In 2020, Chris Videau found himself locked in his bedroom, sick with COVID-19, quarantining from his wife and son. The former U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter pilot, who had spent 14 years flying missions across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, had recently left the military and launched a business with his wife selling laundry detergent sheets online. Between coughs and naps, he watched news reports about retail stores closing, and people now purchasing everyday essentials online. He knew it was the right time to expand his sales strategy to Amazon.
“I watched consumer purchasing habits change overnight,” Videau recalled.
After learning how to build a product listing through YouTube videos, Videau made the transition to selling in the Amazon store in 2020. “I built a listing, but I didn’t necessarily understand all the ins and outs,” he admitted. He almost gave up after a few months, but then he switched from fulfilling orders himself to using Amazon to fulfill orders, which shortened delivery times. That’s when everything changed.
“The volume started to grow rapidly on Amazon. It grew so rapidly to the point that we were running out of product—we couldn’t get it in there fast enough.”
Nearly six years later, Sheets Laundry Club, based in Mooresville, N.C., has transformed from a small operation into a thriving business selling not only in the Amazon store but on military bases and in 1,800 retail locations worldwide.
“Without Amazon, we would’ve never grown beyond a four-person operation,” Videau said.
Today, Sheets Laundry Club sells laundry detergent sheets, scent boosters, and plant-based dryer sheets, all with plastic-free packaging. Their focus on sustainability and convenience has resonated with customers. Amazon now represents about 60 percent of their overall monthly sales. The company has grown from selling 2,000 boxes per month to shipping up to 2,500 boxes in a single day.
The company completed construction of its U.S. manufacturing facility in 2025 and is now beginning a 90-day transition as it moves away from contract manufacturing. Once the transition is complete, all Sheets Laundry Club laundry detergent sheets will be produced at the company’s new American manufacturing facility. The investment in domestic manufacturing also positions the company to accelerate product innovation while improving efficiency across its supply chain.
“We’re incredibly excited about this next chapter,” he said. “Bringing our laundry sheet manufacturing in-house allows us to innovate faster, reduce product weight and shipping costs, and ultimately deliver better value to consumers compared to traditional products sold in major retail stores.”
Videau’s motivation to sell in Amazon’s store came from understanding that consumer behavior was fundamentally shifting. What he didn’t expect was how Amazon’s tools would transform not just his sales, but his entire business strategy.
They started with Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM), which allows sellers to store, pack, and ship products directly to customers from their own facilities. But FBM’s lead times were 7-10 days, and Videau quickly learned that “consumers need laundry detergent now.” Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), which provides the storage, picking, packing, fulfillment, and customer service for sellers, solved that critical challenge by enabling 24-48 hour delivery anywhere in the U.S.
Subscribe and Save, which Sheets Laundry Club started using in 2022, also provided predictable recurring revenue. In four years, they’ve acquired over 60,000 subscribers, who get discounted pricing and coupons for signing up for regularly scheduled deliveries. “It allowed us to build a manufacturing facility, knowing that we can fund the capital required to do that,” Videau explained. “Without a Subscribe and Save option, every month is a mystery.”
Amazon’s Brand Registry eliminated counterfeit products that were creating bad customer experiences. The tool leverages advanced machine learning and expert investigators to prevent the attempted listing of counterfeit or infringing products.
A+ Content allows the company to feature their full product portfolio with imagery, carousels, photos, and videos, addressing customer questions before they make a purchase and reducing product returns.
In addition, Brand Analytics in their Amazon Seller Central dashboard, combined with insights from their Amazon account manager, revealed an unexpected truth: their market wasn’t just sustainability-focused consumers—it was convenience-seekers. This insight transformed their entire marketing strategy across all channels with more targeted messaging.
Beyond business growth, Sheets Laundry Club is committed to community impact. The company created “Loads for Life,” a trailer that provides free laundry services to homeless communities. After Hurricane Helene devastated nearby areas, they used the trailer to help victims who had gone weeks without clean laundry. “We can at least make them feel good for a week,” Videau said, “because some of these people have gone three, four, or five weeks without seeing clean laundry.”
Reflecting on the journey from helicopter pilot to laundry entrepreneur, Videau acknowledged the unexpected parallels. “I was a Blackhawk pilot for the better part of my military service. It was an adrenaline rush,” he recalled. “And then you get into the laundry space, and in the first 90 days, I was like, ‘This is boring.’ But as that growth happens, the expansion grows, the hiring increases, the building gets bigger, and that adrenaline comes back in a different capacity that makes it equally as exciting.”