A desire to create something that would allow Sophie Hurley to be involved in the family farming business, while working from home and raising a young family, was the catalyst for Honest Wolf.
Launched in 2020 by Sophie and her husband, Sam, the business is utilising wool from their own Papanui Estate, a sheep and beef breeding operation at Hunterville, to make a range of beautiful products from wool caps to weekender bags.
The initial idea, for a reusable shopping bag, came as they cleverly spotted a gap in the market when the Government moved to phase out single use plastic bags.
Like many rural women, Sophie wanted to bring something to the table, without physically being involved in day-to-day farming. She had skills from her career, particularly in marketing and sales, and wanted to create something that she could control, while still affording the freedom and flexibility to spend time with the couple’s young son, Harry (16 months). I talked to Sophie about launching a business, and what she’s learned along the way.
Describe yourself in 3 words: Dedicated, fun, loyal.
What drove you to launch Honest Wolf? The idea of having a business from home and me not having to travel to work every day. We wanted to put our passion into something we could control ourselves. It was about getting the right idea. I did a lot of thinking on my long drive to work (1 hour and 15 minutes each way) and after a few years the stars aligned and we came up with the idea for the reusable shopper. I felt quite disconnected from the farm and it was about becoming more involved without actually physically farming. I was living on the farm, but I wasn’t living and breathing it. I wanted to have something I could bring to the table, and bringing in a better wool price is something we hope to do, not just for ourselves but for other farmers too. The balance of having your children grow up by your side, while you are working, that’s the dream. Harry is growing up with the business.
Why wool? It has so many great natural qualities - it’s a renewable fibre, biodegradable – it’s an incomparable fibre really. There are so many amazing things that can be made from it that haven’t even been touched on yet. Logistically it’s tricky in New Zealand, because we lack the manufacturing here – we had to outsource to India in the end, which had its own challenges. The diversity of things it can go into and its qualities are why we love wool.
What was the biggest challenge? You have this idea, but we had no idea where to start, and finding the right contacts was a challenge. The process took a lot longer than we anticipated because we had to build a supply chain of contacts, in a pandemic. We have built the trust with our agent, but we had hoped to go to India and check out the manufacturing, which hasn’t been possible. We do hope to bring the manufacturing back to New Zealand eventually, but no one has the machinery available yet.
Biggest learning? To ask for help. I’m a bit of a control freak - I’ve tried to do a lot of it on my own and if I had asked a few questions earlier on we could have taken less time to get to market. There are people who have those skills already, and could have helped us get things done quicker. But the hard part is finding out who those people are!
What is your advice to other rural women who are wanting to start their own business? The time it takes to bring an idea to fruition can seem daunting. I was terrified of Xero, financials and the logistics side of business. Work through those things bit by bit. Don’t be scared by the time you will need to spend to make it happen, because it’s worth the effort - don’t let that stop you from trying. It’s about finding the right idea that will work for you and your life.
What’s one thing you can’t live without? Harry. And exercise. Exercise helps my head space. It can be quite overwhelming, what we’re doing, and you do need clarity.
Best advice you’ve ever received? It would have to be from my parents, I truly look up to them and everything they juggled for us children growing up. Their best advice is to always remember who you are, and to back yourself. It can be read in multiple ways, but it always comes back to me in various parts of life when I need reminding, to guide me through whatever I am tackling in that moment.
What inspires you? With a background in rowing, I learned that a mix of perseverance, drive and hard work all combine together to work towards reaching your goal, and that you also have to love what you do to do it every day. To build a loving family home amongst the chaos that is Honest Wolf - is the drive I need to continue to improve in various aspects of my life! My parents did it for us, and so I try to get my advice from them on how to do that for our wee family.
What are you listening to? Because of the long drives I’ve got right into my podcasts, various small business and marketing ones, especially on social media. I’d never worked in that space before and it’s one way to learn – listening to one podcast regularly can keep you up
to date with various strategies you need to implement.
There’s a New Zealand one that’s quite relatable called ‘Ace the Gram’ and another one called ‘Waves’.
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