My wife Abi and I were at that stage in our lives when our friends were starting their families and we were shocked by how many plastic-based wipes we saw in their homes – in the downstairs loo, in the kitchen, in the dog basket.  I did some research and found out that 90% of the wipes currently sold in the UK contain plastic, meaning they can last more than 100 years in landfills, yet the vast majority of parents don’t know that the wipes they use are made from plastic. 

At the same time, Abi and I had our first child Ezra, in March this year and this was a turning point as we started thinking about the legacy we’re leaving for our children.

We, therefore, decided to take on the big names in wipes, and in June this year our company Pura was born and we launched our own range of 100% plastic-free 100% biodegradable flushable and non-flushable wipes.  We launched on Father’s Day – 21 June, right in the middle of lockdown. We’d spent three years researching and developing our first products and we were ready to go. 

Our over-riding ambition is to democratise eco-friendly baby products, making them affordable for all. We believe that being eco-friendly is no longer a luxury but a necessity, so we’re creating products that help families care for their babies now, while protecting the planet for the future.

How do you set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry?

First, you have to look at our products. The fact that our wipes are 100% plastic-free and 100% compostable and biodegradable certainly sets us apart from our competitors.  Our flushable wipes also carry the Fine to Flush accreditation from Water UK, which means you can dispose of them down the toilet and they won’t get clogged up in the sewers, or contribute to fat bergs and we’re proud to be the first UK wipes brand to have achieved this.

The second thing that sets us apart from competitors is that we’ve “cut out the middleman” and sell direct-to-consumer at under 3p per wipe on subscription, offering a price point that is on par, or cheaper, than traditional plastic wipes. With free next day delivery on all orders, this model has been critical to the success of the business so far and has also provided a timely solution for parents that stayed at home and avoided the supermarkets during lockdown.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

I think it has to be the importance of persistence and never giving up in pursuit of your dream. I’ve been persistent in running previous businesses and I’m doing the same with Pura.  The business and its challenges might be different, but you need the same determined mindset it makes it work and plan for the future. I underestimated how big Pura would grow and how quickly and this is a nice problem to have, but can bring its own challenges that you need to work through

I think I’ve also learnt the value of having a good team around me to share the load and to help us work through challenges.  You can’t do everything yourself, and you have to be able to delegate and to trust people to get on with the job and so far I’ve been bowled over by the achievements of our team.

With all the success stories around entrepreneurship and how innovative people have to be to take the leap. How do you think you’ve innovated your sector and why?

I think we’ve certainly been innovative in our product development, coming up with new materials and processes to be able to produce the first plastic-free wipes and our eco-friendly nappies.

We’ve also been creative in our marketing. Our Babies launch campaign was hugely creative and original and conveyed a powerful anti-plastic message, encouraging parents to make a change.  It features different babies calling on their adults to ditch plastic wipes and it has already received more than 7 million views on YouTube .  This proves that creativity is a really powerful tactic to raise awareness of your product.

What are your top tips for entrepreneurs wanting to get their business out there?

You have to have a very strong conviction.  A new business needs a genuine reason to be launched and for us it’s all about driving change.  We want plastic wipes to be banned in the UK and beyond that we want to bring in eco-friendly baby products that are good for the planet and that don’t cost a fortune.

What plans do you have for Pura over the next two years?

We’ll be launching our products in Europe shortly, starting with Germany shortly and will launch in France, Spain and Italy early in 2021 with long-term plans to enter the US and Canadian markets. 

We’re also responding to consumer demand that we extend the range beyond baby care into other sectors too.

Any new product launches we should know about?

We’ve just launched our range of eco-friendly nappies that are kind for babies’ bottoms, good for the planet and easy on pockets. They’re the most affordable disposable eco nappy available in the UK, being competitively priced to match non-eco branded alternatives, while being cheaper than other eco nappies (from 12.8p per nappy), with free next day delivery on all orders. They’re made with soft sustainable organic cotton with a super-absorbent core made with certified natural plant fibres combined with channel technology that quickly draws moisture away from the baby’s skin. 

They’re also approved by Allergy UK and contain no nasty chemicals, perfumes or allergens and are dermatologically and clinically tested, so they’re skin-friendly and safe for babies’ bottoms. 

True to our green credentials, we manufacture the nappies with 100% green electricity and no production waste.  They’re wrapped in 100% recyclable PE  packaging, so they’ve been awarded the EU Ecolabel, meeting the highest environmental standards and the packaging can be recycled at the local supermarket.

How did you conquer those moments of doubt that so often affect entrepreneurs or stop many with great ideas – what pushes you through?

My family have certainly helped me conquer any moments of self-doubt, My wife Abi has been my rock on this journey.  We’ve been together for 15 years and I’ve put her through thick and thin and she’s seen the real me and she builds me up when I need it.

My dad has also been hugely supportive and is a good sounding board for me. He’s nurtured me patiently over the years.  When I launched Pura it was obviously very stressful and he said ‘if it was easy everyone would be doing it’.  He’s a man of reason, always calm and being separate from the business and not involved financially, it means he gives objective advice.  He’s reassuring and gives me a boost when I need it.

What’s the most important question entrepreneurs should be asking themselves?

It has to be ‘how can I make sure this is a profitable business in the long term’. We did a lot of work over three years working out the commercials before we launched our first product. You can have the most fantastic product in the world, but if the numbers don’t stack up and you don’t produce a profit, then the business won’t be sustainable.

What social media channel would you say has worked the best for your business and why?

All the different social channels have their benefits, but we’ve found Instagram to be a particularly powerful way to engage with our customers, and we take note of the comments we receive through it. In the few short months since Pura was born, we have built a strong community of followers who really believe in our brand ethos and are right behind our mission to democratise the baby sector.

Does your company help the community that you’re located in?

We’ve been involved in a lot of initiatives to help our local community and beyond. We engaged with the local Chester community through a beach clean-up at New Brighton beach on the Wirral in which we encouraged members of the public, our staff and subscribers to join in.

Our Pura staff members have pledged to each give one day a month volunteering with The Hygiene Bank, which might include collecting donations, or sharing their business expertise to help The Hygiene Bank work smarter.

In the Spring of 2021, the whole Pura team will also be heading to the Liverpool NSPCC centre to help them create and build their outdoor garden space for families to enjoy while visiting the site. 

We’re also partnering with the NappiCycle kerbside recycling scheme in Wales – the only nappy recycling service in the UK. Nappies are collected at the kerbside and recycled for use as affordable housing materials and notice boards for nurseries, schools and businesses.  We want to extend this to cover England and Scotland too.