Women's laptop bag brand Carter Bags has LinkedIn to thank for its overnight viral success

A BUSINESSWOMAN with a sustainable and empowering brand went viral after posting about her success story.
By Sophie Murray
Published 10th Dec 2021, 14:47 BST
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Charlotte Carter, 31, from Portsmouth, is the founder of Carter Bags, a business that sells stylish laptop bags for women.

Charlotte said that she had the idea whilst she was working in sales and struggling to find a nice laptop bag for herself that didn’t cost a fortune.

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She said: ‘Most laptop bags are pretty ugly and not designed with women in mind, I’d looked around for ages and the only ones that I liked, looked smart and were kind of feminine were about £350.

‘Especially where I was working in sales, you put so much effort into looking presentable and smart but end up walking around with these ugly bags.’

After a year of planning and finding manufacturers and a professional designer on LinkedIn, Charlotte launched the brand in June this year and runs Carter Bags alongside her LinkedIn marketing business.

There are six bags in the collection, which are all made from recycled materials and vegan leather.

Charlotte wants the brand to be sustainable and empowering.

Charlotte Carter, founder of Carter Bags, with some of her collection. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (jpns 071221-25)Charlotte Carter, founder of Carter Bags, with some of her collection. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (jpns 071221-25)
Charlotte Carter, founder of Carter Bags, with some of her collection. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (jpns 071221-25)
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She said: ‘They’re all handmade with women in mind, and they’re all made by working women for working women.’

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Six months into opening the business, Charlotte posted about a personal success on LinkedIn. She was celebrating paying off her debt repayment loan in 18 months, something which was expected to take her seven years.

She said in the post: ‘I have just paid off my (very substantial) debt consolidation loan. I am 31, I don’t own a house, I am not married.

Charlotte Carter, founder of Carter Bags, with some of her collection. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (jpns 071221-27)Charlotte Carter, founder of Carter Bags, with some of her collection. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (jpns 071221-27)
Charlotte Carter, founder of Carter Bags, with some of her collection. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (jpns 071221-27)

‘The last 18 months I’ve paid off a loan which was supposed to take me seven years.

‘I’ll say cheers to that.’

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The post has now had more than a million views and Charlotte said sales haven’t stopped since.

She said: ‘The website had 10,000 views in one day, one of the bags has sold out and another is expected to sell out by the end of the day.

Charlotte Carter, founder of Carter Bags, with some of her collection. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (jpns 071221-22)Charlotte Carter, founder of Carter Bags, with some of her collection. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (jpns 071221-22)
Charlotte Carter, founder of Carter Bags, with some of her collection. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (jpns 071221-22)

‘I’ve had more sales in the past week than I did for the whole of last month.’

Charlotte wanted to thank everyone who’s supported her, including her nine-year-old daughter Matilda who has been her ‘biggest supporter and biggest critic’.

To find out more, visit carterbags.com and find Charlotte on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Related topics:LinkedInPortsmouthFacebook