From Concept to Company: Morgan Mixon and Rima Suppan, co-founders, Peachies Meet the founders transforming parenting with a fresh approach to designing nappies for the next generation.

Entrepreneur UK talks to Morgan and Rima Suppan about founding Peachies, a premium nappy brand for contemporary parenting. We discuss the ongoing challenges of problem-solving in startup life, securing initial funding through a pitch competition at Imperial College London and the dual nature of entrepreneurship.

What inspired you to start your business?

From thinking about how to positively impact the lives of women. The desire to support women stems from both our experience with our own mothers - working mums who had to navigate what it meant to build careers and navigate the home front. Now, we're surrounded by friends, family and colleagues who are thinking about, having or raising children. We knew that if entrepreneurship was ever going to be a career path for us, we would have to find an idea that was purpose-driven, that was close to our hearts, and that we could get excited about doing every single day. We didn't expect the answer to be nappies but it turns out the industry and the challenge of building a consumer brand with all its operational complexity and inherent connection to customers suits us perfectly.

What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

Honestly, it's really difficult to pinpoint one moment. The stakes are always changing. Issues you thought would sink you in the beginning turn out to not even register as a problem six months down the road. Startup life, and business in general, is about problem solving. Finding the emotional resilience to constantly fire-fight and to bounce back every day is a steep learning curve. No two days are the same, you're your own boss, and you have this opportunity to positively impact peoples' lives. Few careers offer you that. It is those attributes that make founding a company so hard and simultaneously offer the most opportunities to learn. Staying curious and open to what the journey brings is part of what makes entrepreneurship so thrilling and rewarding.

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How did you secure your initial funding?

The first capital we ever secured was a grant awarded as part of a pitch competition at Imperial College London. We met while studying at Imperial College Business School and the idea for Peachies was born there. We are grateful for the opportunities Imperial provided us to develop Peachies in the early days, in and out of the classroom. We started working on Peachies full time after leaving Imperial. We raised our first funding round from angels and a small fund in early 2022.

How do you handle failure or setbacks?

Entrepreneurship is a constant rollercoaster of ups and downs. We have found that you develop thicker skin to the setbacks and the wins you learn to enjoy in the moment because things are always changing. We lean on each other and attribute a lot of our resilience to the strength of our partnership. Someone to lean on in tough times and to celebrate with during the big wins is critical. Arguably, however, it has been just as important, if not more important, to have someone that shows up day after day, shares your passion and shares your goal. This is the nucleus. Then come advisors and family members that are in the weeds with you too. Then you build a world-class team around you that's more knowledgeable. All these individuals make up the team that rides the waves together. You can't do it alone, the sooner that fact is realised and accepted, the easier the road becomes.

What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?

Morgan: Network, network, network. You never know who someone knows or what nugget of information they may have. Talk about your idea to everyone. Feedback early is gold dust. The tendency is to keep your idea private in fear that someone might steal it. That's a mistake because there is no guarantee anyone can execute on your idea better than you - even if there are competitors that already exist. Forget the detractors and develop thick skin fast. Not everyone will like you or your idea but that usually signals that actually you're onto something.

Rima: Pride holds you back. Be proud of what you do but do not let ego get in the way of achieving it. There is an important difference there. A huge part of being successful is knowing how to filter information but you always have to be open to learning. Be persistent. Building a company requires a lot of patience, courage and dedication, every single day. Appreciate the rollercoaster ride because it is the only thing in entrepreneurship that is certain. Find a co-founder. Ideally someone who complements your skill set, who you trust and really enjoy working with.

How do you stay motivated during tough times?

We always say that the tough times are what will give us the material to make for an excellent 'Lunch with the FT' interview or episode on Guy Raz's podcast, How I Built This. The reality is, if entrepreneurship was easy, everyone would do it. The tough times come with the territory. We try to remember that everyday is a new day. New inspiration, new ideas will come that help solve whatever the issue of the moment is. We stay focused on what is most important - our customers. We ask for help. It is incredible what you can achieve if you ask. We remind ourselves why we started in the first place. We read customer reviews that show we are on the right track. We try to see problems as opportunities to learn, to improve and to deliver a solution for parents.

Share your tips for achieving success?

Morgan: Define what success means to you. There can be a lot of external pressure or externally imposed ideas of what success is. In the same way you have to be bold to turn an idea into reality, you have to be bold to determine what will make you feel accomplished and happy. If you have a co-founder, it is really important to have this discussion to ensure you are on the same page and working towards the same goals.

Rima: Trust your gut. One of our most important mantras in life. So much of entrepreneurship is guesswork. Knowing your business, what drives it, what your customers are saying, the fundamentals of how cash moves through it - all of these aspects have to be part of you. When it is, it makes the uncertain periods or the tough decisions you have to make with an incomplete data set of information a little easier.

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