After training at Renaissance one evening in the winter of 2004, Sharon was contemplating the pending adoption of her and her partner’s first child. Sharon was compelled to fuse her desire to own a business with her new life as the mother of an infant. At once, the answer of what exactly to pursue as an entrepreneur came to her -- baby bags! With her Renaissance training complete, her business idea solidified, and a loan secured Sharon launched Haiku by Sharon Eisenhauer in the summer of 2004.
For almost two and a half years Sharon ran Haiku by Sharon Eisenhauer by herself, working extremely long hours developing new bag designs. Sharon’s hard work had paid off, because as soon as Sharon transitioned from solely offering baby bags to outdoor industry accessories, her functional and stylish products were picked up by REI, Title 9 and Zappos.com! Sharon was soon able to hire three full-time and one part-time employees to manage her increased order volume.
Sharon is convinced that the comprehensive business training that she received at Renaissance over five years ago continues to help Haiku by Sharon Eisenhauer grow. “I’ve been told by friends,” says Sharon, “that the Renaissance program gave me more practical tools to run my business than an MBA from ColumbiaUniversity.” Using these skills, she has maximized her unique products, created a progressive workplace and grown Haiku by Sharon Eisenhauer into a powerhouse brand with 1 million dollars in sales in 2008 and a projected 1.5 million for 2009! Despite this success, Sharon has no plans to slow down any time soon. She is launching a sub-brand for fall 2010 with an eco-centric focus and is moving into a new live/work design studio in Oakland! Congratulations Sharon!
Haiku by Sharon Eisenhauer
6050 Lowell Street, Suite 112 | Oakland | 94608 | (510) 654-1001 x12