‘Working together brought us closer’
Jennifer Gledhill, 46, lives in wakefield with her husband, Paul, 45. She set up Love Boo with best friend, Corinna Labrosse, 44.
I was in my twenties when I met Corinna. Both writers on a music magazine, with the same sense of humour, we were soon firm friends.
We supported each other through break-ups, new jobs, and we were each others bridesmaids. We always stayed close – even when we became busy mums – Corinna had her son Louis in February 2002, while my son, Thomas, was born a year later.
And then, in 2005, we both became mums for the second time. When my daughter, Maisy, was five months old, I was out with Corinna when I had to stop to change Maisy. Using an ugly grey tub of nappy cream I complained to Corinna that there was a lack of stylish, yet effective skincare for babies. Why not design our own range?
We could have dismissed it as a silly idea, but as Corrina and I started talking about vintage-style packaging and natural ingredients, it was clear we’d found something we were passionate about. Over time we began scribbling down plans for four products.
We had no business experience but together we decided to wing it – the daunting task seemed much more doable with my best friend to lean on.
In January 2006, we found a list of chemists to develop our products and six months later, we’d created our first range and launched Love Boo online. As we added new products interest grew. In 2011 John Lewis agreed to stock our line.
It’s been almost 11 years since we launched Love Boo. And despite spending almost every day together, we’re still so close. Running Love Boo is a dream come true, but with my best friend by my side, it’s extra special. ✱ loveboo.com