My
secret life
Jessica makes
a positive
difference with
cloth nappies
When Jessica Franchi (Coordinator)
from Officeworks Stuart Park (NT)
became a mother to Arlo last year,
she stumbled across modern cloth
nappies online. After doing some
research, she fell in love with the idea.
“Cloth diapering can save parents
thousands of dollars compared to
using disposable and are reusable,
eco-friendly and super cute!”
said Jessica.
Jessica realised it wasn’t enough
to simply use cloth nappies on Arlo
and decided to spread the word to
other parents and carers by creating
a simple, easy-to-use line of cloth
nappies that she could promote
locally and online. And so, Booty Toots
was born.
The Booty Toots online store opened
in August 2017 and sells gorgeous
one-size-fits-most pocket cloth
nappies with adjustable snaps that
can accommodate babies between
4 and 15kg, or approximately 3 to 24
month olds.
When Jessica first launched Booty
Toots, she had a steep learning curve
to conquer. “My skill level was very
basic and I am still kind of learning
as I go. I had a rough idea of what I
wanted to do and have been taking it
one step at a time. It was pretty much
ambition and basic computer skills
that got it all started.”
To get her venture off the ground,
Jessica drew on the skills she as
developed in her time with Officeworks
- mainly communication, customer
service and problem solving skills.
“I am a very reserved person who
“I fell in love with
cloth nappies for
the environmental
benefits”
struggle with confidence, but
working at Officeworks I have vastly
improved and I don’t think I could
have started my own small business
if I hadn’t gained confidence in
offering great customer service and
communication” she said.
Not only has Officeworks helped
Jessica develop critical skills but our
approach to reducing environmental
impact provided her with the
inspiration to make a difference. “I
fell in love with cloth nappies for the
environmental benefits and I am
looking into ways of further improving
Booty Toots environmental footprint
through using natural fibers such as
bamboo and cotton in the new range.
I have even made changes at home
such as installing a composting worm
farm and recycling everything possible
to reduce waste. If Officeworks can
make a difference, I can too!”
A year into her venture, Jessica is
proud of every little milestone from
getting started to building a social
media following and creating a
website, being featured in Mamamia,
running for 12 months and making
profit, not loss.
Jessica’s key advice for budding
entrepreneurs is to take advantage
of the great resources and support
available to small businesses and to
find something you are passionate
about and go from there.
Looking to the future, Jessica wants
to develop the range, make sure
everything is ethically sourced and
use more environmentally friendly
and sustainable materials. While
modern cloth nappies are growing
in popularity, they are still not widely
known. Jessica wants to change this
and let more people know of this
amazing alternative to disposable
nappies.
Check out Jessica’s cloth nappies on
bootytoots.com.au
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