The challenge: Sarah Hoorfar, founder of Cowgirl Clutch, started her business at 15 with a unique idea: combining pink cowboy hats and handbags. As a young entrepreneur with no marketing education, Sarah faced the challenge of creating professional product photos without the resources to hire photographers.
Our solution: Sarah discovered Photoroom through a YouTube video, which changed her approach to product photography. Photoroom's features like AI Backgrounds and AI Shadows allowed her to create professional-looking photos quickly and easily, even for challenging products like furry cowboy hats.
Results: Since adopting Photoroom, Cowgirl Clutch has seen over 200% increased sales and engagement. Sarah credits Photoroom with helping to legitimize her business in the eyes of her audience, reduce costs, and increase profits. The app's ease of use has also empowered her to teach other small business owners about creating professional product photos.
From teen vision to thriving business
When Sarah Hoorfar noticed a lack of pink cowboy hats in the market for parties and Halloween, she saw an opportunity. Combining this with her interest in handbags, she launched Cowgirl Clutch in July 2020 at the age of 15. Based in Los Angeles, Sarah single-handedly manages all aspects of her business, from packing to shipping.
"I grew the business myself, DIY-style, with no marketing education," Sarah proudly states. "This shows that anyone can do it."
Despite her youth, Sarah's entrepreneurial spirit has led to impressive achievements. She's been featured in a Forbes article, reached a peak of 800 orders in a single month, and became the youngest honoree in Beverly Hills' Living Magazine’s 40 under 40 list.
Discovering Photoroom’s features for “shockingly good” product photos
Sarah's journey with Photoroom began when she was selling on Depop. She started selling old clothes at first before eventually moving on to products like scrunchies and phone cases. "I didn't know anything about professional photography, and I couldn't hire photographers," Sarah recalls. Sarah did not have any marketing education as well.
When she stumbled upon Photoroom in a YouTube video, she was skeptical but intrigued.
“I heard about Photoroom in a YouTube video that showed how the app removed an image background in seconds. It was shocking because it was before AI went viral. I downloaded the app and tried it myself. Even using eraser tools on professional platforms like Photoshop wouldn't have been as perfect” - Sarah Hoorfar, Founder at Cowgirl Clutch.
For Sarah, the true test came when she tried it on a furry cowboy hat for Cowgirl Clutch. "I believed there was no way it could remove the background from fur, but it did it perfectly. " Sarah notes.
Sarah loves using Photoroom because it has multiple options for her to express her creativity. She particularly loves AI Backgrounds for creating multiple professional backgrounds for her product pictures. She completed a rebrand recently and has been using AI Backgrounds for the launch of her new line of trucker hat products.
There are so many different backgrounds to choose from and you can just express your creativity with them. You never expect that there will be so many backgrounds but there are just so many options. - Sarah Hoorfar, Founder at Cowgirl Clutch.
She also enjoys using the AI Shadows feature, which adds realism to her product photos.
How Photoroom elevated Cowgirl Clutch’s marketing and sales
Four years in, Photoroom is still very important to Sarah’s marketing efforts. She uses Photoroom to easily repurpose content instead of reshooting multiple times.
“For SMS and email marketing, you need to always have content. But I can’t always be out there taking photos. What’s easier is to take a product photo, remove the background, make it into a PNG, and add it to a graphic. Being able to have the freedom and creativity to do that is really great and I can’t do that without an app like Photoroom.” - Sarah Hoorfar, Founder at Cowgirl Clutch.
Photoroom has also been instrumental in helping Sarah legitimize her business and boosting sales. "I know people will not place orders if product photography is bad," she states. According to Sarah, Photoroom makes it easier for small businesses with limited funds to have professional images. "I remember using it with a slippers photo, and it replaced the background with a wooden floor that just elevated the entire image."
The app has also had a significant impact on her bottom line. "Photoroom has helped me make more profit because it really reduces the cost I would have spent on photos," Sarah explains. She has also noticed the impact of using Photoroom in her sales.
“I track my email marketing platforms. When I send out my SMS/email marketing with images from Photoroom, I get up to 200% more sales.” - Sarah Hoorfar, Founder at Cowgirl Clutch.
Sarah's experience with Photoroom has also unlocked a new passion: teaching other small business owners. "Creating content on how to use Photoroom made me realize that I could also be a mentor for small businesses," she says. It has inspired a whole new social media venture where she shares tips on starting and running a small business for other young people like her.
What's next for Cowgirl Clutch and Sarah’s journey?
As Cowgirl Clutch continues to grow and gain celebrity recognition, Sarah has her sights set on new collections, new products, and other business ventures. She has recently ventured into selling trucker hats and uses Photoroom along the way. She even sees potential for using Photoroom in future podcast creation. She believes that Photoroom is going to play an important part in all her new ventures in the coming years.
"For anyone looking to try Photoroom, definitely try it. I don't see why it won't be for everyone, even if you are not selling physical products, Photoroom is one of the easiest apps to learn. Even someone like my grandparents can click a button and use it, no prior camera experience required." - Sarah Hoorfar, Founder at Cowgirl Clutch.
Try Photoroom yourself today! Available on Google Play, App Store, or the Web.
Follow Cowgirl Clutch on TikTok and Instagram to keep up with Sarah's entrepreneurial journey and see how she continues to use Photoroom to elevate her brand.
