The BedBuzz

Hosted by Harry Roberts and Jimmy Hill

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Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Our mission is to create an entertaining and informative platform where we dive into the world of our Mattress Firm family, the mattress industry, and all things sleep. We uncover the captivating stories of Mattress Firm employees and industry veterans and explore their journeys, experiences, and the valuable lessons they've learned while having fun and selling beds. In addition to the storytelling, we'll also share practical tips and tricks of the trade along with the importance of sleep wellness. Our host, Harry Roberts, is one of the original founders of Mattress Firm, the largest sleep shop chain in the United States. Our Co-host, Jimmy Hill, has broad experience in mattress retail, mattress wholesale and building a mattress brand from the ground up. Together, Harry and Jimmy's contagious passion, enthusiasm, and sense of humor will have you waiting for their next episode.

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60 recent

October 23, 2026Episode 2139 min

The Power of Planning with Charlie Roberts

What separates people who achieve their goals from those who simply hope for success? According to Charlie Roberts, it all starts with having a plan and, more importantly, working that plan! In this episode of The BedBuzz Podcast, we welcome back Charlie Roberts, one of the driving forces behind the planning principles that helped build Mattress Firm. With decades of leadership experience at Marriott and Mattress Firm, Charlie shares the lessons, strategies, and personal stories that shaped his career and helped others achieve success. In this episode, we discuss: The Power of Planning: Why successful people begin with the end in mind. The 1, 3, and 5-Year Plan: How to create a vision for your future and build a roadmap to get there. Goals vs. Planning: Understanding the difference between knowing what you want and knowing how to achieve it. What's Vital vs. What's Important: How to focus your time and energy on what really matters. Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan: The importance of daily to-do lists, accountability, and continuous improvement. Personal and Professional Success: How connecting career goals with personal ambitions creates motivation and purpose. Leadership Lessons: Charlie shares stories from his Marriott career, including a management mistake that nearly cost him his job. The Early Days of Mattress Firm: A behind-the-scenes look at how Charlie helped Harry, Paul, and Steve turn big dreams into a successful business. Charlie also shares his favorite business book, The One Minute Manager , and explains why celebrating wins, developing people, and learning to delegate are essential leadership skills. Whether you're a retail sales associate, manager, business owner, or simply someone looking to accomplish more in life, this episode is packed with practical advice you can start using today. As Charlie reminds us, success doesn't happen by accident. You have to plan to win!

October 9, 2026Episode 2027 min

Meet Your New Sales Coach: ChatGPT

What if you had a personal sales coach in your pocket that was available anytime you wanted to practice? In this episode of The BedBuzz Podcast, we put ChatGPT to work as a personal sales coach and test it live! We take on real situations every mattress salesperson faces, including how to respond to “We’re just looking,” asking better discovery questions, handling “We need to think about it,” uncovering the real objection, and knowing when to stop talking and listen. We also put ourselves through some live role playing and let Coach ChatGPT tell us what we did well, what we missed, and what we could do differently. The biggest takeaway? You can practice without judgment. Mess it up, reset, and try again. You can even use ChatGPT right after a walk while the conversation is still fresh to help figure out what you could have done differently. ChatGPT can’t shake a customer’s hand, share a warm smile, or replace the human connection that great salespeople create. But it can help you practice, get more reps, and become a better salesperson. If you want to get better at selling, meet your new personal sales coach: Coach ChatGPT!

September 25, 2026Episode 191 hr 3 min

Undercover at Mattress Firm: Maurice Edwards’ Incredible Story

This week we sit down with longtime Mattress Firm leader Maurice Edwards, now with Katapult , for one of our most entertaining conversations yet. Maurice started at Mattress Firm at just 17 years old and eventually worked his way up to Senior Vice President of Enterprise Risk Management. Along the way, he built a career filled with leadership lessons and some unbelievable loss prevention stories. Maurice takes us behind the scenes of going undercover in Mattress Firm warehouses, investigating theft and organized crime, conducting undercover store shops, and helping build a loss prevention operation as Mattress Firm grew across the country. But this episode is about much more than catching the bad guys. Maurice talks about the mentors who shaped his career, learning from failure, staying out of company politics, developing people, and why taking care of your people is ultimately what matters most. Plus, Maurice shares a great lesson about why there really are no bad days, just bad hours. Lots of laughs, some crazy Mattress Firm history, and plenty of lessons you can use in your own career.

September 11, 2026Episode 1857 min

Avocado’s Mark DesJardin: Entrepreneurship, Innovation & the Future of Sleep

In this episode of The BedBuzz Podcast, we sit down with Mark DesJardin, Director of Business Development for Avocado Green Brands. Mark’s path into the mattress industry is anything but ordinary. From selling shoes and launching startups to racing bicycles, building a cycling app, and helping develop equipment that powered the bed-in-a-box boom, Mark has seen the business from almost every angle. We talk about entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, recruiting, health and wellness, natural materials, and what the mattress industry may look like over the next five years. Mark also shares why culture played such a big role in his decision to join Avocado and why he believes some of the best talent can come from places you would never expect. Along the way, Mark talks about the importance of focus, building the right team, getting 1% better every day, and keeping stressful situations in perspective. It’s a fun, high-energy conversation with plenty of great stories, laughs, and takeaways for anyone in sales, leadership, retail, manufacturing, or the mattress industry.

August 28, 2026Episode 1726 min

Elliott Wilson's Game Plan for Winning the Biggest Weekend of the Year-Labor Day!

Labor Day is the Super Bowl of mattress sales, and we’re bringing back one of our favorite BedBuzz episodes to help you get ready! We sit down with longtime mattress industry veteran Elliott Wilson, who shares lessons learned from more than 24 Labor Day weekends and some of his biggest selling days. Elliott breaks down how to create energy in your store, get that important first sale, use team selling, handle multiple guests, know your inventory and prepare for the competition. He also talks about the mental side of a huge weekend and how to quickly reset after a tough walk and get right back in the game. Most importantly, it’s about creating an environment where your team and your guests are having FUN. Turn it up, get yourself ready for Labor Day and remember… Have FUN and sell beds! And, of course… MORE COWBELL! 🔔

August 14, 2026Episode 1649 min

Don’t Wait for Traffic! Go Create It! with Greg & Katie Law

What if your job wasn’t just to sell mattresses but to create your own business within the business? Greg and Katie Law of Sweet Dreams Furniture & Mattress return to The BedBuzz to share how they transformed the traditional Sales Associate role into a Sales & Marketing Associate role and built a culture where their team doesn’t just wait for customers to walk through the door. Greg and Katie share practical ideas their team uses every day, including networking, business development, volunteering, referrals, community involvement and their unique “Sweet Dreams Cash” program. We also talk about the power of becoming your customer’s “mattress guy,” creating memorable experiences for repeat customers, building genuine relationships in your community, and why people buy from people they know, like and trust. Plus, Greg and Katie explain how clearly defined core values helped transform the culture at Sweet Dreams and create a team of leaders who take ownership of the business. In this episode: Sales Associate vs. Sales & Marketing Associate How to create traffic instead of waiting for it Networking, business development and volunteering Turning customers into repeat customers and referral sources The Sweet Dreams Cash referral strategy Becoming your customer’s “mattress guy” Creating memorable customer experiences Building your personal sphere of influence Getting involved in your community without “selling” Creating a business within the business Building culture through core values Why great salespeople are always creating opportunities The big takeaway: Everybody sleeps. Every relationship is an opportunity to help someone—and you don’t have to wait for traffic to come to you. Have FUN and sell beds!

July 31, 2026Episode 151 hr 8 min

PranaSleep's Jason Goodman on Leadership, Mentorship & Success

What does it take to go from selling mattresses on the sales floor to becoming one of the fastest-rising executives in Mattress Firm history? In this episode of The BedBuzz Podcast , We sit down with Jason Goodman to explore an incredible career built on hard work, mentorship, leadership, and a willingness to take risks. Jason shares the lessons he learned from industry legends including Gary Fazio, Steve Stagner, Philip Busker, Charlie Roberts, and Harry Roberts, along with the leadership principles that shaped his success. He also discusses his entrepreneurial journey, what he learned outside the mattress industry, and why he returned to help grow PranaSleep across the country. You'll hear stories about Mattress Firm's explosive growth years, franchise expansion, building high-performing teams, the importance of mentors, and Jason's simple leadership philosophy: Love. Money. Metrics. Whether you're a retail salesperson, manager, business owner, or industry veteran, this episode is packed with practical leadership lessons and entertaining stories from one of the industry's most respected leaders. And of course...stick around until the end for Jason's craziest mattress sale!

July 17, 2026Episode 141 hr 6 min

Mattress Firm's CMO Philip Busker Celebrates Mattress Firm's 40th Anniversary (Part 2)

In Part Two of our special 40th Anniversary conversation, Mattress Firm's Chief Merchandising Officer, Philip Busker , continues sharing the incredible experiences that helped shape both his career and Mattress Firm's evolution into the nation's largest mattress specialty retailer. Philip reflects on launching Mattress Pro in Las Vegas, overcoming major business challenges, returning to Mattress Firm during a pivotal time in the company's history, and helping build one of the industry's premier merchandising organizations. In this episode you'll hear: The Mattress Pro story and its eventual acquisition Lessons learned from leadership, entrepreneurship, and adversity Philip's philosophy on merchandising and product innovation Building exclusive products that changed the business Why trust, culture, and opportunity have always been part of Mattress Firm's DNA Reflections on Brian Wilson's lasting legacy Advice for the next generation of Mattress Firm leaders This episode is filled with stories, leadership lessons, and a behind-the-scenes look at what has made Mattress Firm special for 40 years. Thank you for celebrating Mattress Firm's 40th Anniversary with us on The Bed Buzz .

July 3, 2026Episode 131 hr 4 min

Celebrating Mattress Firm's 40th Anniversary with CMO Philip Busker (Part 1)

As Mattress Firm celebrates its 40th Anniversary , We welcome one of the company's most influential leaders, Chief Merchandising Officer Philip Busker , for the first of a special two-part conversation. Philip joined Mattress Firm in 1989 as a salesperson and quickly became one of the company's top performers. From there, he helped launch and grow franchise operations in Austin, San Antonio, Kansas City, Wichita, and Tulsa , before eventually returning to the corporate team where he now serves as Chief Merchandising Officer. In Part One, Philip shares unforgettable stories from the early days of Mattress Firm, including: How he got his start in the mattress business Winning a Cadillac as the nation's top Stearns & Foster salesperson The scrappy culture and competitive spirit that fueled Mattress Firm's growth Leadership lessons that still guide him today What made the company's people-first culture so special from the very beginning Whether you've been with Mattress Firm for decades or are just beginning your journey, this episode offers a fascinating look at the people, culture, and values that helped build the nation's largest mattress specialty retailer. Be sure to join us in two weeks for Part Two , where Philip shares the next chapter of his remarkable career, including Mattress Pro, Las Vegas, returning to Mattress Firm, and his vision as CMO.

June 19, 2026Episode 131 hr 9 min

40 Years of Mattress Firm: Harry Roberts Tells the Story

As we approach the 40th Anniversary of Mattress Firm, this week's episode of The BedBuzz is a special re-release of Harry Roberts Tells His Story , originally recorded on the Dos Marcos Podcast . It's one of the best conversations ever recorded about how Mattress Firm got its start and the people who built it. Harry shares the incredible journey of three young friends from South Dakota who started Mattress Firm in 1986 with just $15,000, a dream, and a lot of determination. Along the way, you'll hear stories about the early struggles, the sacrifices, the culture they built, and the principles that helped transform a small Houston startup into a nationally recognized company. Episode Highlights: How the name "The Mattress Firm" was created over a case of Miller Lite Why cleanliness, trust, and customer experience became competitive advantages The sacrifices made during the first years, including 13 months without a paycheck The power of positive thinking, teamwork, and culture How franchising fueled explosive growth across the country Harry's advice for today's leaders: "Stay close to the front door." One of my favorite takeaways is Harry's reminder that success wasn't built on being the smartest people in the room—it was built on passion, relationships, gratitude, and taking care of people. Those values remain just as important today as they were 40 years ago.