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For Bryce Perron, CEO and Managing Director of CPAP Direct, the path to building one of Australia’s largest independent sleep health providers began not in a boardroom but in a bedroom – specifically, his own.
“I was quite a chronic snorer and my now-wife said, ‘You need to do something about that if we’re going to get married,’” he tells The CEO Magazine.
“So I had a sleep test and was told that I stopped breathing 28 times an hour in my sleep, which was crazy. I thought, ‘Well, no wonder I’m tired during the day.’”
“There’s a stigma out there that sleep apnea is just for old, overweight people.”
Years later, in 2014, after struggling to afford and navigate treatment options, Perron – who has a background in business and marketing – and his wife acquired a small business with just three stores and three staff. That business would become CPAP Direct, now a national operation with 22 stores, more than 160 employees and multiple divisions spanning retail, diagnostic sleep testing, home care services and wholesale.
But as Perron explains, the goal was never about growth for growth’s sake or even financial gain, but rather to help more people, like himself, access this life-altering care.
Indeed, Perron and CPAP Direct established early on that the most pressing issues to address were education and ease of access.
“So many people are affected by sleep apnea, yet 80 percent of people suffering from it are still undiagnosed,” he points out.
“So this is why we have people falling asleep at the wheel and running into the back of other cars. A lot of that is due to fatigue. And if you’ve got sleep apnea, it doesn’t matter if you get eight or nine hours of sleep at night, for some people, this may only be equivalent to an hour or so of sleep.”
Perron says it’s vital to dispel the myths out there about exactly who sleep apnea can affect.
“There’s a stigma out there that sleep apnea is just for old, overweight people,” he reveals. “My son was diagnosed with sleep apnea when he was four years old because it can be hereditary. A lot of people don’t realize it affects females almost as much as it does men.
“In post-menopausal women, it’s super common, but again, undiagnosed.”
“We are interested in making sure that you’re on a journey where you feel supported and you get the success.”
Underdiagnosed and widely misunderstood, CPAP Direct is working to change the narrative one diagnosis at a time.
“For people who have sleep apnea, when we go to sleep, our brain shuts off the muscles around our throat,” Perron explains. “The airway starts to narrow and that’s what causes the snoring. For people with sleep apnea, it closes completely.
“So we’ve gone into a deep stage of sleep and then we’ve basically suffocated – oxygen levels drop, brain cells are dying and we’ve basically been choked out in our sleep.
“We then get a thing called an arousal, which is like an adrenaline dump into our body, which pulls us out of the deep sleep into a really light stage of sleep so we can reengage our motor function and take a breath. Then the cycle repeats over and over all night.”
The consequences are serious, with untreated sleep apnea linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and dementia. While it can seem appealing to self-medicate and purchase treatment devices online without proper guidance, Perron firmly advises against it.
“If people don’t have the right advice, troubleshooting and support or have someone coaching them to overcome any comfort issues, a lot of people quit and are then unknowingly faced with the long-term consequences,” he says.
The solution? CPAP Direct’s model, which promises a commitment that runs counter to industry trends: comprehensive, ongoing patient support provided free of charge. From initial consultations to device setup, troubleshooting and long-term monitoring, the company invests heavily in ensuring patients adapt seamlessly to therapy.
“That’s part of our competitive advantage. It’s also our point of difference in the market,” Perron says.
“We’re not interested in just getting a credit card. We are interested in making sure that you’re on a journey where you feel supported and you get the success so that you can stop snoring, wake up refreshed and improve relationships with your other half.”
Mandating all staff members have firsthand experience using CPAP equipment is another of Perron’s non-negotiables designed to foster empathy and credibility, as many sufferers of sleep apnea feel like they aren’t being heard or understood.
That people-first mentality extends into every facet of the organization, from how it deals with its suppliers to its overarching company culture.
“I think that’s been a key part of our success, focusing on appreciating our people, which then flows on to how we care for our patients,” he reflects.
“As we’ve grown, we’ve really treated other CPAP providers and our suppliers as our business partners. We grow together and look to collaborate.”
Working together with critical partners and industry giants – Resmed and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare – CPAP Direct has ensured it really dominates the space in Australia.
“Resmed has been collaborative right from the get-go, even though they’re technically our biggest competitor in the retail market, because they have acquired other CPAP providers,” Perron confirms. “But we have a very healthy respect for each other and the guys that we deal with are ethical forward thinkers and always asking, ‘How do we continue to grow together?’
“When we bought the business, Fisher & Paykel was also one of the most supportive companies ever. They went out of their way to really help us find our feet within a brand-new industry.”
“Everyone in our organization is like family to us. It’s people, even over profit!”
The core values of ‘PEOPLE’ (Passion, Empowerment, Openness, Playfulness, Leadership and Excellence) sit at the heart of the business, which has built a culture where recognition, gratitude and support are part of everyday operations.
It’s an approach that reflects the belief championed by Richard Branson.
“Look after your people and they’ll look after the customers,” Perron concludes. “It’s awesome to have so much gratitude around us. Everyone in our organization is like family to us. It’s people, even over profit!”
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