With the holiday season here, the need for some new bedroom comfort items for yourself, family and incoming holiday guests may be on the top of your list. And maybe that is why Sheets & Giggles is the company that takes the top notch and has set records recently as the highest bed sheet companies to be crowd funded! And while their branding is all about “making the bedroom fun again”, their sheets don’t lie! The company uses 96% less water than cotton sheets, which also translates to people using 30% less energy to wash their sheets, and their products are also premium 100% eucalyptus lyocell bedding that’s softer, more breathable, and more sustainable than cotton. But besides the fun and science, Sheets & Giggles has started to catch the eye of Hollywood celebrities such as Andy Dick and Perez Hilton.
It’s A Glam Thing caught up in the bedroom with the brand’s Denver-based CEO Colin McIntosh to dive deeper into the sack of what makes his sheets just that good, how they actually help with skin care, and some personal details about being the founder of awesome “sheet”…
NICK NORTHSTAR: How would you describe your own personal fashion style – both while at home and while working?
COLIN MCINTOSH: Bachelor life / on brand, which means I basically stay in my pajamas all day and work from bed when I don’t go into the office. When I do go into the office, it’s just standard Denver startup garb: flannel shirts and jeans every day.
NN: The word “Glamorous” can mean many different things… what is its definition to you?
CM: To me, glamorous people are successful people. If someone works hard, builds something amazing, and has the freedom (both professionally and financially) to dress how they want, that person is glamorous to me. I admire people who have both the confidence and freedom to express themselves how they want.
NN: Your company & products are all about environmental sustainability… why is this so important?
CM: Well, aside from the fact that we’re pretty much headed off a climate change cliff and everyone should probably stop buying cotton products, I wanted to spend my waking hours doing something that made at least somewhat of a positive impact in the world. When you start a business from scratch, it’s nice to be able to make decisions about how your company will tackle certain challenges from an environmental and ethical perspective. For example, our sheets use up to 95% less water than cotton, and no insecticides (cotton uses about 16-24% of the world’s insecticides by itself), and for every order we also plant a tree somewhere in the world that needs reforestation. We also have a donation program (#Give2Sheets) whereby our customers can donate their old cotton sheets to charity (sheets are the second-most-requested item at homeless shelters). I wouldn’t have started a business that didn’t make me feel good about myself and the end results of my work.
NN: What makes your bed sheets “bedder bedding” than other companies?
CM: From a comfort level, S&G’s eucalyptus lyocell sheets are literally softer, more breathable, and more moisture-wicking than cotton (i.e., they’re ideal for hot sleepers). They’re also more durable to rips and tears and will hold their color longer than cotton sheets. From a sustainability angle, we use up to 95% less water than cotton, up to 30% less energy, and no pesticides or insecticides, and they biodegrade 40% faster once thrown in a landfill.
NN: What is your advice to anyone wanting to pursue their dreams and create their own products?
CM: Before anything else, build a profitable business model and go-to-market strategy that you strongly feel makes sense and is profitable. Then, go find customers and market to them, get signups, get feedback on the proposed product, and then build your product around that model, strategy, and early customer feedback. Do not do it the other way around, which is how most companies get founded: people spend time and money building a “thing” and then try to build a business around it, only to find out the “thing” doesn’t have market demand, sustainable margins, a large enough audience, etc.
NN: How important was crowd funding to get things started for Sheets & Giggles?
CM: Absolutely crucial. We purposefully didn’t raise money from a VC like a traditional startup, so in May 2018 we used Indiegogo to crowdfund preorders and generate our initial bankroll. If we had failed, we would’ve basically wrapped up the company or hit the reset button. Because of this, we have a really tight bond with our ~2,000 Indiegogo backers; they literally brought the company to life.
NN: What is the biggest lesson you have learned so far from running your own company?
CM: Nothing is ever perfect, and you have to be ok with mistakes if you’re going to actually get things done.
NN: How important are sheets (material used, etc.) in relation to skin care overnight?
CM: Very, especially because people only wash their sheets on average every 3 weeks. Airy sheets that are moisture-wicking and that evaporate sweat quickly are important for an anti-microbial environment, but synthetics like polyester can cause outbreaks and other skin problems. Treat yourself to nice sheets and wash them once a week! (Or at least once every two weeks.)
NN: What other products are you currently working on?
CM: Eucalyptus throw blankets will be next in line in early 2019, followed by a eucalyptus heavy blanket and hopefully some eucalyptus towels soon after that. All sustainable, all insanely premium and soft.
NN: Do you feel Sheets & Giggles consumers will feel more “Glamorous” after a good night’s rest in your products?!
CM: Our reviews tell that story well! We’ve had customers who tell us they haven’t slept this well in years (from back pain, night sweats, menopause, etc.), and we absolutely love every time we get a new story from a customer who slept like a baby the night before.
NN: Before we let you go, tell us a bedroom “giggle” joke…
CM: We almost hired a koala bear as an actor in our recent video shoot about eucalyptus trees, but he wasn’t koalafied for the position.
