If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It!
How One Man’s pursuit of a good night’s sleep led to the creation of “The World’s Most Comfortable Pillow!”
Chanhassen, MN - You know how the old saying goes: never count a person out. We say this in reference to the down-and-out character who makes it to the heights of his dreams, pulling himself up by his bootstraps to achieve success. Are these tales just myths meant to bolster the spirits of the down-trodden? Or are there real people with lives so incredible, they just need to be told? You be the judge.
Meet Mike Lindell, an inventor and entrepreneur whose story is the stuff from which famous sayings are born. Chances are at some point in the past 10 years you have seen Lindell’s picture in the paper, listened and watched him on TV, or met him at events and fairs. A gregarious type, Lindell describes himself as, “a lover of talking with people,” and he really enjoys sharing how he overcame the kind of life many others know well, too. His story goes like this:
Throughout the 80s and 90s, Lindell struggled mightily with addictions. Though he owned businesses, Lindell toiled in the mire of compulsion. With no regard for making choices to improve his life Lindell says, “I had taken my addictions to the limit and could not go on one more day living that way.” He recognized the desire for more than the endless routine of addiction and wanted to positively impact people. So overnight and with the grace of God, Mike Lindell stopped his addictive behavior and found a better path.
A Better Path
With a clear head and focused mind, Lindell says, “I discovered an old problem had crept back into my life. Since I was a young boy I suffered from a lack of good, quality sleep.” As a youngster, Lindell went to great lengths to get a good night’s sleep, even spending an entire paycheck at age 16 on an expensive pillow in hopes of curing his sleep woes but to no avail. Lindell remembers tossing and turning throughout the night, folding his pillow in half, using his arm for support, only to wake more tired than when he went to sleep. Lindell’s lifelong search for a good night’s sleep created an obsession to figure out the cause of his poor sleeping and what effect his exposure to chronic sleep deprivation had caused. To study his issues more deeply, Lindell consulted with experts in the sleep industry and continued to talk with the folks he would come into contact with on a daily basis. After gathering all the data, studies and stories from people, more than ever Lindell recognized and understood the harmful effects of poor sleep. Even more so, Lindell realized the effect of sleep interruptions are all around us and permeate the lives of all walks of people - and in epidemic proportions. Lindell continues, “I was acutely aware of what was wrong but still needed to answer the biggest question of all, WHY?”
Eureka Moment
Process of elimination led Lindell to have a true eureka moment; it occurred to him the villain and cause of his sleep deprivation (and the many systemic issues caused by experiencing lack of restful sleep) was none other than the pillow he was sleeping on. All along his pillow had been the problem. Lindell tried “every pillow in the world,” but nothing helped. He found that common pillows did not provide adequate support for cervical alignment and absorbed and maintained heat. “Most pillows on the market cause sleep interruptions by going flat, heating up and causing you to toss and turn all night trying to readjust or flip the pillows over to the cool side,” Lindell explains. “The effect prevents people from enjoying the uninterrupted REM sleep our bodies need to rejuvenate and heal,” he continues. Lindell theorized that a pillow providing proper support of the cervical nerves and vertebral arteries would in turn allow users to get the deep healing sleep they want and need. So he set out to invent and manufacture “TheWorld’s Most Comfortable Pillow.”
Four Million People Can’t Be Wrong
Year after year, Lindell marketed his pillows at shows and expos during the day and worked alongside his family at night (see the image to the right) to make the pillows. He also spent time talking with consumers about their personal sleep frustrations. He has since invented, manufactured and delivered “TheWorld’s Most Comfortable Pillow” to more than four million customers. Lindell’s MyPillow is designed to conform to each individual’s support needs. It is washable and dryable, stays cool and is guaranteed not to go flat for 10 years. Lindell even takes it a step further and provides a 60-day, no questions asked money-back guarantee. Though Lindell was originally told by the big bedding companies that his unorthodox business plan, 10-year warranty and 60-day money-back guarantee would put him out of business, his company now boasts more than 500 employees, maintains an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, and offers duty-free shipping from a distribution plant located in Manitoba, Canada. Recently MyPillow was awarded the prestigious QStar Award for “Product Concept of the Year” by QVC. Lindell himself has become well-recognized in public due to his frequent infomercial airings and guest appearances on shows such as Imus in the Morning. All this time later Lindell says he has learned the value of making choices that, “not only better my own life, but also improve the lives of others.” His is a story that is so unique, it simply has to be true.