Hindsight is 20/20: a letter from our founder Aaron Ambuske

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December 29, 2020 2 min read

Dear HEST Family,

2020 is certainly a year none of us could forget. It was historical on many levels as the human race was faced with many changes and challenges on an individual to global scale. As we close down the year here in our small corner of the world of HEST, we reflect upon a dynamic year as a startup. It has been quite the journey and we are grateful you have joined the adventure.

In light of the world affairs, many have found solace in spending more time outdoors pursuing adventures and connecting with nature. The very essence of this desire is why HEST was created, to enable more people to enjoy the great outdoors by bringing the comforts of their home to the outdoors. Furthermore, the importance of sleep has never been more relevant for our overall well being. Scientifically, spending time outside naturally reduces stress and enhances your mental health and a good night’s sleep, no matter where you are, has endless benefits. The vision of HEST bridges these values so you can ultimately Sleep Well to Play More.

As more people continue to explore the outdoors and hit the world to explore new places, all HEST products are designed to be portable, personal and ready for adventure. Sleep is important; we exist for you to take the setup that keeps you clean and comfortable.
Running and growing a startup comes with it’s own set of trials and tribulations. Every day presents new challenges from building shelves in our warehouse to selecting the right color pantones for our accessories to rushing to Fedex before they close to get the last shipment out the door. The dynamics of running a business are exhilarating, exhausting, inspiring, funny, humbling, gratifying, relentless, motivating and all the feelings in between.

Most memorable ( for better or worse) HEST Startup Moments in 2020:

Bringing the pillow to life from concept to distribution
Fully funding our HEST Pillow Kickstarter campaign in three hours
Adjusting to pandemic timelines
Fulfilling Kickstarter orders (right) before the holidays
Working with artists and pros like Eric Pollard, Ryan Schmies and Gretchen Leggitt
Amazing media coverage in Men’s Journal, Field & Stream, Clever Hiker, Outside and more inspiring titles!
Early season pow turns at our local hill
New team members
Opening doors to our new office space, aka the “HESTquarters”
Happy customers with fantastic testimonials of using the product in the field
Gaining new customers around the world Ideating the next best HEST product…..

…..Stay tuned for 2021, we have big product ideas and brand plans in the hopper. We can’t wait to bring you along!

Much gratitude for following along and supporting the brand, we appreciate your business and social support by following us on IG @hestoutdoors and Facebookor writing a review. Pro Tip: Joining our newsletter today (scroll down to the bottom of hest.com homepage to sign up) and be the first in the know on all things HEST.

Happy New Year!
Aaron Ambuske