Thinking about starting my own business...... what do you think?

[jemjelly]

My OH has been made redundant recently, and we are considering taking our fate into our own hands and starting our own business selling cloth nappies, I wondered if anyone could give me their thoughts on this.

1. Will you be buying cloth nappies ?

1. Would you only buy a make you have heard of or would you consider an unknown brand if it was cheaper?

1. Would you buy from a new company or would you only buy through a well known company like Mothercare?

1. Would you buy cloth nappies online if it was a user friendly website?

We are hoping to sell online and also promote our business at baby shows.

Hope I'm not breaking any rules posting this, I am a regular Mumsnetter and do not have a business yet so this is not advertising, I'm just trying to get some feedback on whether this is a good idea.

x

Sorry to hear about your DH being made redundant.

1. Will you be buying cloth nappies ? I am considering it but am not buying any yet, I will use disposables for the first few weeks.

1. Would you only buy a make you have heard of or would you consider an unknown brand if it was cheaper? I would look for recommendations from people already using reuseables, so if I didn't see any recommendations for a brand I wouldn't buy that brand- even if it was cheaper.

1. Would you buy from a new company or would you only buy through a well known company like Mothercare? Again recommendation would be key for me so it would depend where sold the particular brand that i was planning to buy.

1. Would you buy cloth nappies online if it was a user friendly website? I would be more likely to buy online than in a shop.

I would buy them, but there are quite a few on-line options already so you'd need to price very keenly.

Softbots.co.uk are closing down - how about ringing them to ask them why? I don't know how recession proof it is as an idea, as when money is tight environmentally friendly options which may cost a little more can be the first to be cut back on.

Hi Jemjelly, I am self employed and most people think it must be fab, but it's really hard work, especially at first. But if you have plenty of time to commit to it and you think it's a good idea then good on you . To answer your questions:

1. Yes

1. I would consider any brands, but I wouldn't decide on costs as that could be a false economy. I would decide firstly on the best fit for my baby and then secondly on how they work in my home. So say drying time, ease of use etc.

1. I would buy from anyone really so long ad they had a good return/exchange policy and came across well. I personally wouldn't buy anything from Mothercare as they are overpriced and have terrible customer service!

1. Yes. But it would be good if the company gave out samples, obviously I'd expect to pay some sort of deposit.

All the best!

I would buy online, but what I'd really appreciate is a service whereby someone visits my home (or I visit theirs) for a no-pressure sales pitch and nappy demonstration. There are so many different types and brands I wouldn't know where to start (never mind which are easier to wash/use/dry etc), and this sort of service would be invaluable in helping me decide what to buy - it would pursuade me to choose you over a cheaper online competitor tbqh.

Hth :)

1. Will you be buying cloth nappies ? Yes, but have bought 2nd hand

1. Would you only buy a make you have heard of or would you consider an unknown brand if it was cheaper? would consider a brand I hadn't heard of

1. Would you buy from a new company or would you only buy through a well known company like Mothercare? happy to buy from a new company

1. Would you buy cloth nappies online if it was a user friendly website? Yes

Like fluffy above I would have loved someone to come out or go to to get advice...I gave myself a headache trying to work out what was what with different types of nappies...hence buying 2nd hand as new was just too big an outlay to discover I had bought the wrong type

Thanks everyone, I'm getting quite excited about the idea now. Great idea to visit people I could do Nappy Parties to explain how they work and show samples ... hummm ...

We dont really have anything to loose to try this as my OH cant get a job at the moment, plus we have both wanted to be our own boss for ages.

ShouldIBeCrossAboutThis - do you have any tips ? Good web sites you use? I need to find a supplier.

I'd love some more comments if anyone else has a few minutes to spare x

Just to say I am pregnant with my first so no expert at all.

1. Will you be buying cloth nappies ?

Yes I have bought a set off ebay. I decided based on price and reviews. Also they were adorable colours, ahem.

1. Would you only buy a make you have heard of or would you consider an unknown brand if it was cheaper?

I bought an unknown brand because it was decently reviewed and considerably cheaper.

1. Would you buy from a new company or would you only buy through a well known company like Mothercare?

I would buy from a new company.

1. Would you buy cloth nappies online if it was a user friendly website?

Yes, have done.

Like some people above I became so baffled by the choice I ended up just buying a very cheap set as I didn't want to waste money. I am viewing it like a hopeful experiment - if it works amazing, hundreds of pounds saved, if not, well I can always use disposables if I have to and I haven't spent that much. I read many good and bad reviews of both cheap and expensive brands so it seems like different nappies suit different people/babies.

I thought I'd leave a little post on here, not sure if it will help at all.

I had thought about cloth nappies as DH and I are big hippys and it seemed to suit us well. However we were put off by other people saying that they found the washing and drying of the nappies to take a long time. This kind of cancelled out any eco-friendly ideas we had about using re-usable nappies.

If you could find nappies that took less washing and drying time I think that this would be a big positive, and would make you stand out from other brands.

I would always base my decision on reviews from other people, not cost initially. So getting the word out there straight away would be really good for you. :)