Founded by Shira Yoskovitch, Handled is a shopping app service that takes care of the process of shopping for you.Described as a “personal shopper at your fingertips.”
Whether it’s browsing, buying or making sure your unwanted garments go to a good home, Handled is dedicated to giving you instant access to expert style advice.
HOLR: It would be good to hear in your own words where the idea for Handled came from.
Shira Yoskovitch: Handled came from my own personal experience. I was a very busy tech executive working over 90 hours a week, trying to take care of my family and my personal life and I was forever stretched for time and looking for help while breaking the bank. I looked around and my friends and colleagues were always in very similar situations and living in Canada, but I wasn’t finding the quality of help that I really wanted. That’s where the idea for Handled came from but also why we have a platform that helps people book and interact with us via their smartphone or laptop. It becomes an extension of how they live their life. They don’t have to think too hard about how they engage with us.
What’s really interesting is the fact that Handled can make a meaningful, sustainable impact. Is that something that’s important for you?
Shira Yoskovitch: That is one of the core parts of how Handled operates. When we start working with clients on styling, we don’t start from a vantage point of “let’s throw everything out and start fresh.” The first approach is asking how you live your life. Is it active, is it social or is it a combination? And then from there, what have you already invested in and, if you’re not leveraging it the way you want, how can we get there?
Is it an alteration that needs to be made or do we restyle it? If that doesn’t work, we take it out of your closet and if we can donate it or consign it, we then manage that whole process. I never want to say to anybody to start again. I don’t think that’s helpful or productive. It’s a huge waste of money and resources so it’s more important to pay homage to what people already spent and see what we can work with. When you think that the average article of clothing is worn seven times, that’s not a lot. Anything we can do to extend life either with the person who bought it or through a donation or consignment only helps.
What would you say is the most rewarding but also most challenging part of being an entrepreneur?
When I think about Handled it’s hands-down the most fun I’ve ever had in anything work-related, but at the same time it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done. Everything feels like a big decision. You have a brand that’s 100% in your hands and so there’s been a lot of personal growth for me over the last few years. I’ve had various entrepreneurial endeavours my whole life and I grew up in a very entrepreneurial family so I’m not foreign to the idea, but at 2 am when you’re going over the books it’s only you and your kitchen table — that’s what’s scary. I contemplated Handled in a couple of different forms for a few years before I finally took the leap. What held me back originally was saying it’s not the right time financially or questioning if I really had all the answers. When I started Handled I had maybe 60% of the answers, but at a certain point you have to just go for it.
What does the future hold for Handled?
I’ve been working on a number of different services, testing them out over the last six to eight months around travel experiences for clients. So if you want a birthday party with Snowboard Canada, then that’s the kind of thing I’m working on launching as an ongoing service. It fits into my philosophy that people don’t know what great experiences they have access to without spending a lot of money. We’re also building out additional event planning and management, so eventually, I’d love the travel and event planning to hold an equal share in Handled.
Visit the Handled website to find the pricing that works best for you, and to ultimately worry less about your wardrobe.
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