Episode 11: Merry-Go-Round Club – The Business of Baby Equipment Rental

What if the pram, carrier, cot and breast pump you’ll use for a few months didn’t have to live in your loft forever?

In this episode of The 99% Club – The Small Business Podcast, Aaron meets Femke, founder of Merry-Go-Round Club, a fast-growing service that lets parents rent high-quality baby kit instead of buying it. Born from lived experience (two kids, lots of kit, limited space) and a sustainability mindset, the model extends product life, cuts waste and cost, and adds something parents crave at 3am: trust.

Inside the episode:

• Why rental beats “buy, outgrow, store” for new parents (cost, clutter, carbon)
• The try-before-you-commit approach: carrier bundles and short-term breast-pump rentals
• Newborn essentials, simplified: a curated 6-month newborn bundle delivered up front
• From B2C to B2B benefits: partnerships and employer-subsidised bundles for new parents
• Building a bootstrapped logistics engine for multi-material products (cleaning, safety, storage)
• Cultural lessons from Hong Kong and Scandinavia on reuse and status – and how UK attitudes are shifting
• The “3am order” moment: solving real problems, right when parents need help