money into the dream as they could scrape up. this is all highly specialized equipment. >> oh, absolutely. >> reporter: i'm guessing expensive. >> very expensive. very expensive. >> reporter: then they had an inspiration. they developed a ground-breaking product based on their experience, a fire-resistant mattress, one of the first of its kind on the market and it took off with customers. >> it gained some new business, so there was a silver lining to the cloud. >> reporter: the lessons learned of taking care of the staff and working hard and never giving up have helped them grow from a handful to 100 employees despite the recession. the mantra is simple -- >> you can't retreat. you can't retreat. you have to keep moving forward. >> reporter: that does not guarantee success, but even in tough economic times, it helps them all sleep a little easier. it is a competitive, competitive business, but they are staying in there relying on the