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Meet The House Outfit’s Founder, Lara Coward
The Home Staging Association is delighted to introduce Lara Coward, founder of The House Outfit.
We have been putting together a team of amazing business owners in the home staging and interiors industry so that they could turn into a reference point for our members.
The House Outfit was the very first company to be selected as an ambassador, striking up a new partnership that we hope will continue to grow in the future.
The House Outfit is an online destination for home fashion that was founded back in 2016 by Lara Coward. The company sells home accessories, wall art and frames. We were particularly impressed with the fact that in just a few years The House Outfit was able to cultivate its target customers and keep coming up with innovative ways to not let the spotlight on the company die down while maintaining their own personal touch that their clients have come to adore and seek.
With a community of around 180k followers on Instagram that seems to be destined to keep growing, we feel extremely grateful that Lara Coward not only decided to join our Ambassadors program but also was kind enough to take part in an interview with us.
Indeed community is everything to us and this has been made clear many times by our founder, Paloma Harrington-Griffin, with tons of activities and initiatives made to further strengthen  our ties within the industry and our members.
As mentioned before, our community is for professionals and made by professionals, so what better way than to hear it straight from our latest ambassador and business woman behind The House Outfit’s success?
Leaning and growing together is fundamental in an industry like ours.
Moreover, we couldn’t help but notice that lately female entrepreneurs have been at the forefront of innovation. For this reason our interview with Lara Coward from The House Outfit, is even more special. We were able to gain insight into the creation of her business, the challenges she faced as a business woman, what drives her and so much more!
You wouldn’t want to miss this interview with our ambassador, Lara Coward.
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”4173″ media_width_percent=”70″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Q: What was the inspiration behind The House Outfit?Â
A: “I’ve always had a huge love for Interiors and was lucky enough to get a job as a visual merchandiser for The White Company. I initially loved the creativity in the role however; as it is working for any business, you’re bound to their creative vision and guidelines, and I found this really limited me in terms of my own creativity. After 4 years working in that field, I decided I wanted a new challenge and made the decision to start my own businessâ€.
Q: Did you already know how you wanted your business to turn out or was your growth more intuition-based?
A: “When starting The House Outfit, the goal was to just wake up every day in a job I enjoyed and be able to pay my bills. After working 15 hour days, every day, for months on end, the business had pretty much achieved that and so I set a new target and once we hit that, I would set a new one and so on.. I just keep moving the goal postâ€.Â
Q: What does it mean to you to be a female entrepreneur?
A: “I come from a family of very independent women and have always had it drilled into me that anything you want to achieve from life is possible if you work hard enough. The business world has historically been very male dominated and it’s really empowering to see so many female entrepreneurs taking the front seat and proving that woman can and do make great business leaders.”
Q: What has been the best thing so far about being your own boss? And the worst?Â
A: “For me the best thing about being your own boss is the satisfaction you get every day from seeing your idea grow into a business that’s provided jobs for people, gives you the freedom to plan your holidays and social life as you want and I love that I can take my dog to work with me too! The downside to it would be how much your business consumes your life, particularly in the start-up phase. Your whole mind, body and soul is dedicated to your work and it can be very difficult to maintain friendships and relationships when you’re so busy and occupied with your businessâ€.
Q: Â How do you pick the products to add on your website? Are they a reflection of your own style?Â
A: “Sourcing and designing is my favourite part of my job and I’m lucky that these days that’s now the main thing that I do on a day to day basis. My personal taste is very neutral and minimal and a lot of the prints I design are very much my style however it’s really important that we have prints that cater to everyone’s taste, and so we take a lot of time researching our customers’ style, analysing what prints sell best, what colourways are most popular and adapt to what the customer wants really. Not everything on the website might be exactly my style, however there’s absolutely nothing on there I don’t likeâ€.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”4174″ media_width_percent=”70″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Q: What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking of starting their own business?Â
A: “My advice to someone wanting to start their own business would be, choose something that you have a genuine interest and passion in, first of all. Research your competitors but never copy them, it’s so important to be original and your business will thrive so much more if you follow your own style. Be patient, it takes time to build a brand and get it off the ground and even if it feels like nothing is going to plan, keep going,  if you work hard enough, you will get thereâ€.Â
Q: How have your biggest accomplishments and failures impacted your business strategy?
A: “I think our biggest accomplishments and failures have shaped our business strategy, really. The House Outfit has evolved as we’ve learnt from every big win, and even more so from every set back or mistake. Each day brings a new lesson or throws us a new challenge, so we’re constantly adaptingâ€.
Q: Where do you see yourself in five years? Is “manifesting†something you do?
A: “I started the business nearly 5 years ago now, and to look at how much the business has grown and how much my life has changed in those 5 years is crazy! So to think of what the next 5 years will bring is really exciting. Inevitably I hope that The House Outfit is still thriving, our team has expanded even more and we’re still doing what we love. I’m very target driven and find it easier when working to a certain goal, however, there is still always an element of ‘wingin’ it’ along the way. This last year has really taught us all that you really don’t know what is around the corner and you always need to be preparedâ€.
Q: With so many brands and businesses thriving on social media, do you think that it’s easier or harder to keep the attention on your own business?Â
A: “I think it would always be easier the less competition you have to stand out from; but then competition is healthy too! The more brands there are out there, the harder it makes to advertise I guess and it means you really have to have something different to offer that makes you stand out, so good marketing is all the more important in a crowded field. That being said, the world wide web is a big place and the ability to be able to reach potential customers from all over the world is invaluableâ€.
Q: What is your must-have home accessory?
A: “It would have to be mirrors for me. Mirrors are everywhere in my home, I love how they really open and brighten a space. A good statement mirror can really make a roomâ€.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”4175″ media_width_percent=”70″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]
After talking to Lara Coward we felt even more inspired and we believe that her answers will be of great value especially to those of you who are thinking about starting a business. It is never to late to make the leap and start building your dream company and job.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on our latest ambassador, The House Outfit, and we can’t wait to see how this community will continue to thrive and expand in the future.
What about you? Are you also feeling creative, excited and ready to follow your passion?
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