Moms’ Innovations are Shared Globally Thanks to Digital Tools
Like many great ideas, Beddy’s started with a mother’s problem-solving skills. Betsy Mikesell and Angie White worked with Betsy’s mother to create zippered bedding as a way to motivate their children to make their beds every morning, and then used digital tools to share their invention online and help other moms.
When starting the company, the founders raised over $100,000 on Kickstarter and used Facebook, Google, and Instagram ads to spread the word. YouTube videos are also a critical part of their marketing, as videos allow the founders to demonstrate how the bedding works and how to clean it.
Five years in, the company has grown thanks to affordable technology. Orders from the Utah-based company ship across the U.S. and to Australia, Canada, England, Mexico, and New Zealand. Betsy and Angie use Planoly to manage their multi-platform social media presence. Beddy’s orders are processed through the company’s Shopify website, returns are processed through Returnly, and customers can reach the team through Gorgias. Beddy’s also sells on Amazon – opening their products to millions more potential customers. The Beddy’s team has grown to 37 team members!
While Betsy and Angie are proud of their product and the business they created, they worry that new regulations could make the digital tools they use more expensive.
“In today’s digital world, we need to be able to communicate with our customers 24/7 at a low cost, especially when customers are in different time zones. We’re concerned that new regulations on large tech companies will lead to higher prices and will hurt our relationship with customers, making it harder for us to do business,” they said.
