Meet Clare Hardy | Founder of Haute Lady

We had the good fortune of connecting with Clare Hardy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Clare, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have always had an entrepreneurial drive. I cannot tell you where it comes from – it’s just something I was born with, something that has always been inside of me that I cannot ever seem to turn “off.” I have tried to start many businesses that I frankly gave up on because I was not yet confident enough, didn’t know what I was doing, or lost the passion and drive that I thought I had for that particular business at the time. Whether it was trying to be a Mary Kay rep back in my 20s (I have the utmost respect for these ladies… but when I look back at that time, I laugh and cringe a little bit… MLMs are not for me!) or launching a mobile photo booth in the back of a 1974 Volkswagen Bus (this was a lot of fun – but I quickly discovered I was not able to drive it, and then got pregnant and sold it to another business owner) — I have always had this deep-seated drive for owning something that is mine. I just didn’t know what that “thing” would be yet, and thus, I threw a lot of ideas at the wall that never seemed to stick. I opened LLCs I never did anything with. It took me a lot of failures to get to this place.

So, what finally brought me to the launch of Haute Lady and finding a business I know I will stick with and am passionate about? I blame my husband. He is an avid watch collector and became a member of the Atlanta Watch Society, which is a local watch meet-up group that has gained a large following. My husband became so involved in the luxury watch scene that he is now developing a watch retail store concept. I was so inspired by him and loved joining him at some of his ATL Watch Society events, where the attendees are primarily men, and it made me think… why doesn’t this exist for women, and for handbags? I am not a watch enthusiast like my husband, but I do love a beautiful designer handbag. I had already been buying nice handbags for years, and I had already formed friendships with several handbag sellers by being a routine customer of theirs. So, I decided to really dig deep to learn the industry and better understand how handbag resale works. I decided I wanted to form a community of empowered, fashionable women by creating my Haute Lady brand. I initially set out to connect with likeminded women, but I quickly realized that I could also find amazing handbag deals from the contacts I had made from buying for myself personally, and then I could resell these bags at low margins to pass on the cost savings to other women. I also decided that the boys shouldn’t get to have all the fun, which is why I plan to launch the Atlanta Handbag Society later this year as well. Within only a few months after launching my social media presence, I have already connected with hundreds of women around the world about our love for designer purses, I have made countless sales to grow my resale business, I have begun the process to trademark my brand and tagline, I have been invited to become a seller on TikTok Shops and the ShopShops platform, and soon I’ll be launching my Haute Lady website. I am very proud of launching this business from the ground up after so many false starts on other business endeavors in my career.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I have so many exciting things in the works for my business. I am still in the process of setting up some of the foundational pieces of my business, and I am thrilled to introduce many of them to the world very soon. For example, I am getting ready to launch my incredible new website, which will showcase how brands can partner with me and most importantly will list all of the services I will be offering to handbag enthusiasts. I plan to offer the best pricing in the industry to my customers. When I source bags from my wholesale partners abroad, I plan to keep my margins low so that my customers can afford to buy the bags of their dreams at prices they can afford. I also plan to offer consignment services with take-home rates as high as 90% (meaning, consigners will keep as much as 90% of the sale price of their bag). This rate is best-in-class for the industry. Most consignment shops only offer 60% to 75% take-home percentages, but I want my customers to actually be paid well for the bags they decide to sell.

Something that makes me different from other resale and consignment sites is the personal care I put into each and every customer. If you are looking for a particular bag, I will talk to you personally and help walk you through the process. I have found many women their dream bags because I was able to get to know them and understand exactly what they wanted and at what price point. Finding THE “dream bag” is the most fun part to me. The happiness and excitement from my customers means the world to me. I love being able to connect with other handbag-loving women to build relationships, even if they’re NOT buying bags from me. It’s also why I am excited to launch the Atlanta Handbag Society soon, so I can focus even more on relationships and community-building right here in Atlanta.

Something I want the world to know about me and my story to business ownership is that you truly CAN have it all – do not limit yourself. I spent so many years thinking I wasn’t good enough; I could not get over the fear of failure. I am so proud of myself for finally putting myself out there to do what I love, which is connecting with others through the world of luxury fashion and handbags. I also currently work full-time for Google as a manager of an advertising sales team, plus I am raising two toddler boys, AND I have my Haute Lady business. It is true that my life is constantly busy, but I do feel like it’s possible to “have it all” if you are regimented with your time. I work my traditional 9-to-5 (which I also love, I am an Atlanta Googler for 10 years now!), then I spend time with my sons and husband after work, and then after the boys go to bed I try to focus on my business. Sure, it means a lot of late nights and sacrifices, but I am doing what I love. I have had to give up things like watching my favorite shows, but working on my business fills my cup so much more than laying in bed watching a TV marathon. (Though, I absolutely do love guilt-free marathon TV series binge sessions!)

Some lessons I have learned along the way are to be authentic and true to who YOU are – and the right people will find you. I am not going to be for everyone, and not everyone is for me. There are thousands of other resellers out there. There are hundreds of resale websites, and a handful of large resale platforms. But I am confident that my brand… the brand of a strong, empowered woman who can and DOES have it all… will resonate with the right audience. You CAN be a working mom AND own a business AND own the finer things in life. This is all possible as a Haute Lady.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I adore Atlanta and love when friends visit so I can take them to check out many of my favorite spots! It goes without saying that all of my Atlanta guests MUST take a stroll on the Beltline and stop at spots like Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market along the way. I love that we have such a strong food hall culture, so spots like The Works and Marietta Square Market are also super fun. I also love taking my visitors to any unique new spots or shows. I am dying to book a fun date night with my husband and friends to the new Damsel Cabaret show and supper club soon!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out the two people who have made the biggest impact in my journey to business ownership. First and most importantly – my husband. I cannot tell you how many times I have broken down in tears as I started my Haute Lady business. My own fears and self doubt have crept up on me, and I have thought to myself “I can’t do this, what am I doing, no one is going to care about this business!” All of the horrible things you think to yourself in the wee hours of the night when you cannot sleep, I have thought them. But my husband relentlessly supports me and reminds me that I CAN do this, and that I am more than capable. His support means everything to me. I could not do this without him.

Secondly, I want to thank my executive coach Erika Gerdes. Without her, I would not have launched my business. She truly helped me to uncover patterns in myself that were keeping me stuck, and she helped me to finally move past them. She helped me realize why so many of my past businesses had failed, and how I could overcome those same challenges with my Haute Lady business. She is one of my biggest cheerleaders, but she also keeps me honest and helps me stay on track with focusing on my goals and the big picture. I am so grateful for her partnership.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haute.lady/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsclarehardy/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hauteladyhandbags

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@haute.lady

Image Credits
Ashley Rockstar Photography