Anneliese Wall
Great, Hardly Hustle just arrived in your inbox.
The goal of Hardly Hustle is to provide inspiration, drive and motivation in a 10 minute read or less. What you see is what you get. This is hot off the press without an editing team.
2-3% OF CHILDREN IN AMERICA CURRENTLY SLEEP ON THE FLOOR.
Anneliese Wall is up.
Who are you and what do you do?
I am the Founder and President of the nonprofit A Bed and A Book. We provide clean, comfortable, age appropriate beds and books to children ages 0 to 18. We work with professional referring agencies to identify the families most in need, then deliver a brand new twin-sized beds complete with new mattresses, sheet sets, comforters, and pillows to their home.
Thanks to our partners at Bookmarks, children also receive 2-3 books that can transport them to other worlds as they drift off to sleep. Our team of volunteers build and deliver the beds to the families’ homes, and are often accompanied by special guests such as college sports teams, law enforcement, Fire Departments or even the mayor—turning every delivery day into a celebration.
What did it take/how did you get started?
2-3% OF CHILDREN IN AMERICA CURRENTLY SLEEP ON THE FLOOR. I first identified the need of 3 children sleeping in a shower curtain and covering up with towels. I couldn’t sleep in my own bed at night after seeing this and decided I needed to give them a safe space to lay their heads. The referrals kept coming and with little but hope and a dream the nonprofit developed.
The reality is tomorrow, many children will wake up and go to school tired. A lack of sleep during these critical points of development carries an emotional and physical impact that lasts beyond childhood. A Bed and A Book is on a mission to create safe and enriching environments where every child can dream.
What does the future look like for you and your business?
A Bed and a Book is located in several counties throughout North Carolina. We are focusing on growing our program and hoping to expand into more areas in North Carolina and providing beds to children nationally in the future.
What drives / motivates you on a daily basis?
The faces of the children once they receive their new bed and no longer have to sleep on the floor. You would think it was a huge playground and a new car and it is just a basic necessity every child should have.
What advice would you give someone interested in doing what you do?
The support of the community is needed. Enlisting help from all ages and groups will help sustain the mission and passion of your organization.
What has been the hardest part of your business journey?
Not been affluent with the non profit world or having a background in business. As a single mom working a full time job on top of running the nonprofit there can be very challenging days. The passion for the children in need is what continues to drive through all the hurdles.
How have you managed burnout thus far?
Having the help of community, friends and family help maintain the burnout.
What are a few resources that you'd recommend?
Online information is always at your disposal. Also, books, literature, podcast and community leaders.
The STATS
Founder:
Anneliese Wall
How many hours a week do you work on this hustle?
40
# of Employees?
1 contract part time employee
When did you start?
We just had our fourth anniversary
How much did it cost to launch?
I don’t recall full total
What were your funding methods and ballpark amount raised?
Grants, foundations, corporations and individual donors and not sure amount raised in total
Annual revenue?
~$80K
Projected revenue?
~$100K+
What's the #1 thing you need right now?
We are in need of a warehouse. We are currently in a space that’s free and it is being sold and we will need to move
