Huhu’s Li is Creating a New Breed of Gear for Parents
I had the pleasure of interviewing Meng Li, Founder of Huhu. Meng is the founder of Huhu, a new parenting gear brand. Their first product is a high quality, hyper functional, and gender neutral diaper backpack. Prior to starting her own business, Meng was a Marketing Executive in the Consumer Goods industry, with experience in building successful consumer brands and transforming start-ups into household names. She held various positions at Native (acquired by P&G), Method, Johnson & Johnson. Meng is based in the Bay Area and a parent to two young kids.
Thank you so much for joining us!
What motivated you to launch your startup?
I started Huhu based on my own personal frustration with the diaper bags available on the market. The options are either low cost, low quality and fall apart after a few months, or they are higher quality and more expensive, but designed to look like a women’s fashion accessory. None of the options resonated with me. I saw a gap in the category for a brand that offers simple, functional, high quality, and gender neutral gear. Essentially, I launched my startup out of personal necessity!
What is it that excites you about what you’re building?
I’m excited about the baby/parent category because I think it’s ripe for disruption and new challenger brands. There are many large and established brands that have dominated for years but have lost a lot of relevance with new parents. And as Millennials and soon Gen Z start having kids, they’re going to want different brands that reach and connect with them in a way that resonates more.
I’m also excited because I have a small group of beta testers who have provided really positive feedback on the product prototypes. That tells me my product is addressing a real need and I’m excited to continue to iterate and improve the product design.
What has been your biggest challenge when growing your startup?
Prioritization! I’m bootstrapping, so I’m doing almost everything myself. It’s hard to wear many different hats at the same time. On the Marketing front, there are so many different channels and strategies to acquire new customers, it’s been challenging to prioritize only a few to focus on.
What are your future plans for your startup?
Design the v2 version of our first product, continue to develop new products, and focus on new user acquisition.
If you had to share, “words of wisdom,” with a Founder who’s about to start their own startup, what would they be?
Starting your own business is hard and you will face countless obstacles. Make sure you pick a problem or product or industry that you are really passionate about. That’ll give you more motivation and commitment to keep going when things get tough.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
You can find Huhu on Instagram at @meet_huhu
You can also find me on Twitter at @hellothisismeng
This was very insightful. Thank you so much for joining us!
