Business Name: Spinalis Canada
SpinaliS is a top European active and healthy sitting brand founded in 1999. It is the official distributor of SpinaliS Active Sitting Office Chairs for North America. We sell online and ship all over Canada and the USA.
Active sitting chairs are available at the north-American market. They are comfortable, and you sit without back pain. The furniture improves core strength and posture.
SpinaliS offers more models for various workplaces and uses. Each SpinaliS chair is designed to the user’s body size and needs. We have chairs for all ages, all genders, short/tall people, individuals in different professions, and workplaces.
Our chairs are popular for Dentists, Musicians, Beauticians, Tattoo Salon homes, and Office Desk Chairs. Our team is happy to assist you in locating the model that fits you the best.
You can also try our online Quiz to find out the best-fitting model for you.
Owner’s Story
In 2006, My “Chair lady” journey started
SpinaliS Ambassador – Janette Badlikova is the founder of SpinaliS Canada Company. I have been working with SpinaliS chairs since 2006.
In 2006, I lived in Prague, Czech Republic. As a marketing-management manager, I ran an “Active Wellness” company. Our individual and complex programs focus on helping people live active and healthy lives. Unfortunately, I couldn’t miss that many clients in their forties or fifties, even if they worked out 2-3 times a week, were dealing with severe back pain issues, weak core, and tiredness. It was because of their sedentary jobs. Since they spent many hours a day sitting hunched over their desks, their muscles weakened, and their posture worsened. Although they were responsible and showed up for their Pilates or Gym class a couple of times a week, it didn’t seem enough to beat this problem.
I was lucky to discover the active sitting concept and ordered the first SpinaliS Chair. I started using it, unsure what to expect, and after about a month, I noticed a pleasant change in how I could sit longer. I could focus on my work and finish a day without back pain. I was genuinely amazed by a product that could be revolutionary for our clients, beating their back issues and improving their overall condition.
What Motivated Me to Start this Business?
My focus shifted from the wellness business to the chair distribution business because I loved the product. The business started gaining popularity, and clients were excited, spreading only positive reviews. It wasn’t easy because the supplier was not dealing fairly and changed the conditions and prices multiple times. There were only two options, quitting this business and moving on or reaching the contract directly with the SpinaliS manufacturer.
Considering I was finishing my Master’s Degree and caring for my ten-month-old baby, I was close to shutting this indefinitely. I refused to give up. I partnered with a friend, and we devised a strategy and kept trying. In 2009, we got the exclusive license directly from the manufacturer!
Relatively calm, comfortable, and safe office professions have their pitfalls. The popular scientific magazine Scientific American gave them a common denominator – “deadly chairs.”
In the last 20 years, almost two dozen studies have focused on the effect of long-term sitting on health. In 2010, the results of seven-year research were published, and 8,800 adults were followed. Those who sat for more than four hours a day had a 46 percent higher mortality rate than people who sat for less than two hours. Other research has found that people who sit for more than half of their day are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes or cardiovascular problems than the average population.
2010 – 2015 Spinalis Chairs Distribution In Europe.
These were years of intense hard work, promoting and distributing SpinaliS Chairs in central Europe, happy customers and dealers, and a Big Success. We opened 33 SpinaliS Stores in three European countries and helped many people to beat their back pain.
2016 Spinalis Chairs Distribution Moving to North America
I moved to Vancouver, Canada, for personal reasons and started a new chapter of my life there. I did not intend to leave the business with healthy sitting. However, I felt potential here, dealing with health-conscious people and those with back issues.
I started the SpinaliS distribution business with my husband. Full of great expectations, we thought big market big sales, but everything was different here. It took me a year to figure out the basics; the business rules of this marketplace, people’s habits, and the way they think or decide. Our product was a newbie, the first active chair introduced here, and finding our first customers was more challenging. I had difficulty understanding that all that energy, financial resources, and time invested wasn’t paying off as I expected.
Here comes my first piece of advice if you are entering a new market: “Even if you know your product well, and because of your past business experience, you are more than sure of its benefits and positive effects for potential customers, don’t expect they would see it the same away.” I suggest starting with the baby steps rather than spending too much with huge expectations to prevent financial loss and disappointment.”
2017 Dragons Den
We applied to audition for the Dragons Den TV Show, and the show producer loved our product. We got the unique chance to introduce our product to the public on TV in this popular show.
Here is how our pitch sounded:
“Dragons, how many of you spend hours sitting in a chair? I am sure you know that sitting all day causes sore back and tiredness. Statistics say that over 68% of North Americans have chronic back or neck pain. What are our options? Maybe you tried sitting on the ball, which is tiring because it lacks back support, or standing the whole day using a stand-up desk? There are other known side effects of long-standing, such as sore feet, swollen legs, or varicose veins. Our solution is ACTIVE SITTING on SpinaliS chairs! SpinaliS are unique chairs with a movable seat on a spring and fully adjustable back and armrests. The movable seat turns all the negative issues of passive sitting into activity while strengthening the back and core muscles. SpinaliS chairs are the only chairs on the market developed by health professionals to relieve back pain instead of causing it!”
What Dragons Said When We Exchanged Their Chairs For SpinaliS
Michelle, Arleene, and Manjit tested the SpinaliS Apollo model, the most popular model for ladies. Joe and Michael tried the SpinaliS Spider model, a very nice and comfy managers’ chair. All dragons loved active sitting. Jim decided to keep the chair right away!
However, if you are curious about how it went for us, You can watch the whole episode here
Author’s Advice
Don’t hesitate to go for auditioning for the Dragons Den or Shark Tank,
You have nothing to lose, even if you are unsure whether you want to work with an investor or are uncertain about the attractiveness of your business to the potential investor. This will be an excellent opportunity to bring your business to a new level. The media exposure is priceless. People will recognize your product wherever you go. You can use that publicity on your website, tradeshows, and other marketing events.
Our Pitch at Dragons Den was successful! The publicity helped our business tremendously!
2019 – 2021: What Impact Did the Covid-19 Pandemic Have On Our Business?
During the pandemic years, people started working from home. Therefore, many office workers were motivated to get themselves a good quality chair. A SpinaliS chair suitable for prolonged sitting has an excellent design and compact size and feels comfortable, and is a perfect fit for that. Our sales increased during the pandemic years. People are moving back to their offices and are willing to invest in SpinaliS chairs. This will help them with back pains after a long rest during the covid period.
Competition
Competition for office chairs is fierce. Many brands are on the market, and it might be hard to choose.
Active sitting is a unique concept to introduce the activity to your workplace and use the time you spend sitting down to strengthen your back and core muscles.
At SpinaliS Canada
We know you want to be more energetic, less tired, and less sore and get your job done faster. Our mission is to help you to achieve that.
Change how you sit at work all day to achieve comfort. Most office chairs on the market with fixed seats cause us back pain and tiredness. We believe you have heard about many alternatives people have tried, from kneeling chairs to sitting on therapeutic exercise balls or stand-up desks. We understand it isn’t easy to try everything to make the right decision. It might be costly, take too long, and cause more side effects.
We offer an individual approach. We solve your problems by providing the best-fitting active chair or stool, suitable for your body size, workplace type, and job needs. Check out our chairs on our online page.
The TOP 3 benefits of Active Sitting Chairs:
GP
The work of a family doctor includes a wide range of clinical diversity, which requires extensive knowledge and erudition from a specialist. However, I believe that the most important thing for a family doctor is to be human because the cooperation and understanding between the doctor and the patient are crucial in ensuring successful health care. On my days off, I love being in nature. Since childhood, I have been passionate about playing chess and tennis. Whenever I have time off, I enjoy traveling around the world.
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