‘I’M ALWAYS SETTING MYSELF NEW GOALS’
Lord Sugar series of
Sarah Haran, 56, runs a luxury handbag business and lives in Glasgow with her husband Fraser, 57, and two children aged 25 and 21. When I made my first handbag nine years ago, I had no idea that just four years later, I’d be handing in my notice and starting my own bag business. Over the years, sewing had really only been a hobby. I worked in a stressful job as a chief operating officer for a large tech company and, at the end of a busy day, I loved switching on my sewing machine to make clothes for me and the kids. But when I needed a bag to take on a family holiday to Malaga in 2013, I used my skills to make myself one out of denim. It wasn’t particularly pretty, but it was functional and it got me thinking.
I was always travelling for work and struggled to find a bag that I could use for business, travel and on a night out. So I cleared out a corner of the kitchen for my sewing machine and began designing my own multifunctional handbags.
As my ideas took shape, I went online to find leather wholesalers and spent my spare time working on my creations. At first I had no idea what I was doing and it was trial and error most of the time, but I managed to get a shop in my local village to stock a few of my bags and gradually word started to spread. Soon people were contacting me directly to ask for custom-made designs and my hobby began to gain momentum.
By 2017 I realised that I couldn’t do both my full-time job and handbag making at the same time, so I took the plunge and handed in my notice. It took a huge leap of faith.
I’d just turned 50, I was in a successful and well-paid role in an industry I knew all about and was giving it all up for the unknown. I had some savings in the bank and with my husband Fraser’s support too, I went for it!
At first I found a manufacturer in Manchester, but as my business began to grow I had to find another manufacturer, a familyrun business in Istanbul, to keep up with orders.
Aiming high
Now, I employ four full-time staff members and sales are doing really well. But I’m still a glass-halfempty kind of person, always feeling there is more to be done, driven to keep going and constantly setting myself new goals.
I try to remind myself that I started from nothing, but the real joy comes from seeing how happy my bags make my customers and watching my staff grow and flourish. I’m just like many women, forgetting to look back at times to realise how far I’ve come.
If I was to offer advice to other women starting up a new business, I would say the key thing is that you look after your customers – get to know who they are – and always keep on looking upwards and outwards.
✱ sarahharan.com
‘It took a huge leap of faith… but I went for it!’