My biggest A-ha moment was when I woke from sleep with the inspiration to start our own mattress company/brand. I had been struggling with knowing the future of retail was ecommerce but was already selling on Amazon and couldn’t make money since everyone was selling the same thing for the lowest price. The “bed-in-a-box” industry was just beginning to explode and the same issues would exist. Not to mention that 90% of all the major brands were being manufactured by the same two companies in China. Poor quality and nothing unique. We wanted to disrupt the industry by focusing on the convenience of “boxed” delivery but deliver a premium quality product focused on health and wellness.

I can’t answer what was the most important part of my business journey since we are far from finished! So far however, I would say networking has been most paramount.

The things that drive me most when times are tough are God, my family and the fact that I have been through tough times before.

I think the biggest mistake I have made and wished to avoid is being overconfident and having a negative leadership style early in my career. Humility and positivity have been the greatest turnaround in my life.

We plan to grow our business globally and are in the process of doing so. Again, it really is about networking and hard work.

It took years of time and learning to finally figure out our culture. Once we identified it, then we had to find people, not only with skills, but more importantly the right alignment of values and integrity.

If I were to give you leadership advice it would be this…Be the most positive person you know and lead by example. Take the time to listen and collaborate with your team. Don’t try to control too much, it’s amazing what can be achieved when you allow others to shine. Stay humble and stay focused, especially during the tough times.

You can get the inspiration for the title of my book in the prologue. It’s a funny story…but the inspiration to finally write the book came from Kevin Harrington the first time we met. I had writing a book on my goal list, but never found time to start. Kevin was giving a talk at a conference I was attending and asked if anyone in the room had written a book. If so, he would love to read it. That was the spark I needed, and the timing was perfect since that would be the beginning of our international hopes.

The book doesn’t really take place physically in one location. It’s a journey that follows me from childhood on. I do have some pride in the fact that our corporate headquarters is in a town of only 2,000 people!

The book only took about 6 months to write. It might have been quicker, but some of the end additions were happening in real time as I was writing.

I do intend to do a follow up book but wouldn’t call it a series. I have no idea how many more books I intend to write.

I love to read and do often, however I don’t have any favorite authors. I think everyone has great stories to tell.

I like to write whenever there is time, but mostly when inspired. Most of the time I craft the ideas in my head while mowing the lawn, working late, working out, etc.

Since I don’t claim to be a tremendous writer or author, my advice to anyone who is thinking about writing is do it! Stop talking about it and do it!!