It’s World Sleep Week, and it’s high time the world recognised sleep for what it is: Essential to good health. If you can’t sleep or find yourself dancing with insomnia, read on for some sleeping tips from Jaserie that are sure to help!
As an award-winning bedding brand, Jaserie is focused on helping those of us who can’t sleep, sleep better! After all, sleeping well is tantamount to good health. To get the tips and the down-low, we speak to Jasper who founded Jaserie with his partner Valerie.
Tell me about yourself, and about Jaserie! What inspired you to start this brand?
Hello! I’m Jasper, the founder of JASERIE®. We are a Malaysian brand founded in 2019. Our mission is to help people sleep better so they can realise their fullest potential.
It all started when I noticed that my significant other, Valerie, was struggling with issues like stiff neck, shoulder pain, and persistent headaches. All this constantly affected her sleep, so I started searching for ways to help her. I saw a gap in the market for high-quality, comfortable, and supportive pillows and bedding products. This strongly inspired me to create a brand that could fill that gap and help people like Valerie to improve their sleep quality and overall well-being.
And thus, JASERIE was born alongside our best-selling product! The JASERIE Bamboo Charcoal Pillow was designed to support the neck and shoulders, and thus improve sleep quality. It has successfully garnered public recognition, and has even won two awards, bringing our brand to greater heights! Our brand now also offers other products like our ergonomically-designed Baby Head Shaping Pillow that prevents plagiocephaly. This is a condition that develops when part of an infant’s soft skull becomes flattened due to pressure repeated pressure. Besides that, our Bamboo Weighted Blanket is also a popular offering, and it provides a sense of security and comfort for better sleep!
What has your entrepreneurial journey been like from the start of Jaserie until now? What are some key lessons you’ve learned?
Starting JASERIE has been an incredible journey with many learning curves along the way. At the very beginning, I had to personally learn and do everything from scratch. This included creating the product, and extended all the way to marketing and sales. I call this period Phase 1 – Learning + Doing.
As the brand grew and gained traction, I began to build a team and delegated responsibilities. This was a transition from Phase 1 to Phase 2 – Leadership. I had to learn how to manage and lead a team while maintaining the brand and product quality. This required me to relinquish some roles I had previously assumed, and trust my team to carry out those responsibilities.
Over the years, I have learned several key lessons! This mainly includes identifying market gaps, listening to customer feedback, staying true to our brand values, and continuously improving our brand and products. I’ve also learned how to adapt to changing market trends, manage finances, and foster friendly relationships with suppliers and partners.
Overall, the entrepreneurial journey for JASERIE has been nothing short of challenging, but equally rewarding. With hard work, dedication, and a strong vision, we built a successful brand and will continue our journey with firm, steadfast steps.
Tell us about one memorable moment that you had as the founder of Jaserie!
I will never forget the day when JASERIE received her first two awards: Asia Pacific Top Excellence Brand and Asia Pacific Super Health Brand awards. It was an incredibly proud and humbling moment for the team and myself. Receiving these awards was a huge blessing! They encouraged us by showing that our hard work, dedication, and commitment to helping people sleep better was recognised. They also reminded us to stay true to our brand values and continuously improve our products and services.
I felt beyond grateful and honoured to have received these awards. It was a testament to the quality of our products and the positive impact they had on our customers’ lives. It also gave us motivation to continue pushing forward and striving for excellence in everything we do.
I hope to pass this blessing on to our customers by continuing to create the perfect personal sleeping experience through our products. Our mission has always been to help people live up to their fullest potential by getting the best possible sleep. Receiving these awards has reinforced our commitment to this mission! We will continue to push forward and deliver the best products and services we can!
What was the nicest thing a customer has ever said about your products?
Honestly, there are too many nice things for us to just pick one! Our customers all say the same thing: JASERIE products have helped their loved ones (parents, partners, etc) to solve long-term sleeping problems and improve their overall health.
It’s always very meaningful to hear this from our customers, as it brings me back to when I first created the JASERIE Bamboo Charcoal Pillow for Valerie. Seeing the positive impact of our products on customers’ sleep, we’re reminded of why we started JASERIE to begin with. And that is, to promote a culture that deeply appreciates sleep and love for life.
What inspires your products? What kind of research and development goes into ideation, production, and marketing your products?
At JASERIE, we strive to uphold our mission to improve people’s sleep and lead a better life. Our team continuously explores new materials, designs and technologies to curate innovative sleep products that offer maximum comfort and support.
To start, we identify customer needs and pain points, then brainstorm potential solutions. We collect feedback through market research and customer surveys to guide our product development.
Next, we work closely with our manufacturing partners to produce prototypes and conduct rigorous testing to ensure quality and safety standards are met.
In terms of marketing, we utilise various channels such as social media, email marketing, and paid ads to reach out to our target audiences.
Our development process is iterative. We’re constantly testing and receiving feedback to ensure our products meet customers’ needs and provide them the ultimate sleeping experience.
What kind of impact are you hoping Jaserie will have on the sleep schedules of Malaysians who can’t sleep?
JASERIE aims to make a positive impact on the sleep schedules and overall well-being of Malaysians. Our products are designed to help people achieve better sleep, which can significantly impact their physical and mental health. By providing innovative sleep products that are comfortable, supportive, and safe, we hope to help our customers enjoy more restful and rejuvenating sleep. Ultimately, we believe better sleep leads to better health and a better quality of life, and we are committed to helping Malaysians achieve that.
Additionally, we also want to educate people about the importance of sleep. We provide helpful tips and information on how to improve sleep hygiene through social media channels and e-mails. We hope to inspire and empower people to take control of their sleep schedules and make positive changes that will benefit them in the long run.
Agree or disagree: We’re all much nicer people when well-rested. Tell us why!
I completely agree! Getting enough quality sleep is essential for the brain to function at its best. This improves our mood – thus helping us to become nicer people. When we sleep, our bodies have the opportunity for rest and repairs, while our brains consolidate the day’s memories and learnings.
This is why getting enough sleep is crucial, especially for students who need to retain a lot of information for their studies. Some people may think that sacrificing sleep to get more work done is a good idea, but in reality, this will have adverse effects on our ability to learn and perform.
During the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of deep sleep, our brains actively consolidate memories and strengthen neural connections related to the day’s experiences. This process, known as memory consolidation, involves the repetition of these experiences in our brains – like repeatedly replaying a TV show. This helps us to transition our experiences from short-term to long-term memory, where we’ll be able to better recall and use the information. This can enhance our learning capabilities and improve our cognitive function and productivity during waking hours.
What’s a winning ambient combination for good sleep? Share your recipe for the night owls, insomniacs, and those who can’t sleep!
A winning combination for good sleep involves a few key factors that create a comfortable, relaxing environment. Here are some of my personal favourite tips!
Ambient noise: White noise or soothing sounds like ocean waves or rain can drown out distractions and create a calming atmosphere. You can use a white noise machine or a phone app to play these sounds.
Complete Darkness: A dark environment is essential. Use blackout curtains or an eye mask to block out any light that might disrupt your sleep, as blue lights can suppress our production of sleep hormones (melatonin).
Room Temperature: Studies have shown that the ideal sleep temperature is 18°C.
Sunlight: Exposure to sunlight for 30 – 60 minutes just after waking up helps regulate the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. Sunlight triggers the production of cortisol, a hormone that keeps us alert and awake during daytime. Soaking up sunlight in the morning can regulate cortisol levels throughout the day. If cortisol levels peak at night or midnight, it can interfere with sleep and increase the risk of insomnia or waking up during the night.
Secret weapons: Our JASERIE® Bamboo Charcoal Pillow is designed to provide optimal comfort and support, improving sleep quality. For individuals who struggle with severe insomnia or sleep disorders, we recommend our JASERIE® Bamboo Weighted Blanket. The blanket’s weight (6.8kg) is evenly distributed over the body, and feels like a firm embrace that provides comfort and security. It also helps to reduce anxiety and promote deeper, more restful sleep. Both products are designed to help achieve the perfect sleeping experience.
Everyone’s sleep preferences are different, so it’s important to experiment with different combinations to find what works best for you. With the right environment and sleep habits, even night owls and insomniacs can find rest and wake up feeling refreshed!
The year is 2033! How far has Jaserie grown as a brand? What other products have you added to your range to help those who can’t sleep?
In the year 2033, I see Jaserie having grown into a global brand with a strong presence in the sleeping industry. Our products will not only be available online, but we will also have brick-and-mortar retail stores all over Southeast Asia, allowing customers to experience our products in person.
In terms of our product range, we will have expanded beyond our signature bamboo charcoal pillow to include other sleep-related products such as sheets, beddings, and sleepwear, all made from sustainable and high-quality materials. We will continue to innovate and improve our products based on customer feedback and the latest sleep research, always striving to provide the best possible sleeping experience!
What is one piece of advice you would give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
As an entrepreneur myself, my advice would be to embrace the possibility of failure and to not let it hold you back. Starting a business is inherently risky, and not every idea will be a success. However, instead of striving for perfection, take action and learn from every failure. This approach can help you improve and refine your business strategy, and ultimately lead to success. To get started, aim to be as lean as possible and focus on creating a minimum viable product, as recommended in the book Lean Startup. Remember, as James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, says, “The best enemy is the enemy of the good.” Don’t let the pursuit of perfection prevent you from taking action and pursuing your entrepreneurial dreams.
Shop Jaserie on Poptron.co, or check out their official site!
Which Poptron merchants do you want to hear from next? Let us know in the comments below! Don’t forget to follow us on our social channels for more fun content, tips, and stories on your favourite local brands!
