Sarah Baeumler is a holistic lifestyle brand that inspires women to live a life full of purpose, beauty and connection— a life well lived. The Sarah Baeumler brand is synonymous with elevated design, intentional living and the importance of cultivating a deeper connection to your passions. Serene colour palettes, textured fabrics, elevated patterns, and distinctive detailing, are common threads across all curated collections including: home décor, fashion, apothecary, and lifestyle. With a focus on highlighting natural materials, timeless neutrals and sustainable craftsmanship, each collection tells a story while maintaining a personal tie to Sarah’s own journey along the way.
Questions:
1. Tell us why you started your business, tell us about the brand, products, services you offer and what inspired you to open your own company. What was the hardest part of starting up your business?
I created Sarah Baeumler as a lifestyle brand to share my passion for interior design, and visual storytelling. I believe that intentionally designed products and services can inspire an authentic, curious and fulfilling life. I have always been passionate about curating refined, high quality products and enjoy sharing them with my creative community.
One of the core services of my business is our interior design firm – Refined Living by Sarah Baeumler. We ensure that every design decision in the home or business is a conscious and purposeful one, which reflects the lifestyle needs of our clients and their design aspirations.
With the hope of connecting to a community of like minded consumers, I launched an ecommerce business (sarahbaeumler.com). Our products range from furniture to lighting, jewelry and accessories, kitchen and bath products as well as a full organic apothecary line. It is important to me that the products we sell are conscious, sustainable, and natural. The products that I source and curate are staple pieces for one’s home and wardrobe.
As with every entrepreneurial journey, it’s important to understand the challenges ahead and that it is up to you to help your team navigate them. Being a successful entrepreneur is closely linked to your ability to endure, to optimize, and to stay true to your vision. At the heart of it all is your goal to create a brand legacy that always feels authentic to who you are and what you set out to achieve. I am deeply invested in each and every product that we sell and have my hands in each of the services we provide. My hope is that this is felt and heard by our consumers.
2. What were some of the challenges you've faced and learned from the most in your entrepreneurial journey? What are some of the highlights and most memorable achievements?
Bryan and I faced our biggest challenge when we began to build, develop and renovate what is now Caerula Mar Club. Designing and renovating a property on an island in a country that you are not familiar with came with many challenges and obstacles. From sourcing material, to shipping issues, and of course COVID -19 – there were many unforeseen issues that Bryan and I had to overcome. I think this taught us both how to navigate the challenging times together and to not only adapt to an ever changing market but to be able to identify when it may be time to pivot or to stay firm on things that are important to us and our overall vision.
We have had the privilege of receiving some incredible accolades in the travel industry over the past few years from well respected outlets such as Travel + Leisure and Architectural Digest. This is a great honor for Bryan and myself but where we truly receive the most joy is when we visit with guests at the hotel and they share their personal stories of their time on Andros Island. Their personal connections to our team, to the island community, and to the surroundings is what remains in our memories forever.
3. As a female founder, what are some tips you can give other female founders about branding and how your business can stand out from competition.
Be yourself! Share what you are passionate about, your talents and what makes you, YOU. Individuality is everyone’s secret weapon; learning how to embrace oneself is essential to the longevity and success of your brand and business – for you and your audience. Your community will resonate with your authentic self, and want to share in your genuine passion and vision for your business.
4. How important is diversity to you as a business owner? Tell us about your team, what you look for in an employee and your priorities as a founder to keep your business moving forward.
Diversity and inclusion is essential to my brand and business. Creating a working environment with a team made up of individuals of different backgrounds, skills, experiences and knowledge invites an increased opportunity for innovation and creativity. I believe this can have a significant impact on a business and will affect the longevity of not only your brand but of your employees.
The SB Team is primarily made up of women leaders. I want to highlight and celebrate diverse women who share my passion for human connection, intentional living and visual storytelling. I look for teammates who are communicative, goal oriented, supportive and willing to learn. Learning, growing and evolving should always be an open conversation within any team.
5. What is next for your company and how do you plan to evolve your business?
Sarah Baeumler as a brand has a lot in store for 2023 and beyond. One thing I can share is that we will have a brick and mortar location this summer in Toronto, Canada. This is an exciting venture for the brand; other than the Roselle & Pine located at Caerula Mar Club we have not sold our products in person. This will be an extraordinary experience to connect with our audience and customers and really connect the two.
Evolution is always the goal when owning a business. It is essential to stay innovative and current in order to establish ourselves as market leaders. Opportunity, change and agility are some of the main focuses for myself and the business. We work to create products and services that continue to entice our clients and consumers – this commitment is the only way to make a lasting impact.
