Best Startup
MerryGoRoundUK manufactures and distributes 2 brands – MuslinZ and Bright Bots. These brands have ranges for the baby sector and beauty sector.
Our mission has always been to produce the best quality we can at an affordable price for all. Although we want our two brands to be seen as premium we want to offer the ranges at prices that all can afford.
Both brands product range has sustainability in mind with many products that are reusable to reduce single use. i.e. washable cloth nappies, wipes, breast pads and facial pads.
Tell us about yourself?
My background was in freight forwarding. Shipping clients goods around the world by air, sea and land.
When I started my family I realised the amount of hours and travelling in my job did not fit in with having a family and being there for them.
I started MerryGoRoundUk when my first son was 6 months old. The business centred around him hence in the baby sector.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Work smart. You can be very busy but not achieve much. Drop what is not working and concentrate on what is.
What problem does your business solve?
We provide baby essentials that are good quality and will last. So many baby items are low quality, high cost or un-necessary.
My business tries to offer products that are useful, good quality, at a good price and good for the planet.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
Having children. I have been in the reusables sector since before it became popular and many questioned why I was manufacturing such items.
I feel we have to go back to basics and use single use products for those times where they really make life easier rather than using them all the time.
What is your magic sauce?
I would like to think our products differ from the competition because of the high quality relative to their price.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
I want to see the business grow and our two brands to be market leaders in the sectors we sell into. I also want to see more new parents using reusables as their first choice.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
The biggest challenge was finding good factories. I made a decision that I did not wish to manufacture in China as the quality just was not there in the sampling and I felt I could not have a personal relationship with a factory.
Once production had started there were issues with consistency of quality once my orders started to increase.
I had to change factories a couple times and “start again” but now have two great factories in Pakistan who I am in daily contact with and who produce the products to my specification.
How do people get involved/buy into your vision?
We want to work with the nursery and baby gifting sector and also expand our beauty ranges into the spa and natural beauty sector. You can buy from us online at www.merrygorounduk.co.uk
