Cornish Sleep Consultant was founded by Jess Trenerry, an experienced childcare professional and mother of two, whose career as a nanny spans more than a decade. Her transition into sleep consultancy was driven by a deep understanding of the challenges faced by parents – both through her professional work and personal experience. Witnessing the widespread impact of sleep deprivation on families, coupled with navigating her own children’s sleep difficulties, inspired her to offer informed, compassionate support to those in need. Her mission is to help parents feel empowered, well-rested, and confident in their approach to family life. Here, Jess talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind her business, how she balances work and family life, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
A whole series of events led to me setting up my sleep consultancy. Firstly, my career – I have been a professional nanny for almost 12 years, aiding and guiding families through every stage of parenthood, right from the beginning when the children are newborns to stepping in when children are older. In that time, I have been to all the stay and play groups, the music classes, the baby sensory classes, etc., and when chatting with other parents, the one subject which always comes up is sleep – or rather, the lack of it.
During these discussions I’d often hear phrases like “It’s a phase”, “Mine does that” or “Oh don’t worry, they’ll grow out of it”. When I looked around, I could see the faces of those parents who were so sleep deprived that they were literally broken – screaming from their eyes. But now all the other parents had told them that it was normal to be so sleep deprived, they felt like they couldn’t do anything about it, shouldn’t moan and should just get on with it.
Secondly, having my own children. I have a four-year-old and an almost two-year-old. Before I had children, so many people told me it would be different when I had my own – that I would have the same difficulties other parents have, particularly regarding sleep. That I wouldn’t want to be a nanny anymore and that I would treat my own children differently, but I didn’t. I’ve always said I treat my nanny children like my own and that was just proven when I became a mum. I was now the parent at baby groups that was too embarrassed to say my baby slept well, in case other parents hated me because they were jealous.
My boys slept beautifully eventually, but not without many teething issues. My oldest had the most horrific silent reflux. He was also born during lockdown, GPs and health visitors were very dismissive of my concerns. With my own research and seeking out paid professionals, I was able to find a solution and everything was smooth sailing from there on. This personal experience made me more frustrated and sad for all those parents out there struggling with unsettled babies and sleep deprivation. I had a whole new level of sympathy for those who are and have really struggled. I wanted to scream from the rooftops that it doesn’t have to be this way!
Thirdly, and most importantly, I love helping and supporting parents and I am extremely passionate about sleep. I realised I could make a positive difference to people’s parenting journey. Particularly where I live in Cornwall, there is a lack of awareness and knowledge around paid services. Even as a nanny, people were extremely surprised when they found out what I did for a job, because they didn’t realise there were nannies in Cornwall. I wanted to ensure that those parents that wanted help could access it and didn’t have to feel like they just had to get on with it.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I had been helping and giving advice to parents and caregivers for a long time, particularly when it comes to sleep. I was always the one that friends and family came to when they had a sleep-related question. I found myself commenting on social media posts when people asked for advice. So I finally decided to make this happen after an evening of babysitting for my long-term nanny family. After putting the children to bed, I spent the evening googling everything and anything. I initially sussed out my local area and realised there was a big gap in the market. When the parents arrived home, I asked them their opinion (they both have successful businesses of their own): “I think I really want to become a sleep consultant, what do you think?”. They couldn’t have been more supportive. They said absolutely go for it, you will be amazing.
I knew I wanted to do this right and give it the best chance of success (I am a bit of a perfectionist). So I enlisted the help of a branding specialist. I had all the knowledge regarding paediatric sleep yet I had no idea how to build my brand. She was absolutely fantastic, a mother of three herself and she’d recently had a baby, so it all seemed very fitting. But such is the life of a parent, we had a few delays along the way with child illness, etc.
Whilst I waited for my branding, I did A LOT of market research. I have liked and saved a million other sleep consultants, reading comments to analyse the feedback from parents and really trying to immerse myself in the sleep world. Understanding what it was that I wanted to become and what my unique selling point was. I knew how I could help parents directly but I didn’t know how to do everything else.
The launch of my business has been slow and steady. Things take longer when you have young children and work 45 hours a week right? Haha. Before the launch, I actively sought out ways to give free advice – just to dip my toe in the water and also give myself the reassurance that I knew what I was doing. In this time I also enrolled in a Sleep Consultant Certification Course, to solidify my knowledge and give parents reassurance.
The launch itself wasn’t this big event. I suppose I was too nervous. I launched the Cornish Sleep Consultant social media pages to friends and family and hoped for the best. I then put all my energy into spreading awareness of my business, attending all the relevant mum and baby events, networking, creating flyers and business cards and distributing them as appropriately as possible.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
I was invited to talk at a pregnancy yoga class. It was an exciting opportunity for my business. I was nervous for many reasons: I’m not exactly a fan of public speaking; I didn’t know how the expecting mums would receive me; and I wasn’t really sure what to say (I did make a plan but still wasn’t sure how much information they were expecting). Not only were the expectant mums so welcoming, they were eager to learn about newborn sleep and what to expect. I was quite taken aback by how clueless the mums-to-be were regarding baby sleep. Now that might sound silly, but I suppose I had completely taken for granted my knowledge and experience. When I was answering their simple questions, or shall I say what I deemed as simple, I had the realisation that it’s really not that simple to most.
I had the same experience when I was invited as a guest speaker to a mum club event. Talking to these people really was the breakthrough for my business. It was a huge eye opener to the lack of knowledge modern parents have regarding paediatric sleep, and just how wanted and needed my services were.
I felt like that with my first official paid client: seeing the reassurance on their faces when I told them that what they wanted as a family was okay and absolutely achievable. When I explained how I was going to support them and answered their questions, I knew they felt completely validated.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Juggling work and family life can be extremely challenging; however, I am extremely fortunate to have a fantastic, supportive family and nanny family: my ‘village’. Maybe it’s because I grew up on a farm where we have all had to chip in where and when necessary, but my parents, brother and sister are always there for me when I need help with my boys. We really are a family unit and I couldn’t be more grateful. I’m equally as lucky with my in-laws. They are also brilliant and love helping with my boys.
Another driving force for my business wasn’t just the passion I have for the subject but also the work-life balance it could create. My nanny family were growing up and I knew my hours would be reduced soon, due to the twins starting preschool. Although the thought of losing them was gutting, I knew I didn’t want to have to find myself a brand-new full-time nannying role now that I also have two children of my own.
Becoming a sleep consultant, I knew I could manage my workload, take on as many clients as I wanted and be totally flexible around the needs of my own family. My oldest was just about to start school and I wanted to be able to do drop offs and pick ups. So whilst juggling my business, working as a part-time nanny and a mum of two can be tricky, it also gives me the opportunity to be present with my own children.
I often work on client plans once my boys have gone to bed (I also work better at night so this works well for me!) and see clients whilst my oldest is at school.
I’ve also learnt through my career as a nanny to not be too hard on yourself as a parent. There’s far too much ‘mum guilt’ in the world, and we work to provide for our family. I’m not talking about materialistic things, I mean to provide them with shelter, warmth and food (if I didn’t work, those things would be extremely difficult to provide). The other things that children need are love and protection. Just because I choose to work, does that mean I can’t give my children these things? Absolutely not! I know I give my children everything they need to thrive and so I don’t ever feel guilty for working. It goes without saying there is always a balance to be had and I’m very lucky my business allows me to have that.
