The event started with a fireside chat with Charlotte Morley, Founder and CEO of The Little Loop, a closed-loop rental marketplace bringing brands direct to consumers via its circular retail model.

Going from working in intelligence to running her own business, Charlotte describes taking the leap as both the biggest risk she’s ever taken, and the best thing she could imagine doing for her children’s future.

She spoke about how she first had the idea for her business when she had her children, as she started to realise the impact we leave on this planet will one day affect them too.

She has always had a passion for sustainability and when she had children, she realised that parents buy clothes for children that they will quickly grow out of, they then have to find a way to get rid of it or pass it on. She started to think if there was an easier and more sustainable way to give parents the access to things they need, where once they’re done with them, they can swap it. That is where the idea for The Little Loop came from and why The Little Loop does children’s clothes with a difference.

With The Little Loop, members can choose a selection of beautiful clothes, direct from their favourite brands, for a fraction of the purchase price. Then when their children have grown or they fancy a new style, they just send them back for a whole new selection.

Charlotte now even challenges herself when buying new stuff, asking herself, do I really need this? How long will I keep it for? Will I fix it if it breaks? And if not, she asks herself, can I rent it? Can I borrow it from somewhere? Is there an alternate way she can get it? As much as it might be a big change for some people, finding an alternative way of consuming is a steppingstone for sustainability and the impact we have on the planet.

Juggling children and starting a business

Charlotte Morley mentions how she started this business after she had children, which like most parents, especially mothers, is a balance between dealing with the pressure of being a parent as well as starting your business from scratch.

She talks about how she used to take her children everywhere with her – from meetings to group events, she would sit them down on the floor next to her while she spoke and pushed her business forward. She also used to bring mums to her house for coffee as a focus group, to see how parents brought clothes for their children and how what she is making could be the thing to help them going forward.

She spoke about how her and her husband did shifts of looking after the children while the other one worked but knowing how passionate she was about this business and the impact it would have on the future of not only her children but the planet, helped her push on through the struggles.

With a team of around 10 people now, Charlotte admits how they are hoping this is the first year she will be able to pay herself a salary, as for the past three years now she’s felt like it is still a hobby rather than a job.

She admitted that she is privileged to be able to do this as living off of her husband’s wage has been enough to keep them going, however she did find it odd at first – she has always been an independent woman with her own job, her own flat, and own money. Stating how many businesses fail because of lack of money, Charlotte knew this was something she had to do to give her business a chance at surviving, which is another reason why until now she hasn’t never paid herself a salary. It’s not about money for her, more about the impact she is having and leaves behind.

Tech product

Having worked in the tech industry, it was a no brainer for Charlotte that her business would be a tech-based business rather than a physical retail shop.

The first year of business was focused around building the technology and making sure it worked. Questioning how the business would scale and what makes them different from others helped improve and build the website.

Biggest lesson learned

The biggest lesson Charlotte learned was when she became a geography teacher. Whilst she enjoyed teaching children, this is when she found out how much of a perfectionist she was. Having to go into every lesson knowing exactly what would happen and what would be learnt, this is when she experienced burnout.

Deciding to leave teaching behind, she realised she also needed to leave the perfectionist side of her behind too. You can’t be perfect when building something new, especially in business. So instead of being perfect, she learnt to prioritise and only do what is needed right now for her and her business.

Best investment made

When asked about the best investment made (not having to be money), Charlotte replied with investing her time for free into the business as well as trusting people. She said at the end of the day you can never regret putting your trust in someone and letting them take the initiative to help take the business forward, instead of micromanaging all the time. If they are the right person, they will help and scale the business with you.

What do you think kind leadership is?

This is a question Kind Community asks to every speaker at the end of their talk and a question I think we could all think about from time to time. Charlotte’s answer was about sharing the journey with your team, and letting them know and understand where you are because they are the ones feeling everything with you on the way.