By The Green Parent
30th September 2020
I milked the cow by hand before going to school, made our own yoghurt, grew all our own veg and lived the muddiest most beautiful outdoor childhood. Now, my own four kids have grown up and left home. But I am so lucky, that my eldest daughter has chosen to work with me, bringing her lovely partner into the business too. So I can honestly and proudly state that Niche and Cult (nicheandcult.com) are a truly family-run company. I am now proud to be a grandmother too, and I am so grateful that all my family are so close. Christmas days and Easter are insane, as there are so many of us. I am super proud of how close we all are, even my parents too, who are now in their 80’s. I live in Brighton (but desperately miss the country cottage life) and other than one daughter in London, we are all still East Sussex based. It’s important we can all see each other as often as we can.
I remember the moment I decided to create my brand so vividly; I can even see now, the view from the window that I saw then, in that “light bulb” moment! It was a Tuesday morning, and as I woke up and sat on the edge of the bed, it hit me! I am like a dog with a bone when I get an idea, and I was not letting it go. So that was it. Literally, I started within the hour of that thought and did not let go. I just knew I had to do this, and that was it! The rest is history!
SELF-CARE SECRETS
If I’m totally honest, this is something I need to work on. I am a strong advocate for self-care for others, but I’m afraid it’s a bit of a weakness when it comes to myself. I’m busy and I work long hours, I find it particularly difficult to switch off. But I do try to keep one day a week for myself; Sunday is my day. If I’m having a particularly hectic week, knowing Sunday is around the corner is helpful, and this is when I force myself to stop, relax, eat the ice cream, watch tv, have a long bath and most importantly put my phone and laptop down. Maybe it’s a little cliche, but I’m essentially recharging, and it helps. If you can’t claim a whole day to yourself I think even an hour or two is helpful.
BUSINESS PLANS
The tornado of 2020 is a wild one, but we’re sticking with it. We’ve been very fortunate to have been busy this year and to have been able to continue trading throughout lockdown etc. We’re taking extra precautions, not booking any kind of events and focusing our efforts on our existing trade customers and our website. We’ve also pledged to increase our charity support and reduce our plastics this year too; we’re expanding our plastic-free range a little later this year, with an aim to phase out plastics altogether, and when shopping on our website customers can now choose to donate 2% of their purchase to 1 of 3 featured charities.
THREE WAYS TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE
1) Start small and go for no-brainers; switch to a reusable water bottle, next time you need laundry detergent try Soap Nuts instead. Buy rechargeable batteries. Try using a konjac sponge to help your body wash or cleanser last longer.
These are things that don’t actually impact your day, but do impact the planet- no-brainers! The bathroom and kitchen are two easy places to start looking at.
2) Use up what you already have and make the most of it. Don’t beat yourself up for having that roll of clingfilm in your kitchen and don’t bin it in a fit of shame!
If you can, invest in some more sustainable options like beeswax wraps, but keep the clingfilm you’ve already got and use it when needed. Re-use if possible, and then dispose of it responsibly. It’s okay! We’re all learning.
3) Change takes time, and that’s okay- none of us are perfect. Rather than overloading yourself and trying to do too many things at once, make one or two changes at a time; this is a gradual change and won’t happen overnight. Oh, and it’s not always as glamourous & Instagram worthy as it sometimes seems.
