Mission Edge celebrates this solopreneur as her business takes off

Impact LabSmall BusinessClient Success Story

Jan 30

Mission Edge celebrates this solopreneur as her business takes off

How Mission Edge partnered with Ruth Young-Loaeza in the Impact Lab to set her business up for growth in 2023.

Over two and a half decades of working as a housekeeper, Ruth Young-Loaeza made more than 20,000 beds.

She noticed a common thread among bedsheets of every style — despite her best efforts, finding a fitted sheet that made bed-making easy was impossible.

Not only that, but years of lifting up mattress after mattress to readjust sheets can take a physical toll on members of the hospitality industry.

When illness forced Ruth to take some time off, she had the idea for what could be a game-changer for housekeepers, hotels, and everyone who makes beds: Neet Sheets.

Neet Sheets’ patented designs include a fitted bedsheet with stretchable corners and edges, and a flat sheet with flaps. With the use of these designs, bed-making time is decreased by 50% and mattress-lifting decreased by 75%, both huge hurdles for those who work in hospitality.

With this idea in mind, Ruth quit her job to set out as a full-time solopreneur.

When she came to work with us at Mission Edge, she’d already been picked up by a number of boutique hotels in California, as well as a $300 million pillow company.

But as a team of one, she’d run into a number of roadblocks that she was hoping to find some help with in the Impact Lab.

For one thing, Ruth was hoping to find a more sustainable pricing strategy for her products. As a small business she had limited cash flow for operating expenses, and no formal accounting system to keep track of everything in one place.

Additionally, she had some problems with her manufacturer in Mexico, and was interested in exploring other options.

In the Impact Lab, Ruth received a grant of $10,000 and was matched with a fractional CFO and a sales consultant to come up with a sales plan.

This plan addressed building out Neet Sheets’ business infrastructure through a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool and a website.

Also, the grant was able to help Ruth purchase inventory, partner with a new marketing firm, and pay a visit to a new manufacturer.

After working with the Impact Lab, Ruth was able to modernize her business in several ways, one of which was implementing a bookkeeping system. This gave her a clearer image of how profitable her business was, and a starting point for future plans to help her business grow.

Ruth also started a kickstarter campaign to achieve some of the new financial goals she had made in the Impact Lab, and after consulting with a marketing firm, updated the packaging for her product to make it more appealing to her target customers.

Another major win for Neet Sheets came in the form of a large purchase order from a boutique hotel in Southern California. Ruth was able to negotiate a contract with the client where her manufacturer helped her deliver to the client by covering half of the cost of the order inventory.

We’re confident that this is just the beginning for Ruth. Next, she’s looking to transition bookkeeping services, find a new manufacturer to support production of Neet Sheets, and secure sales from both existing and new clients.

When you’re doing it solo, it can feel a lot like juggling plates, and it might often feel like you’re dropping the ball.

Taking a little time to reflect on where you are in order to set your business up for future growth is just one way to invest in your small business in 2023 — and Ruth, as well as other Impact Lab alums, can testify that this investment is well worth it!