Recently Facebook took it upon itself to inform Aggie that it was five years since I’d designed her branding and website, and so I decided this was an excellent time to begin my INTERVIEW WITH… series – with one of my very favourite clients and projects 🙂 I also became a customer myself with two cloth bummed children (one still in nappies) so it was very easy for me to get excited about working with Aggie.
This is all about Aggie and her business, Grow up Green.
– What is your business?
Grow Up Green is an ethical retailer of cloth nappies, baby carriers and other eco products for the young family.
– Why did you start Grow up Green/ what inspired you to start it?
I took over running Grow Up Green in 2010 after the previous owner folded it. I took it on because there wasn’t anyone in the North East offering cloth nappy advice and trials and I am passionate about helping parents make the switch from disposables.
– How do you think your brand has helped your business to grow?
My brand means I am readily recognisable – whether posting a blog post, sending an e-newsletter or posting goods out. I think it makes me look really professional and helps me move away from a “hippy” image that can prevent parents engaging with cloth nappies and baby carriers.
– What’s your favourite thing about Grow up Green?
I love helping new parents make the eco choices that are right for their families, being able to try before they buy and get sound advice, thereby avoiding expensive mistakes!
– What does a typical day at work look like?
My youngest child is in state nursery, so I start the day dropping him off and walking the dog. I then might drop a trial kit into a customer, host a sling and cloth nappy meet or pop into the office to process orders. I pick him up at lunch time and we often do things together til his older siblings finish school. Once all the children are in bed at around 7.30pm, I then do an hour or so of paperwork – accounts, website maintenance, marketing etc… As a small business owner you have to do everything, which can be a challenge, but is also what makes it really interesting!
– What’s your favourite product – and what do you sell the most of?
I love my Clarabugs wetbags – these are designed to my specification by a fabulous local designer and hand made by her and her team. They are funky, reliable and in a great price bracket.
My best seller is probably the Bum Genius Freetime nappy, slim fitting, reliable and quick drying.
Or the fablulously funky Blade and Rose leggings that look fab over cloth bottoms, keep baby’s legs warm in the sling and come in all sorts of quirky designs for both boys and girls.
– What keeps you going when things are tough?
I remember I am making a difference to individual families and to the planet. I like the North American saying “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”
– Where do you turn for advice and inspiration?
I am not very good at reading business books or watching talks. Although I have had some good pointers from a book called 1001 ways to get more customers. I am much more of a “find your network” kind of person. The Inspire Network and the School of Social Entrepreneurs are 2 places I go for advice and inspiration.
Find out more about Aggie and Grow up Green
The Grow up Green website | Grow up Green on Facebook | Grow up Green on Twitter | Parenting North East