. 

This realisation is without a doubt the key fundamental to a successful business; it solves a problem. 

For Sheree, something as simple as making her bed became a challenge, and that’s how Sheet’s Down Under was born. Sheree knew that there had to be an easier way to make a bed. In secrecy from her family, Sheree began to sew prototype after prototype of her vision for a more dynamic bed sheet. After a lengthy period creating and designing her sheets, completely unbeknown to her family, Sheree mustered up the courage to put her project to the test.

Sheree trialled her new sheets on her own bed, in which she shares with her husband, as well as her son’s bed for good measure. They had no idea, mainly because Sheree makes the beds every day anyway. After three or four days, the results were staggering. Both beds looked pristine without being touched in days, and for Sheree, the process of making these beds was incredibly easy, compared to using a conventional set of sheets.




You see, the key to Sheree's product is in the design.You can make the bed without having to lift your heavy mattress, and the sheets themselves fit like a glove around the bed forming a vice-like grip. The overall process is physically easier, and Sheree's sheet's stay on for much longer than your traditional set. (This is not a paid promotion, it’s just genuinely what her product does)

Once Sheree broke the news to her immediate family and friends of her vision, the response was incredible. Sheree deliberately created and tested the product in secrecy to avoid the sympathetic bias that her family might provide when giving Sheree an opinion. Sheree wanted the design to be flawless, and after a year of trial and error she had achieved exactly that. 

Her belief in the product, along her with families support has been phenomenal. Along the way Sheree has sold her family home, her husbands beloved weekend drive and a whole list of valuables, all in sacrifice to her vision for Sheets Down Under. After eight years in operation, and eight years from Sheree’s original diagnosis of MS, Sheets Down Under is finally forecasted to make a profit in 2017.

Earlier this year in October, Sheree put a simple video online of herself making her own bed, showcasing her dynamic design. No gimmicks, no stupid jingles and she even avoided using a bikini-clad girl jumping on the bed like these new start-up mattress companies that plague my newsfeed. It was Sheree, making her bed, filmed on her phone. The video received over 35,000 views, along with countless comments from people interested in buying her fantastic idea, Australia wide.

Sheree stressed to me that the product isn't just for people suffering from a debilitating condition, it's for anyone who wants convenience, for the elderly, or the person who makes countless beds daily, in a motel or maybe even a hospital. 

You can follow Sheree’s incredible journey here on Facebook. She's a fantastic person who has the vision to make people's life easier, it’s simple as that.





My question to you now is - how could you make something work easier in this world?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Sheree's Journey, feel free to leave a comment below on Facebook.

Daniel Kovac - Still the guy who does everything at PipeVine

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