At HippyNut, they believe that even small, positive actions are capable of changing the world for the better: one nappy change with a cloth nappy means one less disposable nappy ends up in landfill; one reusable wipe used is another disposable one saved from the bin. A small family-owned and operated business based in Bedfordshire, England, their mission is to provide excellent quality nappies at affordable prices so that everyone who wants to give cloth a go can. Here, Leanne Webb talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about their biggest breakthrough after taking ownership of the business, the challenges they have overcome, and their hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
We took over ownership of HippyNut in December 2023. We made the decision to take over the business when it was up for sale due to it being the only nappy that worked for my heavy wetting little boy.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
As we took over a business, we already had a client base, however it came to light very quickly that we needed to do a full restart. To do this, we attended our first in-person market to show that we were under new ownership. We also then created new social media accounts. After doing this, we had a lot more engagement and we have now offered giveaways and sales! We are forever grateful for that first market!
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
After our first market, we knew that we had to do a rebrand. We had to make the business more Leanne and not just trying to follow in the footsteps of the previous owners. Once we started to make it more us, we noticed that a lot of people were a lot more engaged with us!
Yin and yang: How do you balance work and family?
I am extremely lucky that I have an amazing little boy. I tend to catch up on all emails in the morning before 10am. During this time, he is usually playing independently or eating breakfast. I film content throughout the day when he is asleep and then I catch up on emails and updating the website once he has gone to bed. I tend to have one day a week where I schedule all our social media and have found that this works for us. If we are going on days out, I will film some content.
