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It started as a tiny startup with five employees to become the "Bunnings" of the bedding industry, and Heath Goddard's bedding business may still be racking up milestones after 40 years, but he still isn't getting carried away.
"It's all rather irrelevant to me. I very rarely take a photograph of anything I've ever done. Just get on, and do it," Goddard says.
That might be Goddard's wisest piece of advice, lifted from the Nike playbook; to Just Do It.
Pillow Talk began 40 years ago with a structure that Goddard describes as unconventional.
Instead of forking out for high-rent supermarket retail space, Pillow Talk launched in a low-rental, large floor space area allowing the business to sink more money into marketing.
Beginning with just five employees, Pillow Talk grew quickly, pushing the latest trends into the bedrooms of Australians.
Pillow Talk was instrumental in bringing the continental quilt to Australia which now resides on the beds of 80 per cent of Australia.
The company now employs over 800 people and has stores all along the east coast from Cairns to Melbourne.
But Goddard's biggest achievement in the last 40 years?
"Surviving!"
Business News Australia spoke to Goddard to celebrate the company's milestone, the future of Pillow Talk, and the looming threat of Amazon.
What has set Pillow Talk apart from the competition over the last 40 years?
How did the company go about the challenges of internet retail?
Is the company worried about Amazon's entrance into the market?
Do you think you're in a good position considering your product is more of a tangible thing?
You're right in that the tactile approach to textiles is very important. I do believe that businesses like ours have an advantage over say, a pure play service provider, because we can tell you about it.
I think that is a very valid point that you're making if we can substantiate in the flesh what we might be claiming online. And for what it's worth, our buyers travel around the world and we make sure that the mills that we're dealing with are ethical in how they go about doing their work.
It's a good industry to be in, everyone's going to need a bed.
I've often said the only thing I'm aware of anyone really needing is a feed and a glass of water. But at the same time, you've got to earn the respect of the market place, be diligent enough to keep that respect. You can lose it quickly, it takes a long time to get it but it's very quickly gone.
What are the company's plans for the next few years?
Business News Australia
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