At 78, John Cullen is busier than ever with his latest invention, the Bedezy Mattress Lifter.
John is from Wagga Wagga in NSW, where he has been a resident since the 1970s. He has tried his hand at many different things over the years – musician, mortician, wall and floor tiler, entrepreneur and inventor – and won international awards for his previous work with electrical accessories, inventing many designs that are still in use today.
There has also been a fair amount of success and failure with many of John’s projects over the years.
In the 1990s and early 2000’s, he successfully built Australia’s third-largest electrical accessory brand, only to have it destroyed by a person who defrauded the business of millions of dollars.
It was in the aftermath of that event that John invented the Bedezy Mattress lifter. With many contacts in manufacturing, he began developing his invention and testing many prototypes. John says that developing Bedezy depleted all of his remaining funds, leaving him with an unrealised project and forced to rely on a pension.
With the very generous help of John’s first wife, Marie, with whom he shares two adult children, he was able to borrow the money to manufacture the first production run of queen-sized Bedezy Mattress lifters.
Just days before his 71st Birthday in 2017, Bedezy was launched.
Since then, John has been selling Bedezy online and in Wagga. He has had to learn about website operations, shipping integrations, social media and more.
It’s been a steep learning curve for John. His children, Ben and Alissia, have helped John navigate through business with the tools that didn’t exist not too long ago, along with concepts that were hard to imagine before online shopping and social media.
Bedezy is a concept that is hard for some to grasp. The idea that you can lift a mattress to your comfort level – taking the back-breaking effort out of changing sheets and getting in and out of bed – is harder to get across the line than you might think. It took more than five years for the original units to sell.
Today, many people every day get Bedezy to help them make their lives better and keep their independence longer.
You can see Bedezy on tour:
August
RDE-Regional Disability Expo with Bonus Seniors Expo, 15th – 9 am – 3 pm PCYC Hervey Bay;
September
RDE-Regional Disability Expo with Bonus Seniors Expo, 18th – 9am – 3pm Caloundra Indoor Stadium, North St Golden Beach QLD;
Brisbane Home Show, 19, 20 & 21st – 9am – 5pm Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre Southbank QLD;
Henty Regional Field Days, 23rd – 25th – 9am – 4pm Henty NSW.
October
RDE-Regional Disability Expo with Bonus Seniors Expo, 17th 9am – 3pm Toowoomba Clive Berghofer Recreation Centre, (The Works) 20 Baker St Darling Heights (Opp Uni) QLD;
Australia National Field Days, 24 – 26th 9am – 5pm 563 Borenore Rd, Borenore NSW 2800.
