Passionate about cloth nappies and living a more eco-friendly lifestyle, Claire Terry was inspired to create a website that would allow parents to shop multiple brands in one place. When the opportunity arose to take over Fox & Marsh from the previous owner, she jumped at the chance to make it her own. A family-run small business, they offer a huge range of cloth nappies and reusables, zero-waste toiletries, kitchen and home wear, plus many more eco-friendly products for the whole family. Here Claire talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind her work and her business journey so far.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
I set up my business during the first lockdown – my daughter was 6 months old and in cloth nappies. I wanted to create a website where you could shop multiple brands, but also buy other plastic-free items for the home – a sort of ‘one stop shop’.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I was a ‘rep’ on social media for the previous owner. She wanted to close the business as she was going back to work full time, so I offered to take it over! It was very small scale and I immediately reached out to some of my favourite brands to see if I could stock them.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
I work with two local councils to provide a starter reusable nappy pack to local residents. When we started, I was providing maybe 2-3 packs a month, and this has increased ten fold, meaning more babies in cloth nappies!
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
My daughter goes to preschool 3 mornings a week, so I use that time to do website admin, marketing and emails, and I have a post collection so we don’t have to visit the post office every day. I love being self employed as timing is on my terms and I don’t miss out on spending time with my daughter.
