Today we’d like to introduce you to Garrett Persich.
Hi Garrett, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
BumpCloud started the way many great ideas do, with an exhausted, uncomfortable pregnant woman and a desperate husband who just wanted to sleep through the night without hearing, “Ugh, this pillow sucks.”
Hi, I’m Garrett, just a dude who went from clueless about sewing to designing the best pregnancy pillow on the market (according to my wife, who may or may not be slightly biased). My wife was pregnant with our second child, and after testing what felt like a million pregnancy pillows, none of which did the job, I decided to take matters into my own hands. With zero sewing skills and nothing but sheer determination (and a sewing machine manual that I definitely misread a few times), I got to work at our kitchen table. A week later, we had a pillow that finally gave her the sleep she had been dreaming of.
That’s when it hit us, if she struggled this much to find the right pillow, other moms must be struggling too. So, we created BumpCloud to make sure every pregnant woman gets the comfort and rest she deserves. Because let’s be real: when mom sleeps better, everyone sleeps better.
The story of BumpCloud was nothing more than a kitchen table project that was decided it could be destined for more. The idea started to solve a problem that my wife was having when she was pregnant with our second child. She bought multiple different pillows on the market and was not satisfied with any of them, especially some of the well named pregnancy pillows out there. So, just by asking her a few questions and determining where the root of the uncomfortableness was coming from, I did what any person with an idea had and scribbled on a napkin the design concept.
We went through 5 iterations within 2 weeks until the overall pillow design came into place. I don’t have a design background or know about textiles or even the intricacies about pillows, but I do know how to solve problems and ask the right questions to get the answers to help solve those problems. I work as a consultant for a software company and help multi-million dollar businesses solve problems and how to implement the best tactics to help their businesses streamline part of the sales and buying journey. By utilizing this consultive nature, as mentioned above, I was able to design and bring to market the best pregnancy pillow there is.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Entrepreneurship is never smooth, no matter the industry. You will always run into some type of roadblock or bump that will cause some type of delay. With bringing BumpCloud to life, there are different rules and regulations that come into play with bedding and the laws that need to be followed. Also, communication with an overseas team to be able to produce exactly what is in your head was a struggle in and of itself.
One of the other struggles that really came down to whether or not it was worth bringing this product to market was pricing. I ultimately wanted to keep manufacturing within the US but it was difficult or I should say nearly impossible to find a manufacturer that could produce a pillow from start to finish. It was going to take a streamlined logistics team and multiple manufacturers that specialized in their own niche to pull it off. This is where the decision to manufacture overseas came into play.
As you know, we’re big fans of BumpCloud. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I created BumpCloud to help my wife sleep better when she was pregnant with our second daughter. I had never sewn anything before and I bought a sewing machine, some pillows, and some pillow cases. I spent many late nights creating a pillow that would help her to not roll over onto her back and also supported her growing belly. I wanted to share my creation with other moms since it helped my wife so much, and that is the heart of BumpCloud. I spent over two years working with a design firm and then a manufacturer to get the pillow ready to be shared with the world. I am really proud of all the hurdles I have overcome since I had no sewing experience, no design experience, and had no idea how difficult it would be to bring a homemade product to market.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Podcasts: The Nick Bare Podcast, Real AF, The GaryVee Audio Experience, and Don’t Be Sour
Books: The Bible, Atomic Habits, To Sell is Human, Let Them, and Creativity, Inc.
Pricing:
- The OG Pregnancy Pillow: $229
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bumpcloud.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumpcloud.co/
Image Credits
Haley Miller Photography
