We’d always wanted to start a business but hadn’t found the right idea, until this. Experiencing firsthand how much better we slept, I knew other couples needed this option too.
What’s happening: In this week’s edition of Founders Friday, Dynamic Business sat down with Sarah Gosling, founder of Scandi SLEEP, Australia’s first bedding brand dedicated to the Scandinavian sleeping method.
Why this matters: Sarah’s venture addresses a gap in the market by prioritising sleep health over aesthetics alone. Her experience offers practical lessons for founders entering established industries with innovative solutions.
When Sarah Gosling and her partner moved in together, they ran into a problem plenty of couples deal with but almost never mention. The bed that was supposed to bring them closer ended up becoming a nightly battleground.
“When my partner and I moved in together, we struggled with the classic issues many couples face, temperature differences, blanket tug-of-war, and constantly disturbing each other’s sleep,” Sarah explains.
The couple tried everything they could think of. They switched sleeping arrangements, tested different solutions, upgraded bedding, adjusted the thermostat, and even tried sleeping at different times, but nothing worked and they ended up just as exhausted. That was until Sarah discovered something new while searching for answers online.
“After trying everything to fix it, we stumbled across the Scandinavian sleeping method online. It seemed unusual, but we were willing to try anything,” she recalls.
The Scandinavian sleeping method, where couples share a bed but each uses their own duvet instead of one large shared one, is common across Nordic countries but still relatively unknown in Australia. For Sarah and her partner, the difference in their sleep quality was remarkable.
“Sleeping this way made a dramatic difference for us, but sourcing bedding for it was surprisingly difficult,” Sarah says.
The practical challenges of trying the Scandinavian sleeping method in Australia quickly became clear. Most single quilt covers in stores were designed for children, making them unsuitable for adult bedrooms. Complete sets included items the couple didn’t need, adding unnecessary cost, while buying everything separately was expensive and made it hard to create a cohesive look.
These sourcing challenges also aligned with a long-standing idea Sarah and her partner had been considering for some time. “We’d always wanted to start a business but hadn’t found the right idea, until this,” Sarah explains.
Experiencing better sleep through the Scandinavian sleeping method, combined with the challenge of finding the right bedding, highlighted a clear business opportunity. Sarah realised that if she had struggled to find suitable products, other couples were probably facing the same problem.
“Experiencing firsthand how much better we slept, I knew other couples needed this option too. I wanted to make it easy, cohesive, and affordable to sleep with separate covers, and that’s how Scandi SLEEP was born,” Sarah says.
Making awareness priority
Because the Scandinavian sleeping method is still uncommon in Australia, our biggest focus has been awareness
Launching a business around a sleep method most Australians hadn’t heard of required a careful strategy. Sarah couldn’t just put products on the market and expect people to understand them. Because the concept was unfamiliar, educating customers had to come first.
“Because the Scandinavian sleeping method is still uncommon in Australia, our biggest focus has been awareness,” Sarah explains.
Instead of focusing mainly on product features or price, Scandi SLEEP’s strategy is all about teaching couples about this alternative way of sleeping. The approach acknowledges that people need to know the concept exists before they can decide if it could improve their own sleep. “We’ve prioritised educating couples about this sleep style so people dealing with temperature clashes, blanket battles or night-time disturbances know there’s a simple, effective solution,” she says.
Beyond explaining what the Scandinavian sleeping method involves, Scandi SLEEP’s messaging focuses on demonstrating how the company addresses the practical barriers Sarah herself encountered. The communication strategy emphasises accessibility and ease of implementation. “Secondly, we’ve focused on clearly communicating how Scandi SLEEP makes the switch easy, offering aesthetic, practical, and affordable bedding designed specifically for separate covers. Keeping our messaging clear and customer-focused,” Sarah notes.
This emphasis on clarity reflects a deliberate choice to avoid confusion or complexity in the customer journey. By maintaining straightforward, customer-focused messaging, Scandi SLEEP aims to guide potential customers from initial awareness through to purchase decisions.
Australia’s only dedicated brand
In the Australian bedding industry, Scandi SLEEP occupies a distinctive position. The company isn’t competing directly with traditional bedding brands but instead serving a specific market segment that other companies haven’t addressed. “We are the only bedding brand in Australia dedicated to the Scandinavian sleeping method,” Sarah states.
This focused approach means Scandi SLEEP designs its entire product range specifically for couples using separate covers. The sets are created to eliminate the sourcing challenges and expense Sarah experienced herself.
“Our bedding sets are intentionally designed for couples using separate covers, making the transition seamless, cohesive, and more affordable than assembling everything individually,” Sarah explains.
The company’s positioning extends beyond market segmentation or product design to encompass a broader philosophy about what matters most in bedding. “What also sets us apart is that we lead with sleep health. Our brand exists to help couples sleep better, and keeping sleep quality at the core of every product decision allows us to stand out and stay innovative in an industry that traditionally focuses more on aesthetics than function,” Sarah says.
This health-first positioning aligns with the Scandinavian sleeping method itself, which aims to minimise sleep-related disruptions and allow each person to regulate their own temperature at night. By prioritising functional sleep benefits alongside visual appeal, Scandi SLEEP differentiates itself through purpose as much as product.
Catching problems early
Launching a business inevitably brings challenges, regardless of how well-prepared a founder might be. For Sarah, one of the most significant learning experiences came before Scandi SLEEP officially launched, when a manufacturing problem nearly prevented the entire first product run from being sellable.
“Early on, we experienced manufacturing issues, including an incorrect care label that would have prevented us from selling any stock,” Sarah recalls.
The error could have had serious consequences for the launch timeline and the business’s financial position. However, Sarah’s thorough approach to reviewing materials before final shipment identified the problem in time to address it.
“Thankfully, reviewing photos before shipment allowed me to catch the error in time. It delayed our launch by a month, but it was well worth it to ensure the product was right,” she says.
The experience reinforced the importance of thorough verification throughout the supply chain. While the delay was frustrating, it was far better than discovering the mistake after receiving unusable stock. In addition to putting strong checking processes in place, Sarah saw the value of learning from entrepreneurs who had already built successful ecommerce businesses. “I also learned the importance of leaning on people who have succeeded in ecommerce before me. Investing in learning and seeking guidance has been invaluable,” Sarah reflects.
Sarah’s openness to guidance and her investment in learning have helped her navigate the challenges of launching an ecommerce business. Looking back, she credits her careful preparation and deep understanding with helping her avoid major setbacks. “So far, I’ve been fortunate not to face major setbacks, but that’s largely because I’ve prioritised education, thorough checks, and understanding every part of my business,” she explains.
The lessons Sarah has gathered from her experience are practical and straightforward. “My biggest lessons have been: 1. Always get photos or video before anything ships. 2. Learn from those who’ve already done what you want to achieve,” Sarah summarises.
These principles reflect a founder who has learned to balance efficiency with diligence, combining ambition with careful preparation. As Scandi SLEEP continues building awareness of the Scandinavian sleeping method across Australia, Sarah’s commitment to education, both for her customers and herself, remains central to the business vision. The temperature differences and blanket tug-of-war that once disrupted her nights have become the foundation for helping other couples discover that separate covers can lead to better sleep together.
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