With retail sales of women’s handbags in the United States reaching approximately $9.2 billion in 2014, Cheryl Williams owner of Double Clutched, a Columbus, Ohio, handbag company, is in the right business.
Williams, who has a background in engineering and still works as a business analyst, launched Double Clutched in May 2015.
It started out as way to fulfill her creative passion and it?s turned into a good business. ?I’ve always enjoyed making things from mud pies as a kid to wall art for my first apartment,? says Williams. ?I started Double Clutched because I wanted to have an avenue to share my creative ideas in the form of accessories – accessories that are functional, stylish, and add a pop of color and variety to one’s wardrobe.?
She financed Double Clutched using her own funding working at her current full-time job as an IT business analyst. ??Some startup challenges I faced were knowing what products to add to my product line, finding a great e-commerce platform, and creating effective marketing strategies,? notes Williams, who markets Double Clutched mainly via various social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter). Her products can be found on her website, DoubleClutched .com.
Williams also opened the company to offer customers a unique product. ?I launched Double Clutched to create unique accessories for customers to carry their necessities and items in a comfortable and stylish way,? says Williams. ?I chose to create bags because they can come in a variety of shapes, size, and you can’t have too many.?
Double Clutched offers unique fabrics in a variety of colors, patterns, and combinations, in such exotic prints as giraffe print, African fabric inspired, and Aztec patterned.
Williams is looking forward to expanding her reach. ?My goals for Double Clutched this year are to increase social media marketing, get into wholesaling and release a new product or product line each quarter,? she says. ?In the long term, I want to expand and grow my brand so that it is my full-time business.?
