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睡眠的生意经
 作者: Geoff Williams    时间: 2011年04月19日    来源: 财富中文网
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根据来自美国国家神经疾病与中风研究院的数据,有4000万美国人在遭受睡眠障碍的折磨。这对老百姓来说是件坏事,但对企业来说却是件好事。比如说,以下七家公司都想通过帮助老百姓睡好觉来成为顶级企业。
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会漂浮的床

    产品:浮动床

    总部:爱荷华州费尔菲尔德

    发明家约翰•赫夫今年61岁,他一直对医学很感兴趣,而且花了许多时间阅读有关运动及运动对身体的好处的研究——例如运动可以促进血液循环和肌肉的张力。他很好奇水床为什么没有流行起来(答案很简单:因为涉及到水和内耳平衡问题)。而从水床这个灵感上,他又冒出了漂浮床这个想法。

    在漂浮床可以投入量产之前,赫夫花了五年时间,耗资40万美元来不断完善他的理念——简而言之,所谓“漂浮床”就是一张吊在架子上的吊床,而不是传统的底部用床腿支撑的床。

    这款产品吸引了媒体的注意。赫夫带着他的漂浮床上了ABC电视台2006年到2007年播出的《美国发明家》(American Inventor )节目,漂浮床给一位评委留下了深刻印象,这位评委打趣道:“睡眠是一种新性感。”这张床还在ABC电视台的《改头换面》(Extreme Makeover )和《今夜秀》(The Tonight Show)节目中亮相,此外,还在迪士尼的艾波卡特主题公园展出过。虽然漂浮床价格不菲——一张双人床的价格高达3995美元,不过赫夫表示,这款产品的销量很好,并表示他最大的客户是酒店。

    赫夫表示,睡在这张床上的感觉就像睡在母亲身体里一样。“我们已经开创了一个全新的小众市场。

A bed that floats

    The product: Floating Bed

    Headquarters: Fairfield, Iowa

    John Huff, 61, an inventor, has always been interested in medicine, and spent time reading studies about motion and its benefits to the body, such as improved circulation and muscle tone. He began wondering why waterbeds hadn't caught on (short answer: it has to do with water and the inner ear), and from there, came up with the idea of having a bed that floats in mid-air.

    It took $400, 000 and about five years of tinkering with his concept -- which in a nutshell has a bed hanging from the frame, instead of resting on top of it -- before he could reach the point of mass production.

    The media noticed. Huff took his bed on ABC TV's series American Inventor that ran in 2006 and 2007 where an impressed judge quipped, "Sleep is the new sex." It also made an appearance on ABC's Extreme Makeover and The Tonight Show, and the bed is on display at Disney's theme park Epcot. Although they are expensive -- a queen bed is $3,995 -- the beds sell well, said Huff, adding that his biggest clients are hotels.

    These beds are like sleeping in your mother's womb, he said. "We've created an entirely new niche."

很酷的电扇

    产品:被窝风扇

    总部:得克萨斯州斯努克

    11年前,科特•汤普金斯管理着一座养牛场,得州的炎炎夏夜让他觉得非常难熬。一开始他开着空调,不过电费实在太贵了。后来他选择开窗降温,不过又总是浑身大汗淋漓地被热醒。最后他想到了一个很“酷”的消暑的法子。

    2001年,46岁的汤普金斯发明了一个巧妙的装置,后来这个装置演化成了现在的“被窝风扇 ”,它是一个又高又平的装置,立于床尾,可以将凉风吹入床单下面。这个发明的消暑效果很不错。后来汤普金斯发现这个发明对他的岳母也很管用——那时他的丈母娘正受到更年期夜间盗汗的困扰,这时他才意识到自己的发明很有市场。

    一年后,他成立了汤普金斯研究公司(Tompkins Research, Inc),拉到了资本,并做出了一台原型机。2003年他只卖出了几百台“被窝风扇”。不过产品却赢得了口碑和一些高调的宣传,比如The View栏目的女主持们就很喜欢它(The View是ABC电视台的一档午间访谈节目,由五位不同肤色的女性主持,深受女性观众的喜爱。——译注)。汤普金斯表示,现在被窝风扇的年订货量已经达到了每年10000台。营业收入每年增长100%。

    汤普金斯表示,今天,不仅更年期妇女和讨厌高额电费的德州养牛工喜欢“被窝风扇”,许多化疗病人、患有各种硬化疾病的人,甚至任何在夜里觉得热的人都可以从“被窝风扇”中受益。

    汤普金斯表示:被窝风扇让许多顾客享受到了“一生最好的睡眠”。

A cool fan

    The product: Bedfan

    Headquarters: Snook, Texas

    Eleven years ago, Kurt Tompkins, a cattle rancher, was having a hard time dealing with Texas' sweltering nights. At first, he tried air-conditioning, but the bills got too high. Then, he tried leaving his windows open, but found himself waking up in a pool of sweat. His next solution turned out to be a cool idea, literally.

    In 2001, Tompkins, 46, designed a contraption that would evolve into the Bedfan, a tall, flat device that stands at the end of a bed and sends cool air under the sheets.The invention worked well. But it was only after Tompkins saw that it worked for his mother-in-law -- she suffered from night sweats due to menopause -- that he began to think there was a market for it.

    The following year, he formed Tompkins Research, Inc., found capital and made a prototype. In 2003, he only sold a couple hundred, but word-of-mouth and some high profile publicity (the ladies on The View loved it), helped boost orders to its current 10,000 a year. Revenues have been growing 100 percent a year, he said.

    Today, the cooling system has found fans beyond menopausal women and Texas cattle ranchers who hate high electric bills. Chemotherapy patients, sufferers of multiple sclerosis, or just anyone who gets hot at night will benefit, Tompkins said.

    Bedfan customers wind up having "the best sleep of their lives," said Tompkins.

尊享床垫

    产品:超奢华尊享床垫

    总部:加州库卡蒙加牧场

    俄尔•克鲁夫特大半辈子都在从事睡眠生意。他的祖父在1946年创办了E.S. Kluft & Company公司,这家公司专门生产床垫。今年62岁的克鲁夫特从14岁起就在祖父的公司里做工,一开始在缝纫室里工作,后来一步步爬升到CEO的宝座。他的公司一直擅长生产高端床垫。美国歌手弗兰克•辛纳特拉和前总统罗纳德•里根都是他的客户。不过克鲁夫特却想把他的公司带到更高的高度上。

    去年,他推出了定做版的“超奢华尊享床垫”,这种床垫的填充物是羊绒、马海毛、丝绸、经过认证的有机棉以及新西兰羊毛。这款床垫的价格达到了令人咂舌的44000美元,据报道它是美国卖得最贵的床垫。

    有时克鲁夫特的其它床垫也会在价格上走走较为亲民的路线。例如布卢明代尔百货店(Bloomingdale)就有一款售价2399美元的床垫。但是顾客们就不要指望克鲁夫特会推出更便宜的床垫了。克鲁夫特下一步将推出一款名为Cameo的床垫,其零售价格将高达50000美元。

    克鲁夫特表示,美国可能没有做出世界上最好的汽车、最好的太阳镜或最好的手表,但它“做出了世界上最好的床垫,就是这样。”

Sublime mattress

    The product: Beyond Luxury Sublime mattress

    Headquarters: Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

    Earl Kluft has been in the sleep business for most of his waking life. His grandfather started the E.S. Kluft & Company, a mattress business, in 1946. And Kluft, now 62, got his start there at 14, working in the sewing room, until he climbed the ladder to CEO. His company has long specialized in upscale mattresses -- Frank Sinatra and Ronald Reagan were some of its high profile customers -- but Kluft wants to take his company to the next level.

    Last year, he introduced the made-to-order Beyond Luxury Sublime mattress, which is filled with cashmere, mohair, silk, certified organic cotton and New Zealand wool. The mattress costs a whopping $44,000, reportedly making it the most expensive in America.

    Every once in a while, other Kluft mattresses will go for more wallet-friendly prices. Bloomingdale's had one model on sale for $2,399. But customers should not hold their breath waiting for cheap versions. His next move is to introduce the Cameo, which will retail for $50,000.

    America may not make the best cars, sunglasses or watches, said Kluft, but it "makes the best mattresses, period."

睡眠教练

    产品:瞌睡虫

    总部:宾西法尼亚州温德姆尔

    家里添了新生的宝宝,往往意味着父母们要度过许多个无眠之夜。不过安德莉亚•艾勒沃森表示,父母们并不一定非要忍受这种情况。艾勒沃森今年44岁,是一名睡眠教练,她为难以入眠的新生儿父母和一直吵得父母无法入睡的宝宝们提供了一系列睡眠解决方案。

    艾勒沃森说:“新生儿父母缺乏睡眠总是件滑稽的事,”不过这的确是个严重的问题。

    艾勒沃森知道它可以导致多严重的后果。当她第一个儿子奥尔登出生的时候,由于缺少睡眠,艾勒沃森变得极为疲劳,经常在洗澡的时候忘记脱内衣。有一次她把消毒奶嘴忘在火炉上,几乎把整座房子烧成平地,她就知道她已经有严重的问题了。

    从那时起,这位记者开始对小儿睡眠进行研究,而且很快就学会了哄儿子入睡的本事。2005年,她推出了自己的“瞌睡虫”公司(Sleep Bug),来培训其他的父母。

    在该公司的网站上,宾西法尼亚州罗斯芒特市产后压力中心的主任凯伦•克雷曼褒奖道: “安德莉亚创立了一个许多人急需的项目。”

    许多新生儿父母和准爸爸、准妈妈们都请艾勒沃森来帮他们解决问题。艾勒沃森现在是三个孩子的母亲,她每次上门访问收费100美元,每次时长一小时的电话授课收费80美元。此外她也举办了一些睡眠研讨会。艾勒沃森表示,她的策略可能非常简单,只是建立宝宝的日常生活习惯;也可能更加复杂,这取决于客户的具体要求。她表示,每月大概有12对父母向她寻求帮助,并表示她的生意势头正越来越好。

    艾勒沃森表示:“睡眠教练可以为新生儿父母提供支持以及非常重要的信息,来减轻新生儿父母的疲劳、压力和担忧感。”

Sleep Coach

    The product: Sleepy Bug

    Headquarters: Wyndmoor, Pa.

    New babies often mean many a sleepless night for parents. Not necessarily so, says Andrea Elovson, 44, a sleep coach, who offers an arsenal of solutions for sleepless parents and the children who keep them up.

    "Lack of sleep with new parents is always this kind of jokey thing," said Elovson, but it is really a serious issue.

    Elovson knows how bad it can get. When her first son Alden was born, his sleeplessness exhausted her so much that she often forgot to take her bra off when she showered. She knew she had a serious problem when she forgot sterilizing pacifiers on the stove and almost burned the house down.

    That's when the journalist began researching pediatric sleep and soon came up with techniques that quickly sent her son night, night. In 2005, she launched her company Sleepy Bug to educate other parents.

    "Andrea has created a program that is desperately needed," said Karen Kleiman, the director of the Postpartum Stress Center, Rosemont, Pa., in a testimonial on Elovson's web site.

    New and expectant parents hire Elovson, now a mother of three, for $100 a house visit or $80 for a one-hour phone session. She also holds sleep workshops. Strategies are as simple as establishing routines for the baby or more complex, depending on the clients' needs, she said. Elovson gets about 12 new parents a month and said her business is building momentum.

    "A sleep coach can offer support and vital information to alleviate the exhaustion, stress and worry of new parenthood," said Elovson.

舒鼾枕

    产品:舒鼾枕

    总部:纽约沃特福德

    如果和你同住一屋的人睡觉打呼噜,那么这漫漫长夜对你来说将不啻于一场噩梦。不过Soft-Tex公司的销售与营销副总裁鲍伯•欧康纳表示,有了该公司生产的“舒鼾枕”,可以包你一夜好梦。

    这种枕头是由哈佛大学毕业的神经病学家纳耶布•祖百瑞博士发明的,她想通过这个发明帮助那些患有睡眠呼吸暂停症的人,该症会导致患者在睡眠中出现暂时的呼吸停止。欧康纳表示:“睡眠呼吸暂停症是一个严重的健康问题,甚至可能致命”。欧康纳还补充道,足球明星雷吉•怀特就是死于此症,感恩而死乐队(Grateful Dead)的主唱杰瑞•加西亚也是死于此症引起的并发症。

    在头三年里,这种枕头只在布鲁克斯东(Brookstone)百货店里销售,不过现在你可以在JC Penney和柯尔百货(Kohl’s)等商店里找到它的身影。

    欧康纳本人就使用了这样一个舒鼾枕,不过他每天晚上只睡五个小时。“但这五个小时是高质量睡眠的五个小时。”他说。

Sona pillow

    The product: Sona Pillow

    Headquarters: Waterford, N.Y.

    A snorer can be a nightmare, especially for the person who sleeps with one. But pleasant dreams can be had with the Sona Pillow, said Bob O'Connell, the vice president of sales and marketing at Soft-Tex, the manufacturer.

    The Sona Pillow was invented by Harvard-educated neurologist Dr. Najeeb Zuberi, who wanted to help sufferers of sleep apnea, a condition that causes people to stop breathing temporarily. "Sleep apnea is a serious health problem that can be fatal,'' said O'Connell. Football player Reggie White died of the condition and Jerry Garcia, the lead singer of the Grateful Dead, died of complications caused by it, he added.

    For its first three years, the pillow was sold exclusively at Brookstone but can now be found in stores like JC Penney and Kohl's.

    O'Connell himself uses a Sona Pillow, but only sleeps five hours a night. "But those five hours are five quality hours," he said.

睡眠计

    产品:睡眠计

    总部:乔治亚州亚特兰大

    当从安睡中被叫醒时,李•洛里的妻子常常气急败坏。但是有一天她在凌晨两点中醒来,并和洛里进行了一场非常愉快的谈话,这让洛里奇怪不已。洛里敦厚地说,他的妻子有时简直就是“泼妇”。

    这件事发生在1999年,那一年洛里38岁,这件事让洛里开始思考人们的睡眠机制,以及什么时候是叫醒他们的最佳时机。他花了几年的时间研究这个想法,然后发明了一款小装置,可以用来分析睡眠数据。

    这款小机器的原型产品是一款在沃尔玛只卖8美元的手表,沃里称“它看起来就像垃圾”。不过他对它进行了改进,然后在2005年创办了创新睡眠解决方案有限责任公司(Innovation Sleep Solutions LLC),该公司销售的产品就是“睡眠计”,它是一款轻型手表,可以监控并储存佩戴者睡眠习惯的信息。

    每天早上,用户可以把数据上传到电脑中,然后定位出夜间休息最充分的时刻。一旦他们知道了这个信息,他们就可以调整自己的习惯,以获得更好的睡眠。这款手表还可以当闹钟使用,利用闹铃或振动,在睡眠周期的最佳时机将用户叫醒。这样会减轻用户醒来时的无力感,让他们觉得更加精力充沛。

    人们对这款手表的兴趣十分强烈。现在,创新睡眠解决方案有限责任公司的年收入已达300万美元。

Sleeptracker

    The product: Sleeptracker

    Headquarters: Atlanta, Ga.

    Lee Loree's wife is not the nicest woman when she is roused from a restful sleep, which is why Loree was surprised when she woke up one morning at 2 a.m. and had the most pleasant conversation with him. She can be "an ornery cuss," he said good-naturedly.

    The incident, which occurred in 1999 got Lee, 38, thinking about how people sleep and the best times to wake them up. He spent several years researching his idea and came up with a gadget that could analyze sleep data.

    His prototype was a gutted $8 watch from Walmart, which according to Loree ''looked like trash." But he improved it and started Innovation Sleep Solutions LLC in 2005, which sells the Sleeptracker, a lightweight watch that monitors and stores information on the wearer's sleep habits.

    Every morning, users upload that data to their computers and can pinpoint their most restful moments during the night. Once they know this, they can modify their habits for better sleep. The watch also can be programmed to wake up users with an alarm, or vibration, at the best time in their sleep cycles. This way they wake up less groggy and more refreshed.

    Interest in the watch is strong. Currently, Innovation Sleep Solutions has annual revenues of $3 million.

睡眠电话

    产品:睡眠电话

    总部:宾西法尼亚州贝尔丰特

    2007年,一位名叫赖维欣(音译)的家庭医师遭受失眠的困扰,尤其是在她接完急诊回家之后,更是难以入睡。“即便我很累了,我也不能吃安眠药,因为如果再有急诊电话打进来,我必须听得见。所以我的精神总是得不到放松。”她说。最终,有人推荐她通过耳机听一些舒缓的音乐来催眠。

    但是耳机让人很不舒服。后来她的丈夫把耳机的两个扬声器用布包了起来,然后把它们嵌入一个发带中。“当我们想出这个点子以后,我们意识到,它也许能帮助许多人入睡,甚至包括我的一些服用安眠药的病人。”赖维欣说。

    从那时起,赖维欣和她的丈夫詹森自己掏了大约10000美元的资金,制造出了一个原始样品,然后建立了他们自己的公司——声音睡眠有限责任公司(AcousticSheep, LLC)。2009年,他们与宾州小企业发展中心开始了合作。这是正确的一步。该公司2010年的销售额达到了60万美元,而且今年的销量预期为100万美元。

    “我认为人们已经开始意识到睡眠的重要性了,”赖维欣说:“此前人们只知道工作、工作、工作,不过我想,现在人们已经开始意识到,对于整体的生活方式来说,睡得好是非常重要的。”

    译者:朴成奎

SleepPhones

    The product: SleepPhones

    Headquarters: Bellefonte, Pa.

    In 2007, Wei-Shin Lai, a family physician, was having trouble sleeping, especially after she came back home from emergency calls."I couldn't take a sleeping pill because I needed to be aware for the next call and even though I was tired, I couldn't relax my mind," she said. Eventually, someone recommended she listen to soothing music on headphones.

    But the headphones were uncomfortable. That is until her husband covered both speakers in cloth and then inserted them into a headband. "Once we came upon that idea, we realized it might help a lot of people sleep, including some of my patients who take sleeping pills," said Lai.

    From there, Lai and her husband, Jason, spent about $10,000 of their own money creating a prototype and launching their company, AcousticSheep, LLC. In 2009, they worked with the Penn State Small Business Development Center on their business model. It was a good move. Sales in 2010 were about $600,000 and projections for this year are expected to be $1 million.

    "I think people are starting to realize just how important sleep is," said Lai. "Previously it was work-work-work, but I think people are starting to realize that to live a holistic lifestyle it's really important to sleep well."




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@关子临: 自信也许会压倒聪明,演技的好坏也许会压倒脑力的强弱,好领导就是循循善诱的人,不独裁,而有见地,能让人心悦诚服。    参加讨论>>
@DuoDuopa:彼得原理,是美国学者劳伦斯彼得在对组织中人员晋升的相关现象研究后得出的一个结论:在各种组织中,由于习惯于对在某个等级上称职的人员进行晋升提拔,因而雇员总是趋向于晋升到其不称职的地位。    参加讨论>>
@Bruce的森林:正念,应该可以解释为专注当下的事情,而不去想过去这件事是怎么做的,这件事将来会怎样。一方面,这种理念可以帮助员工排除杂念,把注意力集中在工作本身,减少压力,提高创造力。另一方面,这不失为提高员工工作效率的好方法。可能后者是各大BOSS们更看重的吧。    参加讨论>>


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