Startup Wants to Be the ‘Warby Parker’ of Bedding

Small Business Spotlight: Boll and Branch, @BollandBranch

Who: Scott Tannen

What: Startup focused on high-end, organic bedding

When: 2014

Where: Chatham, New Jersey

How: Serial entrepreneur Scott Tannen built his career in social and mobile gaming, before turning to angel investing.

“I was doing a lot of consulting … I realized the only side of digital I hadn’t spent time on was ecommerce,” says Tannen.

After doing some research, Tannen says he decided the home textile and bedding industry was ripe for disruption.

“The markups in the space are out of control,” says Tannen. By working directly with farmers and only selling products online, Tannen brought to market a high-end, organic bedding line that could be sold at a “reasonable price.” Before debuting Boll and Branch this month, the budding bedding entrepreneur spent time in India getting to know organic cotton farmers and researching the ins and outs of the market.

Biggest challenge: “I had never done anything in terms of textiles. The biggest challenge, and the reason I believe we’ll be successful, is that I don’t have any sacred cows in terms of the way things should be done,” says Tannen.

One moment in time: Tannen says he’s proudest of the fact that his company is providing quality jobs to farmers and textile workers in India. “The more product I sell, the more jobs we create,” he says.

Best business advice: “Pay attention to the little things … At the end of the day, [consumers] buy you for the quality, but they love you for the little things,” says Tannen.