WHEN Lucy Shrimpton dropped out of school at 14, she never could’ve predicted that she’d one day be making £300k teaching people how to sleep better.
The mum-of-two was pregnant with her second child and seriously sleep deprived when the business idea came to her in a drowsy fog.
Having spent many late nights performing in a Girls Aloud tribute band in her 20s, Lucy thought she would be prepared for interrupted shuteye when she became a mum.
But the reality was far from her expectations – she was crippled by the lack of rest.
Lucy, 42, and her husband Jeff, 50, hired a consultant who gave them tips and advice for getting decent kip while raising children.
This is what prompted her six-figure idea – Lucy wanted to set up her own sleep coaching business to help other parents.
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Launched in 2014, The Sleep Nanny turns over six figures and has celebrity clients on its roster – including Jamie Oliver’s wife and mum-of-five, Jools Oliver.
Thanks to her business, Hampshire-based Lucy can treat her family to regular luxury holidays and even has a new £50k car – a limited-edition orange convertible Range Rover Evoque.
The Sleep Nanny teaches parents and families how to get a better rest through 1-on-1 coaching, an app and books.
Coaches will stop your children from waking up throughout the night and equip you with the tools to get the most out of your shuteye.
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It was once a one-man-band, but Lucy now has 12 sleep consultants working under her.
Lightbulb moment
“I firmly believe life is for living, not to be muddled through creating blurred memories,” she says.
“Sleep is a superpower and the foundation for everything in life. A good night’s sleep can unlock everything, which is why we must prioritise it.
“Sleep is up there with air and water when it comes to survival. It’s essential and we underestimate the power of it.”
Lucy quit school aged 14 in 1995 with no qualifications, opting instead to do her GCSEs and A Levels at an adult education centre.
Her first jobs were in the entertainment industry, most notably when she was earning £250 a gig performing as Sarah Harding in a Girls Aloud tribute band.
In 2004, when Lucy was 23, she met her now husband Jeff, who was working as a nightclub manager. The pair hit it off and were married in 2007 when Lucy was 26.
Exhausted mum
While pregnant with son Joey in 2010, Lucy arranged stand-ins to perform as Sarah in the tribute band and kept involved in managing performances.
But after giving birth, everything changed.
“The state I was in was mentally really bad,” Lucy recalls. “I was really upset.
“I couldn't recover from the birth, and it reached a point where I just needed to get out of the hospital, so Jeff took me home for a few hours, and I curled up on the bed and cried.
“I felt awful, even worse than when my dad died. I needed rest.”
Lucy spent most days “in a haze” due to sleep deprivation and wasn’t able to function normally. She also found herself easily irritated.
Genius new mum idea
After getting her sleep back on track, she fell pregnant again in 2012 and history repeated itself.
Joey, now 12, started waking up in the night while Lucy was trying to tend to daughter Sienna, now ten, as a newborn.
At this point, she and Jeff decided they needed to call in professional help.
Fortunately, their sleep consultant had Joey sleeping through the night within three days – and Lucy became inspired.
“I became obsessed with everything about sleep and psychology,” she says.
“I went on to learn more and I am glad I did as I have become his sleep expert and kept him on track over the years.”
Money started rolling in
Then at a nursery parents’ evening in November 2013, Lucy spoke to a mother who hadn’t slept properly in two years – Lucy desperately wanted to help.
She’d been contemplating setting up a business in sleep consulting for over a year and she felt compelled to take action, launching in 2013 and rebranded as The Sleep Nanny in 2014.
Lucy completed training courses, programmes, and worked with coaches.
Helping families all over the world
She took on two clients a week and began making up to £50k a year in the early days of being a sleep consultant.
From incorporating in 2019, the company shot to six figures within the first year with a turnover of £125k, which then doubled the next year. Lucy now turns over £300k.
Her work has helped thousands of families around the world over the past decade.
Lucy is also launching a sleep fragrance range and The Sleep App, which teaches parents how to guide their children when it comes to getting decent kip.
She believes there are key factors that parents are getting wrong when it comes to sleep – inconsistency with bedtimes, going to bed too late, believing we don’t need much rest and failing to unwind and relax.
She said: “I've lost count of how many families we’ve helped – and when you include those my book has reached too, as well as our resources online, we really have helped many thousands of parents globally.
“We are non-judgmental and we advocate a loving parenting approach to developing healthy sleep. The outcome is, a happier and healthier family!”
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