We were lucky to catch up with Haley Clark recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Haley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

If I were to start my business over again today I would start smaller. I thought I needed 50 different fabrics to start out. I released too many products too quickly with not real push behind any of them. I bought a lot of things have never used and I overbought fabric. In the beginning I wish I would have focused more on acquisition and marketing rather than creating. When you looked at my product there was no branding, you had no idea where the product came from. We didn’t start branding our products with tags until over a year in business. I didn’t start an email list until over a year after opening our online store. Our social media, product photos, marketing images, and logo were all very low quality. I thought starting a business meant just having a product to sell but quickly learned it’s much more. When I came to this realization that this business could be something more than just a hobby I began to backtrack and get all the other things in order I should have done when I first started.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

My name is Haley and I am the founder and sole operator of Dog Bandana Co. a pet accessories company based in Nashville, TN. We started in June 2020 in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. During our first year in business we were unable to do in person events and markets so we operated exclusively online. The majority of our sales came from accounts we interacted with on social media. I didn’t know it at the time but this forced us to build a strong online following prior to entering the in person market space. Having strong online sales and a great following has been key for Dog Bandana Co. This business started out of frustration. I am the owner of a large breed dog and I always had a hard time finding things to fit him so I decided to put my sewing skills to the test and make my own! My dogs have their own Instagram page and we follow many accounts that feature the same breed I have, a great pyrenees. Our followers began asking where we found things to fit such a large dog (125lbs) and this is how Dog Bandana Co. came to be. When we first started, we only made over the collar dog bandanas but we have grown to meet demand for other products. We now offer a variety of items including tie on bandanas, t-shirts, waste carriers, stickers, snuffle mats, dog walking bags, toys, treats, matching scrunchies, greeting cards, collars, and more! We have an online following of over 5K across our social platforms! In 2022 we started to offer our products via wholesale, and I am proud to have shipped to stores all over the United States. I learned to sew in a class in high school – 10th grade. I was the worst sewer in the class. Everything I made was backwards or messed up in some way. My teacher told me I’d never touch my sewing machine again after that class, and she was right, for 10 years at least. After re-learning my way around my sewing machine, I feel proud when people compliment sew work and quality of bandanas.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Your past does not define your future. For the longest time I thought this was the biggest lie. Of course, my past defines my future right? No. Unlearning something you lived your whole life thinking was true was challenging in my first year of business. I had spent the majority of my life trying to hide from my experiences as a child. I let other people’s opinions of me form my opinion of myself. I let their opinions stop me from doing things. Dog Bandana Co. has forced me out of my comfort zone and it feels great out here. I have found the most encouraging and supportive community of people. This was only possible when I stopped letting my past define what I was doing. When I stopped living in fear that my past experiences would repeat, I was able to gain confidence in myself and take risk that have gotten Dog Bandana Co. where we are today.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

In person markets and events have been the biggest driver of new business for Dog Bandana Co.  in the last year. This has helped us reach an entirely new audience and we’ve met some of our local wholesale partners at events. People really value face to face connection, I believe even more so post pandemic. One of the best feelings is when someone takes time out of their day to come to an event to show support for your business. We also have a lot of people we’ve met at events that turn into loyal followers on social media and repeat purchasers as well. Our online business in middle Tennessee has grown significantly since we started doing events in mid-2021. Even if markets are not suitable for your business meeting people should always be – find a way to get out and meet potential customers face to face.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dogbandanaco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogbandanaco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DogBandanaCoShop
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haley-hebert-clark-67642461/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/dogbandanaco_
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/DogBandanaCo/ https://www.tiktok.com/@dogbandanaco

Image Credits
Black dog with green bandana and small black dog with yellow bandana credit goes to – Lauren – Scruff Life Photography – https://www.instagram.com/scrufflifephotography/ Featuring – https://www.instagram.com/lanaandmishkatakeovertheworld/ https://www.instagram.com/tightfittinfleas/ All other photos are taken by – Chelsea Michelle Photography – https://www.instagram.com/chelsmphoto/ Featuring – https://www.instagram.com/its_mollyandfinn/