Often, the most creative ideas spark from the universal struggle of wondering why something better doesn’t exist yet.
For Annabel Hay, the founder and CEO of CLUTCH glue, this struggle surfaced during a night out in Sydney, Australia, where an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction ultimately transformed into a globally patented product and a viral business.
When traditional fashion tape failed her during a night out, she saw it not only as a personal inconvenience, but also as a gaping hole in the market. Though some solutions existed, accompanying these remedies were undeniably negative factors: lack of comfort, unreliable stickiness, and notable environmental waste through plastic usage.
Enter Shark Tank Australia, the opportunity that ultimately changed Hay’s life. She spent months preparing, and ultimately invested about 100 hours into the pitch, resulting in one of the show’s biggest moments in history.
This drive and determination exude from every fiber of Hay’s core values, that of which kept her motivated during the multiple years of product development and patent work that followed her pitch. The infamous Shark Tank pitch resulted in the creation of CLUTCH, a liquid fashion adhesive designed to be sweat-resistant, fabric-friendly, hypoallergenic, and highly versatile in any clothing crisis.
The growth of CLUTCH rested on ingenuity, but also on a pure authenticity that felt tangible to consumers. CLUTCH’s origin story and the energizing characteristics of founder Annabel Hay positioned the brand as an honest, relatable business.
Annabel Hay doesn’t see her consumers as the bottom of the business pyramid – she believes they should always remain front and center.
“All I’m thinking about is what the customer needs from me and what’s going to satisfy their demand,” Hay states.
Her customer-first philosophy has been the driving force behind all aspects of the company, from product development to marketing strategy. Rather than a fixation on executing a predetermined vision, the brand instead chooses to transform alongside the customers in accordance with their needs.
For aspiring founders, Hay suggests “embracing the unexpected and kind of going with the flow of it.”
The journey from a founder’s initial idea to business success is rarely linear, and thus companies and founders that can adapt accordingly are often most successful, she explained.
As CLUTCH surges on, Annabel Hay remains proof of why a moment of frustration, a desire for something greater, and the determination to see it through may be all you really need.
Dive into the conversation to hear more about Annabelle Hay’s founder journey, the growth of CLUTCH, and the lessons she’s learned while building one of Australia’s fastest-rising brands. Tune in below and check out our Instagrams here at @readthetease and @volumeupbythetease.
