When looking for a solution to an everyday problem, Betsy Mikesell came up with an ingenious idea for a product that would soon bring her from hairdresser to business woman. That product idea would later be known as Beddy’s.
Problem to Solution
Betsy’s idea for easy-to-make bedding was spurred by the inability to make her sons’ bunk beds, an almost impossible task. Thinking she may find help online, she made a quick google search, but came up empty-handed. Mikesell was soon hit with the realization that she couldn’t possibly be the only one out there frustrated by the idea of making a bunk bed. Wanting to do something about that, she turned to the drawing board. Soon after, her plans for Beddy’s were created, and her dream became her reality.
Once deciding on this business, the idea took off right away. With plans to audition for Shark Tank, Mikesell needed to create a business profile on Facebook for Beddy’s. Within one night, an accidental post had received three-thousand views. Within the first weekend, the post had fifteen-thousand views. Along with those views, that first weekend brought in over three-thousand emails from people wanting their bedding. “Every year we look at the numbers and I feel surprised all over again!” Mikesell responds when asked about the success that her business has received over the years.
Ups and Downs of Business
Though it may seem the journey was all smooth sailing, that’s not exactly how it happened. Not unlike most hard things in life, it is easy to get to a low place when a future doesn’t seem achievable. “There were a lot of times when things would happen where I would think to myself, ‘Wait, are we ever going to make it?’ It was so up and down, especially in the beginning. It just never felt secure.”
Everyone has an individual step-by-step solution that has helped bring themselves out of a hard time. When asked what got her through those hard times, Mikesell had this to say: “I recall my mom coming over and saying, ‘Betsy, you will have many ups and downs, but you have a really good idea and you just have to remember to stick to it.’ I remember thinking, ‘Mom, this is so cool, I’m going on my first business trip, why are you telling me I’m going to have these ups and downs?’” As the trials happened, Betsy mentioned that thinking back on that memory helped her get through them. “Along with that, it was so nice having my business partner… we just really helped balance each other out.”
What It Looks Like to Work Hard
Owning a business created a once in a lifetime opportunity for the Mikesell’s. They were able to take their children to China and witness the manufacturing process for the products that they sell. Although these experiences are a benefit of business life, it is well known that with the good comes the bad. “I have to be in the office so I can’t go on fieldtrips, and I have to rush in the mornings so I no longer have time to make the kids lunches.” The positive outcome to these daily experiences is that her children get to see what it looks like to truly work hard for something you want.
It is hard to balance life and work, and it may take a while until that balance is found. A suggestion Betsy had was to “… give yourself some grace. There is no such thing as a perfect work life balance. Even though you can’t always be there for your kids… they will appreciate times that you can be there more.”
There can be much achieved from owning a business. In Betsy’s case, “Beddy’s is something that I never thought I could do, so I’m doing it to prove that I can.”
► You’ll also like: Finding Strength and Sisterhood with Women’s Wine Hiking Society
