Meet Harlow + Bay: Make It Personal
These ladies have it going on! They are balancing school and work while operating their own business and nothing is holding them back. Check out their Etsy shop and read along to hear what sets their designs apart!
1. Can you share a little of your journey with us and who you are?
We met a few years ago when we were both living abroad in Taiwan and stayed friends ever since. We used to get together to craft for fun, just because we both love it, when one day we had the idea that we could turn our hobby into a business and that we could share our designs with the rest of the world! Harlow + Bay came together quickly after that and we've been trying our best to grow quickly and keep up with the orders coming in :)
2. Tell us about the mission of your brand- how does it empower women?
The mission of our brand is to create high quality products at affordable prices. We love the idea of being able to make something personal instead of buying it at a store. We want to encourage people to give personalized gifts because they are the most meaningful. We try to empower women by the fact that we are two women founders to show that it is possible to balance running a business, getting a degree, and prioritizing family.
3. What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to press through as a female entrepreneur? What are the steps you had to take to overcome it?
The hardest challenge for us right now as entrepreneurs is being in school, so trying to balance running our business with also doing well in school.
4. What sets your brand apart from others?
Something that sets our brand apart from others is that it is all customizable. Each product is 100% free handed (we don't trace or print out stencils...) so each item is truly unique.
5. How do you collaborate with others working towards a better world?
We try to collaborate with brands that are local to support other small businesses that are trying to grow and whose mission aligns with ours and to also contribute to our local economy.
6. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs in the beginning stages of launching their brand or business?
The advice we would give to female entrepreneurs in the beginning stages of launching their business is to do your research! Make sure to do your part in validating your idea and hearing opinions from customers to know if there really is a demand for your product and to better understand how you can be a solution to the needs or problems people have in life. Then look at brands and companies that are succeeding and identify their best practices that you can implement into your own business.
7. Anything else you want to share with our readers?1.
@harlowandbay