Welcome back to High Agency Women, and this is a very exciting episode because it's the first time we've had repeat guests!

Yep, the Clutch co-founders Annabel and Lucy Hay are back in the studio for Yeah, But How? to take us through how exactly Annabel spearheaded Clutch's $2 million pre-seed capital raise and deal close process with Australian VC firm Blackbird (one of the biggest rounds for a fast-moving consumer goods company globally, no biggie), how Lucy managed the specialist to generalist transition moving from working daily as a copywriter in ad agencies in collaborative environments to ”doing it all” (albeit with her sister) as a business co-owner, and an exploration of the rise of ”dupe culture” in the online retail world.

The Hay sisters have put four years of thought and intention into creating and patenting the Clutch product (a sweat-resistant and water soluble glue that holds your clothes in place – hellllo strapless dresses staying up all night), the unique Clutch brand, and their audience. So you can imagine their shock when they started seeing a wave of copycats cropped up online selling … well, not Clutch.

Once the high of the Shark Tank pitch and capital raise wears off, the beautiful, sometimes messy reality of building sets in. And in this episode, the Hay sisters generously share how they've learned to navigate the random hazards that come with startup territory.

”Clutch looks lovely and shiny on the outside, and people will say: 'you guys are doing the coolest stuff!', and I'm like yes, it does look cool. But day to day – it can be crazy,” Lucy says. ”But then I'm like… is anyone more powerful than the two of us? A problem comes up, and we always figure it out.”

Strap in. This is a good one.

Sponsored by Blackbird.