From Nursing Babies to Working Moms: Sarah Well’s Handbag Revolution

WEBVTT

00:00:00.861 --> 00:00:18.263
<v Speaker 1>Hi and welcome to the Handbag Designer 101 podcast with your host, emily Blumenthal, handbag designer expert and handbag fairy godmother, where we cover everything about handbags from making marketing, designing and talking to handbag designers and industry experts about what it takes to make a successful handbag.

00:00:18.263 --> 00:00:27.690
<v Speaker 1>Welcome, sarah Wells of Sarah Wells Handbags.

00:00:27.690 --> 00:00:32.773
<v Speaker 1>Creative director, president, ceo, founder, all of that, the whole bang.

00:00:32.773 --> 00:00:37.957
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast, very excited to have you.

00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:44.420
<v Speaker 1>I know we have connected in the past but let's just dive right in Now.

00:00:44.420 --> 00:00:54.820
<v Speaker 1>We were talking before and you had said that you're not a handbag designer by trade, which makes you more of my people than pretty much anybody else who is.

00:00:54.820 --> 00:00:57.546
<v Speaker 1>But at this point I've kind of crossed over to the other side.

00:00:57.546 --> 00:01:18.430
<v Speaker 1>But I love how you know you had mentioned and we can talk about this about this whole construct of imposter syndrome and what that means and going into something when you're not designed by trade and what that means, but having an idea, pursuing it, following through and then 11 years later you know, fancy, that we're here today chatting.

00:01:18.430 --> 00:01:20.254
<v Speaker 1>So where are you from?

00:01:20.254 --> 00:01:22.766
<v Speaker 1>What did you study All that good stuff?

00:01:23.147 --> 00:01:23.828
<v Speaker 2>Absolutely Well.

00:01:23.828 --> 00:01:25.712
<v Speaker 2>First of all, thank you so much for having me on.

00:01:25.712 --> 00:01:30.171
<v Speaker 2>I had mentioned to you before we started that you have been with me this whole journey.

00:01:30.171 --> 00:01:38.686
<v Speaker 2>Actually, whether you knew it or not, your book was the first gift that I received, as we will talk about imposter syndrome later.

00:01:38.686 --> 00:01:49.387
<v Speaker 2>I was really struggling to see how I would make a transition into a handbag company from where I was, and I'm really grateful to all the great information that you shared in that book.

00:01:49.387 --> 00:01:51.480
<v Speaker 2>So thank you, and I'm honored to be here.

00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:54.754
<v Speaker 2>It really all has come full circle this year, which is exciting.

00:01:54.894 --> 00:01:57.545
<v Speaker 2>So I grew up in a very small town in upstate New York.

00:01:57.545 --> 00:02:05.343
<v Speaker 2>We what it's called Owego, often confused with Oswego, not quite that far upstate and not Ossining.

00:02:05.343 --> 00:02:12.449
<v Speaker 2>It's called Owego, often confused with Oswego, not quite that far upstate and not Ossining, no more near like Syracuse, binghamton, that region, and very snowy, cold, all of that.

00:02:12.449 --> 00:02:14.991
<v Speaker 2>I had an amazing childhood there.

00:02:14.991 --> 00:02:27.449
<v Speaker 2>I have parents who are just the most thoughtful, incredible advocates in mental health, social services, and we just had a really neat upbringing.

00:02:27.449 --> 00:02:30.185
<v Speaker 2>But, as you're going to find out, nothing to do with handbags, right?

00:02:30.185 --> 00:02:31.669
<v Speaker 2>I was not in the fashion capital.

00:02:31.669 --> 00:02:32.881
<v Speaker 2>This was not.

00:02:32.881 --> 00:02:40.127
<v Speaker 2>You know, I really was not on my radar at all at that time as a child, but what I did know I wanted to do was move to big old Washington DC.

00:02:40.127 --> 00:02:43.152
<v Speaker 2>I had that plan since I was in elementary school.

00:02:43.152 --> 00:02:47.770
<v Speaker 2>There's pictures of me in front of American University in elementary school like this is where I'm going.

00:02:47.770 --> 00:02:52.822
<v Speaker 2>I knew my plan, so I'm someone who's always had a plan Right, as we'll talk about.

00:02:52.962 --> 00:02:56.731
<v Speaker 2>I really deviated from it, although maybe not in the end.

00:02:56.731 --> 00:02:59.989
<v Speaker 2>So I came down to Washington DC for college.

00:02:59.989 --> 00:03:15.879
<v Speaker 2>I studied political science and women's studies, continued on graduate school, got my master's in public policy and women's studies started in the nonprofit sector, ended up leading national nonprofit organizations in health care, women's empowerment, aging all sorts of really important policies.

00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:23.431
<v Speaker 2>You were young to talk about aging an executive director in my 20s of a national organization.

00:03:23.431 --> 00:03:37.413
<v Speaker 2>So I've really been fortunate to have some incredible experiences which ultimately helped me in this business that we can talk about, like fundraising, business plans, marketing, social media, building a website.

00:03:37.413 --> 00:03:40.592
<v Speaker 2>All those things really did happen in the nonprofit sector.

00:03:40.592 --> 00:03:42.439
<v Speaker 2>But again, no handbag experience.

00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:52.229
<v Speaker 2>So it wasn't until 2011, when I had my first baby, who's turning 13 and three weeks, which is just amazing A boy and a girl.

00:03:53.010 --> 00:03:53.230
<v Speaker 1>Girl.

00:03:53.230 --> 00:03:54.092
<v Speaker 1>I have two girls.

00:03:54.092 --> 00:03:56.044
<v Speaker 1>Oh, bless your cotton socks.

00:03:56.044 --> 00:03:58.490
<v Speaker 1>I know You're going to need more than that.

00:03:58.490 --> 00:04:03.705
<v Speaker 1>With two girls that are between tween and all that, A whole new era.

00:04:03.725 --> 00:04:04.425
<v Speaker 2>It really is.

00:04:04.425 --> 00:04:05.187
<v Speaker 2>Oh my God.

00:04:05.187 --> 00:04:12.075
<v Speaker 2>I went back to work on Capitol Hill in this nonprofit space and I was in really formal meetings.

00:04:12.075 --> 00:04:21.752
<v Speaker 2>Dc was still pretty formal back then, so people were in like the black business suits and I was walking into those meetings with like an armful of breast pump supplies.

00:04:21.752 --> 00:04:28.247
<v Speaker 2>I had the manufacturer bag, which was like the only thing on the market then, and it was really not what they give you.

00:04:28.307 --> 00:04:28.728
<v Speaker 1>At the end.

00:04:28.728 --> 00:04:29.471
<v Speaker 1>It's like you get.

00:04:29.471 --> 00:04:36.141
<v Speaker 1>You're given it basically at the hospital, where they give you this shiny bag that you can put it all in.

00:04:36.221 --> 00:04:44.846
<v Speaker 2>It's a vessel to like get your stuff to and from Right, but it's not designed from any sort of functional at the time, any function.

00:04:44.886 --> 00:04:47.440
<v Speaker 1>I always say that men design those bags yeah.

00:04:47.742 --> 00:04:49.791
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so half the time it was in that.

00:04:49.791 --> 00:04:58.963
<v Speaker 2>But that never fit everything I needed because I was going to the gym, I was commuting on the Metro, I had to have sneakers and high heels, I had all this stuff.

00:04:58.963 --> 00:05:05.350
<v Speaker 2>So I had all these breast pump parts and pump pieces, often kind of like milk drops and spills and things all over.

00:05:05.350 --> 00:05:12.093
<v Speaker 2>I'd walk into these meetings in Capitol Hill and I would be met with laughter, some camaraderie.

00:05:12.093 --> 00:05:20.009
<v Speaker 2>But at the time, more than a decade ago, there was a little less like talk in the public space about supporting breastfeeding at work.

00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:28.927
<v Speaker 1>It wasn't, it was sort of just I mean even women who had been through that were even less supportive purely out of principle because no one supported them Right.

00:05:29.449 --> 00:05:29.911
<v Speaker 2>Exactly.

00:05:29.911 --> 00:05:34.389
<v Speaker 2>I could tell you, could feel that it was the beginning of a new chapter.

00:05:34.389 --> 00:05:36.293
<v Speaker 2>But we were at the very beginning.

00:05:36.293 --> 00:05:39.108
<v Speaker 2>So I did find some camaraderie, like oh, I did that.

00:05:39.108 --> 00:05:41.447
<v Speaker 2>I totally feel for you Good job.

00:05:41.447 --> 00:05:46.767
<v Speaker 2>But there was some laughter too, Like here comes Sarah with her milk machine, here comes Sarah with her milk bag.

00:05:47.569 --> 00:05:50.040
<v Speaker 1>And did you ever get anybody imitating the noise?

00:05:50.040 --> 00:05:56.434
<v Speaker 1>Oh yeah, that was one thing like oh, here we go, yeah it was jokes all the time.

00:05:56.821 --> 00:06:06.333
<v Speaker 2>And I tell you this this threw me off a little because a I was trying to meet my breastfeeding goals, which was hard enough as it was trying to do this and there wasn't really like online communities or a whole lot.

00:06:06.740 --> 00:06:08.685
<v Speaker 1>The pressure that we put ourselves through.

00:06:08.685 --> 00:06:19.161
<v Speaker 1>Beyond that, and the body bouncing back and sanity and this faux fiction work-life balance, which it's like you just need to survive, it's called survival.

00:06:19.382 --> 00:06:25.786
<v Speaker 2>That's it Exactly right, let alone that that's what people react to when you walk into a meeting you're about to lead in front.

00:06:25.786 --> 00:06:42.211
<v Speaker 2>It might be on a challenging topic, a controversial topic, you might be advocating for something that you really want Congress to work on, or it was a hard start coming back from leave and all that mental health and pressure and everything, and then have to feel like I have to hide this other part, not to mention the hormones.

00:06:42.211 --> 00:06:49.942
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, all of it Lack of sleep, the whole thing.

00:06:49.942 --> 00:06:56.021
<v Speaker 2>And I had a really supportive workplace but I was out in the public and meeting with all other colleagues who were not necessarily within my own workplace, so I actually was in a new mom's group at the time.

00:06:56.021 --> 00:07:04.884
<v Speaker 2>And one of the really fun things about Washington DC is everybody that you meet around here has the coolest, most impactful type positions.

00:07:04.884 --> 00:07:07.646
<v Speaker 2>So I'm sitting around in this group and I'm thinking, whoa, it was me.

00:07:07.646 --> 00:07:09.788
<v Speaker 2>Hormones, tired, all this stuff.

00:07:09.788 --> 00:07:15.894
<v Speaker 2>And, like the person next to me does Middle East peace negotiation, the other person next to me works for the Senate.

00:07:15.894 --> 00:07:27.406
<v Speaker 2>I mean, these are like amazing heavy hitter moms and I told them my story and I started kind of you know, outside the group, just mentioning to them on the side.

00:07:27.406 --> 00:07:38.545
<v Speaker 2>I wish there was a better way to be professional and pump, and it was the moms that were the professionals going through the same exact thing at that moment and those forward facing jobs that said, why don't you do it?

00:07:38.545 --> 00:07:40.591
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and so that was really.

00:07:40.771 --> 00:07:42.863
<v Speaker 2>It was really awkward.

00:07:42.863 --> 00:07:43.584
<v Speaker 2>Why not you?

00:07:43.584 --> 00:07:45.569
<v Speaker 2>Yes, and there were a lot.

00:07:45.569 --> 00:07:46.973
<v Speaker 2>I could give you a lot of reasons at the time.

00:07:46.973 --> 00:07:49.045
<v Speaker 2>What do I know about handbags?

00:07:49.045 --> 00:07:50.963
<v Speaker 2>Yep, how would you manufacture this?

00:07:50.963 --> 00:07:52.267
<v Speaker 2>How do you construct it?

00:07:52.267 --> 00:07:53.110
<v Speaker 2>How do you get a sample?

00:07:53.110 --> 00:07:54.302
<v Speaker 2>But what about the career?

00:07:54.302 --> 00:08:01.591
<v Speaker 2>I've put a master's degree into and I've I'm at like the peak of jumping off point to where I want to go.

00:08:01.591 --> 00:08:05.781
<v Speaker 2>Why, how could I do this with that?

00:08:05.781 --> 00:08:06.262
<v Speaker 2>How would I do it all?

00:08:06.262 --> 00:08:17.132
<v Speaker 2>That was really the beginning of I'm a very self-confident person, but that felt like an imposter moment because it felt at the time like it was going to be such a career shift.

00:08:17.132 --> 00:08:19.485
<v Speaker 2>In the end, it really has not been for me.

00:08:19.846 --> 00:08:36.602
<v Speaker 2>It's been really all interrelated, which I'll talk about, but that was really the beginning of it all and from there I just took little tiny baby steps towards this finding out about a trademark, I took all the local business strategy classes and business planning classes, I really tried to first hone in on the business side.

00:08:36.623 --> 00:08:53.581
<v Speaker 2>I felt a little more comfortable in that space and one of the things that I would say to anybody that really served me well through that time is rather than spending my life savings to hire other people to get the idea, I learned about it myself.

00:08:53.581 --> 00:08:57.429
<v Speaker 2>I took every webinar on handbag design I could find.

00:08:57.429 --> 00:09:09.807
<v Speaker 2>I read every great book that was there in handbag design and I didn't expect to become an expert in that space, but I wanted to be able to converse with the people who I was going to be manufacturing with.

00:09:09.807 --> 00:09:12.582
<v Speaker 2>I wanted to understand about textiles.

00:09:12.582 --> 00:09:21.009
<v Speaker 2>I wanted to feel empowered and not imposter as I went through the process, which was amazing in the end, because all of those people were connectors Right.

00:09:21.009 --> 00:09:27.182
<v Speaker 2>It all helped me not only learn but also find my way through the process of bringing this to life.

00:09:28.225 --> 00:09:46.332
<v Speaker 1>No, it's so funny, being someone that who I mean, having been in this handbag space for a pretty long time and teaching this and teaching students just the basic fundamentals of entrepreneurship, plus with the incubator I ran, and now this masterclass.

00:09:46.332 --> 00:09:47.543
<v Speaker 1>It's so funny.

00:09:47.543 --> 00:10:03.793
<v Speaker 1>And then the only reason why I'm referencing all of that is much like you were saying every little piece of information, even as you with this journey, it arms you with a little bit more information in terms of how best to present your information to that audience.

00:10:03.793 --> 00:10:18.313
<v Speaker 1>And I can't even tell you how many designers oh, I've hired a salesperson, I've hired a publicist, I have hired this person, that person and the amount of money you throw away when you need to understand that learning curve.

00:10:18.313 --> 00:10:29.451
<v Speaker 1>And it's more cost effective when it's on you than when you outsource it to everybody else, because one way or another, you're never going to know if you screw up or made mistakes and they're not actually mistakes.

00:10:29.659 --> 00:10:36.466
<v Speaker 1>It's that sunk cost of $10,000 plus that, regardless of whatever you do, it's you're going to lose it and you have to accept it.

00:10:36.466 --> 00:10:43.572
<v Speaker 1>Going in that, whatever it is, even if it's time value of money lost in terms of things you could have been doing and making up for that money.

00:10:43.572 --> 00:10:47.033
<v Speaker 1>There's going to be a loss because you have to learn what you're doing.

00:10:47.033 --> 00:10:50.655
<v Speaker 1>So I applaud these efforts and trying to grow.

00:10:50.655 --> 00:10:55.586
<v Speaker 1>I mean I have like literally every handbag book that's ever been made, because whenever one comes out I'm like I need to buy it.

00:10:55.586 --> 00:10:57.254
<v Speaker 1>Is there something else I don't know.

00:10:57.254 --> 00:11:01.809
<v Speaker 1>And it's like being a doctor or a lawyer you still need to stay current on what's going on.

00:11:02.350 --> 00:11:03.595
<v Speaker 2>That also is the fun part.

00:11:03.595 --> 00:11:05.240
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I have on this.

00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:17.323
<v Speaker 2>And I think if I had skipped over that and paid this person and that person and not only would I have had a likely a lot of those losses, because it's hard out of the gate to know who the right person is or for people to be in your head as you're coming up with your project.

00:11:17.323 --> 00:11:21.811
<v Speaker 2>But you know also it did chip away at that imposter.

00:11:21.811 --> 00:11:24.193
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it built my confidence.

00:11:24.193 --> 00:11:25.395
<v Speaker 2>I built a network.

00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:32.384
<v Speaker 2>I was having other handbag designers, other people in the space saying this is cool, this is innovative, what a neat idea.

00:11:32.384 --> 00:11:34.610
<v Speaker 2>I wish I had this when I was a mom.

00:11:34.610 --> 00:11:36.302
<v Speaker 2>This was giving me building that confidence.

00:11:36.302 --> 00:11:40.493
<v Speaker 2>So I absolutely did have to enlist help People who are experts.

00:11:40.493 --> 00:11:45.211
<v Speaker 2>My sewing skills are nil, so I had someone actually, you know, sew the sample.

00:11:45.211 --> 00:11:50.264
<v Speaker 2>But what I asked him to help me with when he was doing that is explain to me, what are you using to do this?

00:11:50.264 --> 00:11:51.528
<v Speaker 2>How are you cutting the pattern?

00:11:51.528 --> 00:11:52.110
<v Speaker 2>How are we doing?

00:11:52.110 --> 00:11:53.702
<v Speaker 2>What's the why?

00:11:53.702 --> 00:11:55.967
<v Speaker 2>Explain every step of it so I get.

00:11:56.529 --> 00:12:12.811
<v Speaker 2>And then the other thing I would say to any entrepreneur in this space is, now that I've had a decade plus, there are up moments and down moments, and when you're in a down moment and you can't afford to pay these people to do this for you, you are going to be so grateful.

00:12:12.811 --> 00:12:13.918
<v Speaker 2>You know how to do it yourself.

00:12:13.918 --> 00:12:14.259
<v Speaker 2>Yeah.

00:12:14.259 --> 00:12:16.721
<v Speaker 2>So there is a lot I don't enjoy doing Like.

00:12:16.721 --> 00:12:18.828
<v Speaker 2>I really don't like the financial side of it.

00:12:18.828 --> 00:12:22.485
<v Speaker 2>I would rather not do bookkeeping I don't like any of that, but I know how to do it.

00:12:22.485 --> 00:12:24.743
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, housekeeping I don't like any of that, but I know how to do it.

00:12:24.743 --> 00:12:30.013
<v Speaker 2>And if I have to scale down, say during a pandemic or whatever the situation is, I know that I can run my QuickBooks.

00:12:30.013 --> 00:12:34.980
<v Speaker 2>I can, you know, probably even at this point, get on the sewing machine a little bit if I have to like.

00:12:34.980 --> 00:12:41.823
<v Speaker 2>There's a lot that I can do and that really equips you to ride the wave of business and to train other people on your team to do the same.

00:12:42.424 --> 00:12:45.533
<v Speaker 1>So how did you go about getting your first sample?

00:12:45.533 --> 00:12:54.225
<v Speaker 1>And I would love to and I always grapple with this and I talk to people about this about naming the brand after yourself, and you know, is it a good idea?

00:12:54.225 --> 00:12:55.226
<v Speaker 1>Is it a bad idea?

00:12:55.226 --> 00:12:56.488
<v Speaker 1>Is it an idea?

00:12:56.488 --> 00:13:01.211
<v Speaker 1>I mean, is it like naming your kid, you know, junior, is it really fitting?

00:13:01.211 --> 00:13:04.714
<v Speaker 1>I back to the DNA of who your brand is and what it's about.

00:13:04.894 --> 00:13:08.697
<v Speaker 1>So how did you determine even the bag that you're speaking about?

00:13:08.697 --> 00:13:13.659
<v Speaker 1>You know, once you're out of that phase, you don't need to pump, you don't need to carry that.

00:13:13.659 --> 00:13:28.476
<v Speaker 1>Like by my third kid, funnily enough, I developed a baby bag with a celebrity stylist, costume designer, and I was obsessed with it and it was so cool and coolest materials, coolest interiors, everything about it was amazing.

00:13:28.476 --> 00:13:30.148
<v Speaker 1>I had the straps to go to the stroller.

00:13:30.148 --> 00:13:34.648
<v Speaker 1>By my second kid I was like this is the dumbest goddamn thing I've ever thought of.

00:13:34.648 --> 00:13:38.570
<v Speaker 1>You know, the pockets are too deep, I can't wear it, I can't put it on a stroller.

00:13:38.770 --> 00:13:42.788
<v Speaker 1>And at the same time, with two kids and by my third kid, I carried everything in a Ziploc.

00:13:42.788 --> 00:13:52.697
<v Speaker 1>It was like down to the PMS bag that you have as an adult, you know I don't need to take, you know 80 pads and this and that it's like three things and you're done.

00:13:52.697 --> 00:13:55.479
<v Speaker 1>And how are you able to equate that?

00:13:55.479 --> 00:14:02.142
<v Speaker 1>Because if your kids are this old, how can you still say the needs and wants of this customer I can still look after?

00:14:02.142 --> 00:14:03.802
<v Speaker 1>So you want to talk a little bit about that?

00:14:03.842 --> 00:14:04.342
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:14:04.342 --> 00:14:06.125
<v Speaker 2>You've asked so many great questions, let me dive in.

00:14:06.125 --> 00:14:08.010
<v Speaker 2>So, yeah, dive away.

00:14:08.010 --> 00:14:09.676
<v Speaker 2>So you asked first about the sample.

00:14:09.876 --> 00:14:18.618
<v Speaker 2>So I did hire a US based handbag designer, a man who has a very small batch, really custom crafted.

00:14:18.618 --> 00:14:19.828
<v Speaker 2>How did you find him?

00:14:19.828 --> 00:14:20.732
<v Speaker 2>Was he local to DC?

00:14:20.732 --> 00:14:28.133
<v Speaker 2>It wasn't LinkedIn no, it wasn't LinkedIn, but it was through, like one of the online forums related to one of the handbag classes that I was taking.

00:14:28.133 --> 00:14:34.667
<v Speaker 2>Someone had recommended someone, recommended someone something like that, whatever, or the sort of early social media version of finding him that way.

00:14:34.667 --> 00:14:41.236
<v Speaker 2>And what I liked about him is just like his utter attention to every detail and again, I want to learn every detail.

00:14:41.236 --> 00:14:45.676
<v Speaker 2>So I didn't want to start with just throwing it abroad and seeing what I got back.

00:14:45.676 --> 00:14:50.596
<v Speaker 2>I wanted to really start with someone who would work through the communication of the design.

00:14:50.596 --> 00:14:51.581
<v Speaker 2>So we did that together.

00:14:51.581 --> 00:14:54.673
<v Speaker 2>We had a prototype that he made and I went to China.

00:14:54.673 --> 00:14:58.226
<v Speaker 2>So I told everyone at work no one knew anything about this at work.

00:14:58.226 --> 00:15:00.072
<v Speaker 2>I told everyone at work I was going on vacation to China.

00:15:00.072 --> 00:15:02.807
<v Speaker 2>And I did go to vacation, as one does.

00:15:03.148 --> 00:15:20.009
<v Speaker 1>Yes, how did you explain to your husband and small children like hey, by the way, guys, I'm off to China, I'm pursuing this, I'm not going to be here for two weeks with a baby, and my vacation time that I know we could have used for something else, I'm using for me.

00:15:20.009 --> 00:15:21.975
<v Speaker 1>So how did you grapple?

00:15:22.015 --> 00:15:22.456
<v Speaker 2>with all that.

00:15:22.456 --> 00:15:29.086
<v Speaker 2>At that point I only had Maddie and she was just about a year-ish old Ah, she's fine, yeah.

00:15:29.086 --> 00:15:31.974
<v Speaker 2>And my parents came down and they were super supportive of the whole thing.

00:15:31.974 --> 00:15:36.091
<v Speaker 2>I have to say my family has always taken this seriously.

00:15:36.091 --> 00:15:38.157
<v Speaker 2>No one has joked about it.

00:15:38.157 --> 00:15:40.251
<v Speaker 2>They have fully believed in it.

00:15:40.251 --> 00:15:44.176
<v Speaker 2>You know statements like you're going to get it done Obviously you'll do it.

00:15:44.176 --> 00:15:45.389
<v Speaker 2>They were really behind me.

00:15:45.389 --> 00:15:52.504
<v Speaker 2>My husband actually came to China with me and one of the things right off the bat is we would walk into these manufacturing meetings.

00:15:52.504 --> 00:15:55.028
<v Speaker 2>I took my prototype and I said make me a counter sample.

00:15:55.168 --> 00:16:07.509
<v Speaker 2>At all these places that I had found through people who had recommendations, some were just terrible factories and some were great and every room we walked in they talked to Greg and in every room we walked in, greg said talk to Sarah, sarah's in charge.

00:16:07.509 --> 00:16:09.916
<v Speaker 2>Like I'm here, I want to learn, I want to get it.

00:16:09.916 --> 00:16:12.932
<v Speaker 2>You know Sarah's obviously going to be bouncing all of this off of me.

00:16:12.932 --> 00:16:33.856
<v Speaker 2>I'm here for the fun, right, I'm here for the fun, Right, I'm here for the fun and also so I get it when she's asking me for my opinion on things, or we always have really great sessions together, just sort of talking through ideas that I have, but he would always redirect people back to talk to me, which was amazing and that was such a pivotal time I found my factory that way.

00:16:33.856 --> 00:16:39.178
<v Speaker 2>I'm still with the same factory from that time and creating the relationship, but it was super important to me.

00:16:39.239 --> 00:16:45.514
<v Speaker 2>Again, this is something I would say is a value all the way through my business of knowing every part of my business.

00:16:45.514 --> 00:16:48.288
<v Speaker 2>I physically wanted to see walk the factory floor.

00:16:48.288 --> 00:16:49.671
<v Speaker 2>I've gone back six times since.

00:16:49.671 --> 00:16:53.447
<v Speaker 2>Every time the factories had to move or expand I'd go where are we?

00:16:53.447 --> 00:16:54.509
<v Speaker 2>Who's working there?

00:16:54.509 --> 00:16:55.571
<v Speaker 2>What are the conditions?

00:16:55.571 --> 00:16:57.734
<v Speaker 2>Where are we getting our supplies from?

00:16:57.734 --> 00:16:58.936
<v Speaker 2>Who are the people?

00:16:58.936 --> 00:17:05.138
<v Speaker 2>I've been lucky that the sort of leadership of the factory has been the same this whole decade, so I've kept that connection going Well.

00:17:05.219 --> 00:17:08.809
<v Speaker 1>Women are historically loyal to a fault, possibly.

00:17:08.809 --> 00:17:13.247
<v Speaker 1>You know, like you know, ok, the duties are going up from China, that's OK.

00:17:13.247 --> 00:17:19.067
<v Speaker 1>I still know the people, I still feel comfortable and that level of loyalty you know.

00:17:19.067 --> 00:17:23.155
<v Speaker 1>I know like Julie Dean of the Cambridge Satchel Company.

00:17:23.155 --> 00:17:25.307
<v Speaker 1>That was a two-parter but it was fascinating.

00:17:25.307 --> 00:17:35.569
<v Speaker 1>She had something similar and opened up a local factory and started subsidizing the community and then the factory itself started knocking her off in-house in plain sight and same thing.

00:17:35.569 --> 00:17:37.255
<v Speaker 1>Well, you're a woman, what do you know?

00:17:37.255 --> 00:17:38.017
<v Speaker 1>Best of luck.

00:17:38.017 --> 00:17:41.780
<v Speaker 1>And she showed up with the truck the next day and pulled all her stuff and started her own factory.

00:17:41.780 --> 00:17:47.597
<v Speaker 1>So you know, you got to be the one who drives that ship, you do you do have to, you do have to.

00:17:48.484 --> 00:17:52.972
<v Speaker 1>If you ever wanted to start a handbag brand and didn't know where to start, this is for you.

00:17:52.972 --> 00:17:58.807
<v Speaker 1>If you had dreams of becoming a handbag designer but aren't trained in design, this is for you.

00:17:58.807 --> 00:18:03.417
<v Speaker 1>If you have a handbag brand and need strategy and direction, this is for you.

00:18:03.417 --> 00:18:12.068
<v Speaker 1>I'm Emily Blumenthal, handbag designer expert and handbag fairy godmother, and this is the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass.

00:18:12.068 --> 00:18:28.601
<v Speaker 1>Over the next 10 classes, I will break down everything you need to know to make, manufacture and market a handbag brand, broken down to ensure that you will not only skip steps in the handbag building process, but also to save money to avoid the learning curve of costly mistakes.

00:18:29.105 --> 00:18:39.769
<v Speaker 1>For the past 20 years, I've been teaching at the top fashion universities in New York City, wrote the Handbag Designer Bible, founded the Handbag Awards and created the only Handbag Designer podcast.

00:18:39.769 --> 00:18:46.333
<v Speaker 1>I'm going to show you like I have countless brands to create in this in-depth course, from sketch to sample to sale.

00:18:46.333 --> 00:18:56.497
<v Speaker 1>Whether you're just starting out and don't even know where to start or begin, or if you had a brand and need some strategic direction, the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass is just for you.

00:18:56.497 --> 00:19:00.368
<v Speaker 1>So let's get started and you'll be the creator of the next it bag.

00:19:00.368 --> 00:19:04.678
<v Speaker 1>Join me, emily Blumenthal, in the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass.

00:19:04.678 --> 00:19:16.075
<v Speaker 1>So be sure to sign up at emilyblumenthalcom slash masterclass and type in the code PINECAST to get 10% off your masterclass.

00:19:16.075 --> 00:19:21.929
<v Speaker 1>Today I'm cast to get 10% off your masterclass today.

00:19:21.949 --> 00:19:54.285
<v Speaker 2>The one thing I'll say is I think, while you know again, no handbag background before this working in nonprofits, where every dollar has to be stretched, has to be accounted for, accounted for, stretched Everybody's like giving unpaid hours all the time, like I know how to be scrappy, and so what I have done through that really wonderful factory relationship is I've used my nonprofit mentality of how can we cut costs without cutting quality, how can we renegotiate this, what are creative ways that we can combine this with this, and I think that has served me well.

00:19:54.285 --> 00:20:03.640
<v Speaker 2>I mentioned earlier that, while I think a lot of those skills from nonprofit advocacy and running organizations certainly came with me here.

00:20:03.640 --> 00:20:06.811
<v Speaker 2>But yeah, I think you're right, you always have to evaluate it.

00:20:06.811 --> 00:20:10.853
<v Speaker 2>And how would you evaluate it if you didn't know what you were in, what you were involved in?

00:20:10.853 --> 00:20:13.832
<v Speaker 2>So I've always wanted to know exactly what I was involved in.

00:20:14.212 --> 00:20:19.470
<v Speaker 2>So that was a pivotal trip for us and that's where I placed my first really tiny order of the bag.

00:20:19.470 --> 00:20:22.566
<v Speaker 2>That is no longer with us because very similar to what you're saying.

00:20:22.566 --> 00:20:31.294
<v Speaker 2>I look back at that now and I say, oh my gosh, like the whole breastfeeding landscape, the fashion landscape, like the price point, the materials.

00:20:31.294 --> 00:20:32.984
<v Speaker 2>Absolutely everything has changed since then.

00:20:32.984 --> 00:20:38.569
<v Speaker 2>I would never sell that bag now, but that bag was what jumpstarted my entire business.

00:20:38.569 --> 00:20:43.528
<v Speaker 2>So it was wonderful at the time that everything has evolved and I'll talk in a second about how I've evolved.

00:20:43.749 --> 00:21:10.636
<v Speaker 1>With that as a not breastfeeding anymore, I think you know as designers, especially when you are creating a product that depends on something else, like my first bag, when I knocked myself off, was an iPod holder and then it was to hold a phone that was a flip phone and then all of a sudden there were 16 different sizes of iPods that I could not account for and the phone started to get bigger.

00:21:10.636 --> 00:21:16.655
<v Speaker 1>And then I'm like how am I supposed to develop a solutions product when the solution itself keeps evolving?

00:21:16.655 --> 00:21:30.048
<v Speaker 1>And I need to make sure I create a product that can work with the changes and not me having to constantly time value a business labor, keep saying okay, guys, stop, stop, they're taking that breast pump out of business.

00:21:30.048 --> 00:21:30.830
<v Speaker 1>They've cut that one.

00:21:30.830 --> 00:21:32.556
<v Speaker 1>Now they have an efficient one, they have the double.

00:21:32.556 --> 00:21:35.470
<v Speaker 1>There's like the Ferrari of breast pumps that exist now.

00:21:35.470 --> 00:21:36.050
<v Speaker 1>Right, it is now.

00:21:36.211 --> 00:21:39.195
<v Speaker 2>So right, it is Absolutely so.

00:21:39.195 --> 00:21:41.460
<v Speaker 2>You're having to constantly evolve it to the technology.

00:21:41.460 --> 00:21:49.044
<v Speaker 2>One thing that I'm really proud of is I've worked on creating very deep relationships within the space, within the industry.

00:21:49.044 --> 00:21:55.429
<v Speaker 2>So I am friends with those breast pump companies so I know what's generally I mean.

00:21:55.429 --> 00:22:08.936
<v Speaker 2>They, you know, don't show all their proprietary information, but I generally know where people are headed in enough time to really evolve my products to go in that direction, and so I've worked really hard in the beginning of not being in any way oppositional.

00:22:08.936 --> 00:22:13.395
<v Speaker 2>Many of them have come out with bags, but I maintain those partnerships.

00:22:13.395 --> 00:22:14.137
<v Speaker 2>Those are partnerships.

00:22:14.137 --> 00:22:17.952
<v Speaker 2>Some have come out with bags and then come back around and partnered with me on bag Like.

00:22:17.952 --> 00:22:29.156
<v Speaker 2>I've kept those relationships open because it really does ultimately serve me and it serves the moms that we're all sort of synced up and things work together, they fit in the bag, and that you know we can collaborate, we reach more people.

00:22:29.785 --> 00:22:32.451
<v Speaker 1>No, it's a friends close, enemies closer situation.

00:22:32.451 --> 00:22:41.199
<v Speaker 1>You have to end especially kindness and recognizing like well, I can't be adversarial with people who are providing the product that essentially are going to go back to the sale of my bag.

00:22:41.926 --> 00:22:43.092
<v Speaker 2>So how can I help you?

00:22:43.092 --> 00:22:44.811
<v Speaker 2>I'm so excited about those products.

00:22:44.811 --> 00:22:46.731
<v Speaker 2>I only had really one option to choose from.

00:22:46.731 --> 00:22:48.590
<v Speaker 2>I had no choice back then.

00:22:48.590 --> 00:22:55.134
<v Speaker 2>This was the portable pump and that was it, and it absolutely serves the mom community that I care so deeply about.

00:22:55.134 --> 00:23:04.686
<v Speaker 2>To have price, different price points, wearable pumps, portable pumps, hospital grade pump, like I just I'm thrilled for that and it absolutely.

00:23:04.686 --> 00:23:07.093
<v Speaker 2>It gives me a broader range of bags to make.

00:23:07.093 --> 00:23:12.010
<v Speaker 2>That's it just exploded in what we can offer, from tiny to large to all over the place.

00:23:12.010 --> 00:23:19.476
<v Speaker 2>But I really I think ultimately, all of that competition and all those people entering the marketplace have absolutely improved it for moms.

00:23:19.476 --> 00:23:21.351
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so I think that's been awesome.

00:23:21.644 --> 00:23:40.669
<v Speaker 2>So, in terms of trying to choose the name so again, I think this is along the same line I never thought well, actually, I should say I had one idea way back when, but I really quickly got onto the idea of just naming it after myself because I really didn't want this to be anything but advocacy.

00:23:40.669 --> 00:23:51.467
<v Speaker 2>In fact, I remember telling my mentor early on am I going to give up everything I care about in terms of advancing women's empowerment and advancing women's health by doing this?

00:23:51.467 --> 00:23:56.498
<v Speaker 2>Like right, we were about to make the order for the bags and I just said to my mentor what am I doing?

00:23:56.498 --> 00:24:00.571
<v Speaker 2>I have never worked in for-profit, if anything in nonprofits.

00:24:00.571 --> 00:24:04.448
<v Speaker 2>A lot of times felt really on the other team for-profits.

00:24:04.448 --> 00:24:06.532
<v Speaker 2>What am I about to do, going into business?

00:24:06.532 --> 00:24:14.678
<v Speaker 2>And she had gave me amazing advice to just stay true to what my passion is and find a way to bring that advocacy into all that I did.

00:24:14.678 --> 00:24:30.964
<v Speaker 2>And I thought I'm going to name it Sarah Wells and just be who I am and, as anyone who follows my social media knows, I'm quirky and I like to be funny and silly and I really have kept sort of my personality in the design of the bags, in the marketing of the bags.

00:24:30.984 --> 00:24:31.467
<v Speaker 2>Again, my advocacy voice.

00:24:31.467 --> 00:24:32.088
<v Speaker 2>I slip that in whenever I can.

00:24:32.088 --> 00:24:34.115
<v Speaker 2>I say here's a great new bag and pumping rights at work, let's talk about rights at work, right.

00:24:34.115 --> 00:24:34.957
<v Speaker 2>So I slip that in whenever I can.

00:24:34.957 --> 00:24:39.990
<v Speaker 2>I say here's a great new bag and pumping rights at work, let's talk about rights at work, right.

00:24:39.990 --> 00:24:54.208
<v Speaker 2>So I am that company and I think that that was great because if I had put another really cool, flashy name on it to me it would have taken a step away for what I was trying to do into just being a handbag business, and I really saw this as being much broader than that.

00:24:54.808 --> 00:25:06.917
<v Speaker 1>You know you were saying mentor, and it's interesting because when I was developing my brand, I used to say I was mentor shopping because I was so, so, very desperate to find somebody.

00:25:06.917 --> 00:25:19.319
<v Speaker 1>And I ran into this issue and I started my handbag brand when I was getting my MBA and I thought, for sure I'll be able to find a supportive woman in the business or supportive woman in finance.

00:25:19.319 --> 00:25:23.244
<v Speaker 1>And I went to every single fashion organization.

00:25:23.244 --> 00:25:39.855
<v Speaker 1>I tried to find people who were older per se, and I ran into this issue every single time that it was like the over, underqualified, like I can't help you, you've done all the work already and I'm like but I don't have these connections, or I'm stuck in this constant.

00:25:39.855 --> 00:25:41.490
<v Speaker 1>Now, what, what should I do now?

00:25:41.490 --> 00:25:49.138
<v Speaker 1>And they're like well, it looks like you figured it out, you got that far, and it was always so disappointing Because I was so desperate.

00:25:49.299 --> 00:25:54.961
<v Speaker 1>And then I just, you know, like anything, I just came to terms like, okay, well, I guess this is on me to figure it out.

00:25:54.961 --> 00:25:56.404
<v Speaker 1>So, how lucky you were.

00:25:56.404 --> 00:26:09.144
<v Speaker 1>But you know, back in that time at least, where I was here in New York City, I couldn't find anybody and there were no real support groups and there were no real, anything like even.

00:26:09.144 --> 00:26:18.047
<v Speaker 1>You know, when I had my first kid, like the very first mom group came up and I was like the second generation for that and they were like oh, this is so novel and wild, like who?

00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:20.181
<v Speaker 2>knew.

00:26:20.181 --> 00:26:22.548
<v Speaker 2>I feel really lucky that I found her.

00:26:22.548 --> 00:26:25.538
<v Speaker 2>In fact, I found her very for the very similar reasons you just said.

00:26:25.538 --> 00:26:29.633
<v Speaker 2>I actually was talking to an organization that provides mentors.

00:26:29.633 --> 00:26:41.675
<v Speaker 2>They put me on a couple of calls with men, not in the handbag industry, but that didn't matter to me as much, it's not, it was really more right.

00:26:41.675 --> 00:26:44.384
<v Speaker 2>But they put me on with some men, older men, and I had calls with them like lovely, nice people, but I could not relate.

00:26:44.423 --> 00:26:50.503
<v Speaker 2>I was not going to get what I needed, the connections and I kept going back to the organization saying this is not a fit, this is not a fit.

00:26:50.503 --> 00:26:53.911
<v Speaker 2>Hey, back to the organization saying this is not a fit, this is not a fit.

00:26:53.911 --> 00:26:56.797
<v Speaker 2>And I mean one more person and they were.

00:26:56.797 --> 00:26:57.499
<v Speaker 2>They said you know what?

00:26:57.499 --> 00:26:58.865
<v Speaker 2>We're going to put you on with somebody who's on.

00:26:58.865 --> 00:27:03.298
<v Speaker 2>I think she was on their board of directors at the time to see if she can identify anyone that might be a good fit for you.

00:27:03.980 --> 00:27:09.038
<v Speaker 2>This is, you know, way pre pandemic, so people were not doing virtual like zoom type stuff.

00:27:09.038 --> 00:27:14.509
<v Speaker 2>But maybe we can like Skype, maybe we can get you somebody outside of DC that might be possible.

00:27:14.509 --> 00:27:20.698
<v Speaker 2>So I actually got on with Nancy and we talked through it and at the end of the call she said unequivocally I want to be your mentor.

00:27:20.698 --> 00:27:27.480
<v Speaker 2>And then we talked every other week, every month, for 10 years.

00:27:27.480 --> 00:27:31.839
<v Speaker 2>That's amazing and she was just phenomenal, but that path was very similar.

00:27:31.839 --> 00:27:41.809
<v Speaker 2>Had I not landed in Nancy's care, I think that I probably would not have found a mentor, and she has been absolutely instrumental to the entire process.

00:27:42.112 --> 00:27:42.775
<v Speaker 1>That's amazing.

00:27:42.775 --> 00:27:51.243
<v Speaker 1>I want to ask you about, you know, because the product you're selling and you know Bye, bye, baby was huge and now it's not.

00:27:51.243 --> 00:27:54.616
<v Speaker 1>Baby's Arrest was huge, then it's not.

00:27:54.616 --> 00:27:57.138
<v Speaker 1>You know how are you able?

00:27:57.138 --> 00:28:00.402
<v Speaker 1>And it wasn't called D2C back then it was.

00:28:00.402 --> 00:28:05.266
<v Speaker 1>You know, you're building a website and finding customers, like all these things didn't have names.

00:28:05.266 --> 00:28:08.888
<v Speaker 1>You know you weren't an entrepreneur, you were someone who had your own business.

00:28:08.888 --> 00:28:12.672
<v Speaker 1>These weren't collaborations, they were partnerships like these.

00:28:12.672 --> 00:28:14.258
<v Speaker 1>You know vintage terms.

00:28:14.258 --> 00:28:15.721
<v Speaker 1>How were you able?

00:28:15.721 --> 00:28:19.356
<v Speaker 1>Because obviously you recognized early on the value of community.

00:28:19.356 --> 00:28:21.039
<v Speaker 1>How were you able to?

00:28:21.039 --> 00:28:25.269
<v Speaker 1>From a retail and strategic growth perspective?

00:28:25.269 --> 00:28:26.477
<v Speaker 1>How did you?

00:28:26.477 --> 00:28:32.695
<v Speaker 1>Because obviously, when you start, the end goal is I need to be at all these top retailers, if you didn't know any better.

00:28:32.695 --> 00:28:36.763
<v Speaker 1>So how did you handle this whole flow to where you are now?

00:28:37.325 --> 00:28:39.517
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so I started out with a website.

00:28:39.517 --> 00:28:51.826
<v Speaker 2>I put some you know, six months of investment and getting that so that people could buy directly on my site and quickly realized that I was going to be all consumed on that side of it and not building the people following.

00:28:51.826 --> 00:29:00.133
<v Speaker 2>So at the time Amazon was really just new, emerging out of just books and all the other things.

00:29:00.133 --> 00:29:01.798
<v Speaker 2>This was very brand new for everybody.

00:29:01.798 --> 00:29:21.105
<v Speaker 2>But I had an opportunity to send my bags to Amazon warehouses which people do now but back then was really novel and I had an account manager that was provided to me at the time, a human being in Seattle and worked with me and I said you know what I'm going to do for I think it was maybe a period of a year.

00:29:21.105 --> 00:29:26.803
<v Speaker 2>I'm going to switch my website to direct people to check out on Amazon and not take orders.

00:29:26.803 --> 00:29:29.455
<v Speaker 2>I'm not going to fill orders, I'm just going to ship to Amazon.

00:29:29.455 --> 00:29:33.984
<v Speaker 2>And the reason I'm going to do that for a year is so that I can work on building the community.

00:29:33.984 --> 00:29:37.877
<v Speaker 2>Finding the people hit the ground, boots on the ground, get out there.

00:29:37.919 --> 00:29:39.101
<v Speaker 2>I went to trade shows.

00:29:39.101 --> 00:29:40.163
<v Speaker 2>I went to like mom.

00:29:40.163 --> 00:29:45.924
<v Speaker 2>Back then people did a lot of like those mom shows, like you go learn about city problems and all that Exactly.

00:29:45.924 --> 00:29:47.795
<v Speaker 2>So I did a lot of that.

00:29:47.795 --> 00:30:05.487
<v Speaker 2>Facebook was the hot thing, so it was getting on Facebook lives with different influencers and educators and I really was able to set aside the how to build and drive traffic to the site or how to deal with like a sales platform and payment provider and and I let Amazon do that.

00:30:05.487 --> 00:30:17.122
<v Speaker 2>And then as I started to build a following and had more bags to offer, I went in a split model where you could then shop on my website or you could go to Amazon and Amazon.

00:30:17.362 --> 00:30:19.666
<v Speaker 2>I have been with Amazon that entire decade.

00:30:19.666 --> 00:30:23.403
<v Speaker 2>I had written white papers to Amazon on small business growth and development.

00:30:23.403 --> 00:30:26.579
<v Speaker 2>I had a partnership with Amazon for the whole decade.

00:30:26.579 --> 00:30:33.141
<v Speaker 2>So now I do a tremendous amount of sales there as well as on my website, and it gives consumers all sorts of great options.

00:30:33.141 --> 00:30:34.804
<v Speaker 2>Moms really like that.

00:30:34.804 --> 00:30:39.820
<v Speaker 2>You know fast shipping for when Friday, you realize you need your this bag on Monday morning to carry your pump.

00:30:39.820 --> 00:30:42.557
<v Speaker 2>So Amazon serves a purpose for me as a business.

00:30:42.557 --> 00:30:49.224
<v Speaker 2>But then I create also really close relationships with customers who choose to come through my website where I can have a more personal touch.

00:30:49.835 --> 00:30:56.386
<v Speaker 1>Do you specify at this point, because you have such a control and understanding as much as anybody can.

00:30:56.386 --> 00:30:58.130
<v Speaker 1>Obviously everything changes.

00:30:58.130 --> 00:31:00.683
<v Speaker 1>Are you thoughtful in terms of your assortment?

00:31:00.683 --> 00:31:02.932
<v Speaker 1>Like these bags are only for Amazon.

00:31:02.932 --> 00:31:08.628
<v Speaker 1>If anybody wants premium, deluxe dolls and whistles, they have to come to me.

00:31:09.672 --> 00:31:13.325
<v Speaker 2>So one of the things I did very early on is just say it's going to be the same everywhere.

00:31:13.325 --> 00:31:17.375
<v Speaker 2>I offer a true full lifetime warranty on all of my bags.

00:31:17.375 --> 00:31:23.564
<v Speaker 2>I replace bags that someone has from nine years ago, like, even if I don't have the bag, I will replace the bag with the equivalent.

00:31:23.564 --> 00:31:25.760
<v Speaker 2>Now I offer that for the Amazon customers.

00:31:25.760 --> 00:31:36.138
<v Speaker 2>I offer that for mine, and my mantra has been being a mom is being a working mom as hard enough as it is has been being a mom and being a working mom as hard enough as it is.

00:31:36.138 --> 00:31:38.344
<v Speaker 2>I am here to just be as easy and to support you as absolute much as I can.

00:31:38.344 --> 00:31:49.934
<v Speaker 2>I have worked that into my business plan so I can do that, so I don't differentiate, and I think the mom customers have been really amazing about supporting me through my website when they have the time and they want the connection.

00:31:49.934 --> 00:31:57.303
<v Speaker 2>But I also really respect that some people just really need the bag the next day for a work trip and functionally that's going to work better for them.

00:31:57.303 --> 00:32:07.261
<v Speaker 2>So you know I really I feel like it's naturally fallen into place that I have a really good self-differentiation on where to shop and most people will come direct to me.

00:32:07.261 --> 00:32:17.085
<v Speaker 2>They want to engage through the site, but I love having that Amazon relationship because they're always 10 steps ahead on the fulfillment and shipping in a way that I never ever will be able to touch.

00:32:17.085 --> 00:32:19.021
<v Speaker 2>So I think that it's been really nice.

00:32:19.075 --> 00:32:20.541
<v Speaker 2>And you asked about big retailers.

00:32:20.541 --> 00:32:24.226
<v Speaker 2>I did buy by Baby back when they were around for a short period of time.

00:32:24.226 --> 00:32:25.719
<v Speaker 2>It's just not.

00:32:25.719 --> 00:32:26.903
<v Speaker 2>It did not suit me.

00:32:26.903 --> 00:32:35.884
<v Speaker 2>You know the hoops that a small business has to go through in terms of your inventory and I really didn't have any customer touch whatsoever.

00:32:35.884 --> 00:32:50.481
<v Speaker 2>So it really, at the end of the day, I have been focused on my website, amazon, and then there are still some durable medical equipment providers and small boutiques as well that carry our bags, but it's been mostly e-commerce since the beginning.

00:32:51.174 --> 00:32:55.752
<v Speaker 1>So, basically, you have stayed away from any quote unquote big box retail.

00:32:55.752 --> 00:33:02.161
<v Speaker 1>You've stayed away from Macy's or even when, now that Macy's has drop ship or Walmart has drop ship, you haven't even gotten involved.

00:33:02.355 --> 00:33:12.708
<v Speaker 2>Concerted effort strategy to absolutely stay away from that, because I really feel that the sort of niche community that I'm in I have a direct link to and they know where to find me.

00:33:12.708 --> 00:33:14.541
<v Speaker 2>They know it took time to build that up.

00:33:14.541 --> 00:33:22.083
<v Speaker 2>You know, I really in many ways created the space in terms of the assortment that I offered and people have learned to come to me, they can find me.

00:33:22.083 --> 00:33:23.406
<v Speaker 2>I built up that SEO.

00:33:23.406 --> 00:33:25.863
<v Speaker 2>I am on social media all the time.

00:33:25.863 --> 00:33:39.079
<v Speaker 2>We've started traveling around and doing more in-person events again, and so I really think that my efforts are better spent there than in retail, because it's not about just having something on the shelf that someone passively engages with or sees.

00:33:39.079 --> 00:33:43.888
<v Speaker 2>I really have a deeper community relationship with my customers.

00:33:43.888 --> 00:33:45.320
<v Speaker 2>So, in my opinion, you can't do it all.

00:33:45.320 --> 00:33:55.222
<v Speaker 2>You shouldn't put yourself too thin, and I found this wonderful happy place where I can really have that personal touch with customers, even on a mass scale.

00:33:56.015 --> 00:34:01.547
<v Speaker 1>So at this point, 12 years later, at this point, where are you at and what's to come?

00:34:02.228 --> 00:34:02.509
<v Speaker 2>Yeah.

00:34:02.509 --> 00:34:05.525
<v Speaker 2>So I mentioned earlier, it's kind of come all full circle.

00:34:05.525 --> 00:34:18.735
<v Speaker 2>So advocacy has always been interwoven in all we do Like we donate a lot of the proceeds to milk banks from the banks, and we've done all sorts of different advocacy events with different organizations during the pandemic.

00:34:18.735 --> 00:34:19.557
<v Speaker 2>This is really cool.

00:34:19.557 --> 00:34:31.340
<v Speaker 2>We actually helped repurpose a particular type of breast pump that could be used in reverse mode for ventilators, so we collected them from around the country and cleaned them and helped this group from MIT that was making that.

00:34:31.340 --> 00:34:43.166
<v Speaker 2>We've had this like amazing advocacy passion, but they've been more one-off opportunities and so I've had this dream of something bigger and broader to take all that.

00:34:43.206 --> 00:35:00.704
<v Speaker 2>I've talked to so many thousands of people and everyone says very similar things about the working mom experience and so I thought what am I doing with all that knowledge to turn it around and echo it back out to the people in charge in workplaces that need to enhance their support for working moms?

00:35:00.744 --> 00:35:03.155
<v Speaker 2>So this is culminating this year in a book.

00:35:03.155 --> 00:35:11.585
<v Speaker 2>I got my first book deal and I'm publishing a book Go Ask your Mothers One Step for Managers to Support Working Moms, for Team Success.

00:35:11.585 --> 00:35:28.164
<v Speaker 2>Coming out in August and it's really training, a roadmap, a guide from the interviews and the stories of these moms over the last decade on what managers can do right now without Congress, without a lot of money, maybe even without their CEO's support.

00:35:28.164 --> 00:35:38.106
<v Speaker 2>What can they do right now to make the workplace better for moms in pumping mental health, flexible work, post-pandemic sort of era?

00:35:38.106 --> 00:35:39.367
<v Speaker 2>What is it that they can do?

00:35:39.367 --> 00:35:50.996
<v Speaker 2>And I'm really excited that somehow I've managed to merge everything these wonderful customers have told me through the relationship building into again a way to echo that back out in a bigger, broader way.

00:35:50.996 --> 00:35:56.445
<v Speaker 2>So I'm really excited and I'm certain this will just be the next step in many more steps of advocacy.

00:35:56.485 --> 00:35:59.155
<v Speaker 1>For that reason, this is so amazing, sarah.

00:35:59.155 --> 00:36:01.960
<v Speaker 1>How can people learn more about you?

00:36:01.960 --> 00:36:05.708
<v Speaker 1>Find your bags, follow you and all that good stuff?

00:36:06.068 --> 00:36:15.885
<v Speaker 2>Absolutely so sarahwellsbagscom for the bags and goaskyourmotherscom for the book, and we're Sarah Wells Bags on all social media platforms.

00:36:15.885 --> 00:36:18.583
<v Speaker 2>So come check us out and see what we've got to offer.

00:36:19.775 --> 00:36:21.583
<v Speaker 1>Sarah, this has been so enlightening.

00:36:21.583 --> 00:36:35.041
<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much for being part of this podcast and I'm honored and flattered that I was able to at least in some you know archival way, be part of your inception story, but I'm so excited to at least be part of the narrative as to what's to come.

00:36:35.041 --> 00:36:35.943
<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much.

00:36:35.943 --> 00:36:36.686
<v Speaker 1>Thank you again.

00:36:36.686 --> 00:36:39.036
<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening.

00:36:39.036 --> 00:36:44.398
<v Speaker 1>Don't forget to rate and review and follow us on every single platform at Handbag Designer.

00:36:44.398 --> 00:36:45.282
<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much.

00:36:45.282 --> 00:36:46.284
<v Speaker 1>See you next time.