“It’s our first day and we’ve just had our first customer,” says Diya Javiya. “The feeling is awesome!”

Diya and her husband Divyesh (DJ) are the proud owners of the new Bedshed store at Jindalee in Queensland.

For Divyesh, this is a second franchise but a new brand. For Diya this is a major switch in her career.

“I was an accountant for eight years in Australia, and before that in London,” she says. “I have always been happy with my job, however with young kids, I was looking for a more flexible work life.

“I was at my peak at work so I couldn’t see any career progression. I wanted to buy a business for myself but had no idea where to start.”

That is when DJ’s experience really helped – kickstarting the search for the perfect business.

“DJ did the initial research on what kind of business would be good for us.”

As DJ explains, there were some easy filters they could apply straight away.

Making a difference

“When thinking about what we want as our next business I knew the food business was not for us. We wanted something that makes a difference in people’s lives.”

DJ knows the value of a retail business and he whittled down the choices to either tools or bedding.

“I knew Diya would not enjoy dealing with tools, and sleep is part of everybody’s life. We spend one third of our lives in bed, and getting a good night’s sleep is so important.

“I looked at the market and did all the research on the different bedding brands. We wanted to work with someone similar in our thinking.”

DJ says Bedshed’s family oriented business really appealed. It was also important the franchisor worked solely for franchisees and didn’t have competing interests such as an online business or corporate stores in Queensland.

“Bedshed has a franchisee-first focus. If franchisees grow their businesses, the franchisor will grow.”

Bedshed was a perfect business match

The couple’s first impression of the brand, and of head office, was very positive.

“We liked the way the franchise manager chatted with us,” DJ says. “I asked all the weird questions and got all the answers I wanted to hear.”

Diya was impressed that during their enquiry process Bedshed provided a full list of the franchisees for them to contact.

“That was a bit different; it shows they have nothing to hide. The team is very particular about who they want in the business. Bedshed is not the business for someone driven by money. It’s about core values, and they need franchisees to understand that.”

Both Diya and DJ underwent a personality profile to analyse their personalities and how they would work together as a team.

“I’m running the business, but DJ is my mentor, so they wanted to see how we engage. We scored very highly! We work really well together,” says Diya.

“Dj has always been my inspiration. He had a dream to have something of his own and to see what he achieved with his franchise is amazing. And I know I can do this as well.”

Once Bedshed had approved them, the couple headed to Perth to meet the head office team and visit the training facility, factories, and company stores.

Almost a year after the pair started the process of buying a business, they opened the doors to their Bedshed store, in a homemaker centre.

Training and support

“Finding a site took time, and once we found it, we had to move very quickly,” says DJ.

They recruited three full time and one casual staff member for the store and warehouse. Then they tackled the challenge of setting up the store as a team, even building, and then dressing, the beds.

“Everyone was hands-on and that’s how we got to know each other,” says Diya.

“We received lots of fantastic training from head office and our suppliers; we did our system training easily online. And we have people from the head office in the store supporting us for the first week.”

Long term Diya plans to reduce her hours for extra flexibility. But right now, she is working full time, with DJ on speed dial for any sudden staffing shortages. 

“I enjoy working, I am a people person, I like to talk. It is enjoyable at the end of the day to see customers go home satisfied.” 

Bedshed business the perfect model for growth

“Our goal is to make sure we have a good business model, and we want to expand, and grow our staff with us. We have a great team of young people who can grow into their positions,” says Diya.

DJ has a clear long-term ambition. “I want this to be the number one Bedshed store.”

A second store might be in their sights, but for now the focus is on delivering for the customer.

“We want to have the best customer focus. The customer must always be at the centre of the business, with the staff. We can all pull together and have fun in our work,” says DJ.

It is early days for the couple, but they are enthusiastic about their journey with Bedshed so far.

“Our overall experience with Bedshed has been really wonderful and easy going,” says Diya. “We are very happy with the decision we have made.”