Sara Donaldson is the blogger behind fashion and beauty blog Harper & Harley and has a combined reach of more than 800,000 followers across her social media channels. She was among the main cast on the reality TV show Fashion Bloggers and recently launched an online fashion store, The Undone, with business partner Georgia Martina. Donaldson, 27, chats to me about blogging fame, why finding balance can be a struggle, and her biggest surprise at having an online shop.
I was at university and I was reading really old school blogs. Growing up in Brisbane, there was nothing really going on there, so I just started blogging while I was at university and working part-time as a sales assistant … Then I moved to Sydney and I had a full-time [marketing] role but I was still blogging … And then I finally gave it all up and just did my blog.
What was the defining moment when you decided to take on blogging as a full-time career?
Five years into Harper and Harley, it was at a point where the industry had changed [so] I could monetise my blog in such a way that I was earning more from my blog than I was with my full-time job … I was quite reserved in stepping away from having another job because I felt like it was a safety net. I didn’t want to launch into it because I wasn’t quite sure where it was going to go.
What are the main ways you monetised your blog?
Affiliate networks like RewardStyle or ShopStyle, and then also doing sponsored posts for the brands.
What opportunities and doors has blogging opened for you?
Well, being part of Fashion Bloggers was incredible… [and] it’s just wonderful that I can call amazing brands and designers my friends.
What is the secret to your blogging success?
I’m was an early adopter. It’s also about having consistent content and making sure that content is really premium. You can’t just throw up a bunch of stuff in the air and hope that does well. You have to make sure it’s all done professionally … You have to give your readers advice or give them something that’s a bit special.
With so many blogs out there, what sets you and your blog apart?
I think it’s the black, white and grey [colour scheme].
Being able to travel, just being independent, not having to work for anyone else but yourself. It’s wonderful. Everyone should have a chance to do that, if it works for them.
What’s the worst part about what you do?
I think it’s just not being able to stop. Even if you want to, you can’t stop.
What is it like to have a career that many young girls dreams about?
I receive emails all the time from girls in high school that want to be a blogger and they want advice on how to do that.
What is your advice to an upcoming blogger?
Create great content … [But] don’t think you’re going to get instant readers or instant followers. It’s not about getting the highest number of followers on social media … The industry is very fast and, just like a model, your lifespan is quite short. So make sure you have the education. I feel like I’m really successful because I had my marketing background and my experience in the workplace.
What’s your plan for life after blogging?
I feel like there will be a time in the next few years [when] the industry will change or maybe I [will] have moved on to something else. Running The Undone is so important, and making sure the business doesn’t have my face all over it, so that I can step away, because I do struggle with the fact that I can’t step away from blogging. I can’t take a holiday… It is a 24/7, 365-day job.
You launched The Undone in July. How did you transition from fashion blogger to online store owner?
Was it always your career goal to open a fashion store?
No. I’ve been [a blogger] for 7½ years and I needed the “phase two” to happen … It’s a big deal for anyone in their 20s – or anyone really, these days – sticking to something that long. So I just needed something else to re-energise me.
How is The Undone performing as a business so far?
We’re really happy with our first few months of trade. The Undone has such an advantage compared with other new retail outlets, with a ready-made audience due to the Harper and Harley platforms, and we’ve definitely seen that come through via our sales for the store.
What have you found most surprising in terms of having your own online store?
I thought I knew how fast the fashion industry operated, but now that I’m part of the retail-buying process, it’s becoming much more apparent to me. It’s a never-ending cycle, you’re constantly working on two or three seasons at a time: the one you physically have on hand for your customers, the one that’s about to arrive and the one you’re buying for.
Will you still concentrate on your blog now you’ve got The Undone?
It definitely is a struggle because The Undone is so exciting and I want to be doing that full-time and give that all of my attention, but I can’t forget about Harper and Harley. It’s still such a big part of what I do. I have to definitely balance between the two for a while.
Hanging out with my dogs and my boyfriend … We go to the dog park in Manly with a coffee and just chill there for a little bit until we’re exhausted … We’re not big party people.
I was studying marketing in Brisbane and knew I wanted to work in fashion but wasn’t quite sure how to get my foot in the door, especially in a city that didn’t have the biggest fashion industry. I started my blog after getting hooked reading a few international blogs and thought if they can do, it I can do it.
I’ve been blogging for coming up to six years and have seen a lot of friends go full time with their blogs, so I knew it was possible if you gave it 100 per cent of your time. As I was also in the first few years of my marketing career I didn’t want to give up on it too early on without gaining some industry experience. After five and half years of blogging and working full time I felt I reached the tipping point where I was earning more from my blog than I was at my day job and it just made sense to make the move and making my blog my full time career.
Emails and lots of them! Back and forth calls with my management and a meeting with a brand or PR agency. Perhaps an event in the evening and working on upcoming posts and updating the many social media platforms that Harper and Harley is on.
I have a few friends in the TV production industry so knew there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that no one knows about. I think the hardest thing for me is that balancing act of trying to be real and let people into your world, but at the same time editing yourself as at the end of the day you have a business and that needs to be the focus.
After getting a look into Mandy’s (of the blog Oracle Fox) new walk-in wardrobe on the show I’m itching to rummage through it!
Black, white grey. Clean lines. Relaxed.
Never wear more than three colours at a time.
Emmanuelle Alt, Caroline de Maigret, Elin Kling.
Black midi skirts and black dresses.
A Proenza Schouler leather jacket. But worth it!
Go onto Pinterest and get inspired.
Accessories can be the most simple way to make an outfit feel new again. Invest in a great bag, a simple ring or a new pair of sunglasses.
Know your angles and lighting is key.
Tone morning and night with SKII and also take off my makeup before bed. I use simple cleansers like Cetaphil that aren’t full of nasty chemicals and one of my favourite moisturisers is Clarins Beauty Flash Balm. Plus I never leave the house without filling in my brows.