I’ve written several versions of this not knowing if anyone will even read it, but as it sounds like most of my advice blogs are quite ranty (that’s what the internet is for surely?) I figured it’s probably worth sharing a bit about me and why I’m doing this.

This started as a “I like using reusable nappies it is easy and I think I could probably get a few people to convert with a couple of trial packs” little idea. That seemed like something I wanted to explore, and then of course it just blew up into a “well I can’t seem to do this as a franchise so I might as well go the whole hog”. And low and behold I now have a limited company, quality suppliers and a big learning experiment that may or may not pay off. Turns out the pandemic has come back and now currently it’s the only thing I’m doing, second to looking after my 13 month old of course (who I’m nicknaming Mr Monkey) my 6 yr old daughter and my ever supportive husband (who will need nicknames but I haven’t decided on them yet).

I’ve wanted to build my own thing where I can be more creative for a while, to try something different, stretch myself professionally & personally, but I never quite knew what that thing was until this year. I’m not fully professionally qualified or experienced enough to be a consultant. I’m happy not to be touting a skincare brand like Avon or Tropic or Arbonne etc. I can be a bit of a product junkie but I don’t even style my hair every day so no one would probably believe me. I love books but I’m not passionate enough to drag them around with me; I’m not brave enough to facilitate a class; and I’m not crafty enough to produce anything homemade. But I do make the free fleece liners I provide with my nappies, so that counts as something I make right?

Discovering reusable nappies on my second child has reawakened an eco-conscious mindset that I don’t think I’ve recognised since I was an idealistic teenager.

When it comes down to it there were lots of things I did having a baby the first time around, that I realised I could save money and be a bit greener by doing things differently or supported more locally the second time around.

I think the world has changed more this year than we could ever anticipate and I hope more of us continue to work at home regardless so we can all waste less time, money and fuel commuting back and forth and get that back in time that we spend with our nearest and dearest. And also reconsider our own environmental impact and the amount of disposable convenience products we waste or throw away on a daily basis because we tell ourselves we are too busy to change habits.

There are hopefully fewer coffee cups and sandwich packets in landfill because of lockdowns, as well as disposable nappies as more people switch to real nappies due to panic buying. But there are undoubtedly more discarded facemasks. And this is why I passionately believe unless you are working in a medical setting or a profession that requires it for safety everyone else should use a reusable mask. And that’s why I found the most comfortable ones to sell (please buy one). We are probably going to have to wear them for at least another 12-18 months after all.

The thought of doing it alone in the middle of the worst economic crisis for a decade really did scare me. But I’m at a point where what I do has to mean something if it takes me away from my kids, and when I look at the list of local employers there is no where that deals with anything eco-related, despite being in an area that is surrounded by both forest and opportunity. And that’s why I decided to form my own. This is a total learning experience, but I only learn by doing things the hard way.

So I’m actually doing this. Setting up my own business (gulp). Becoming a Mumtrepreneur (high five). Living the dream (woo hoo) … keep wishing me luck! & please keep liking posts! (so I know someone is reading, you are all too quiet, and I hope to get better at this, I promise).