Sarah Garner tells us about her journey building a Retykle community and making a real impact on families and the environment.
We love entrepreneurs and small business owners at Honeycombers, which is why we’ve created Launchpad, a digital networking platform with IRL benefits. It’s a privilege and pleasure to learn from so many talented folks! Looking for inspiration? Check out how Sarah Garner, the founder of Retykle, gets it done like a boss.
Tell us the story behind your business.
I’m the founder of Retykle, which is the leading global kids’ resale platform. Retykle extends the lifespan of children’s clothing and toys by making it easy and convenient for parents to buy and sell high-quality pre-loved items. By promoting circular consumption, Retykle helps reduce waste, supports families with affordable options, and positively impacts communities and the environment.
What are some milestones or achievements you’re proud of?
We are immensely proud of the strong advocacy and support from our amazing Retykle community of buyers and sellers, who embrace sustainable consumption by easily finding new homes for outgrown children’s items and actively participating in circular fashion. Their engagement fuels our mission to reduce waste and helps create a vibrant ecosystem where parents can effortlessly turn kids’ closets into cash while making environmentally conscious choices.
This community-driven approach has been instrumental in recirculating over 500,000 items, saving significant carbon emissions and water usage, and donating tens of thousands of items to charities. Together with our committed community, we drive meaningful impact, making resale a seamless and rewarding experience that benefits families, the environment, and the future of sustainable fashion.
Some of the milestones we’re most proud of include expanding Retykle beyond Hong Kong into new markets such as Singapore and the UAE, demonstrating our platform’s growing adoption and scalability. Securing venture capital funding has been crucial in accelerating our growth and innovation. Becoming a Fellow of Unreasonable Impact x Barclays was an honour and pivotal in our exposure and opportunities ahead.
Equally important is building a happy, motivated team that shares our vision and values. Above all, we take pride in making a real, positive impact by solving the pressing problem of waste in children’s fashion, helping families adopt sustainable habits while supporting circular consumption. These milestones fuel our passion to keep growing and driving change.
Share a setback that taught you a valuable lesson about running a business.
Navigating the challenges brought on by Covid-19 highlighted the critical importance of adaptability and resilience in the face of the unexpected. More importantly, it reinforced how essential it is for a business to have a clear purpose and strong alignment with its core values and motivations to get through difficult periods. This sense of purpose became the driving force that helped us stay focused, motivated, and united, enabling us to pivot and continue serving our community despite the uncertainties.
The experience strengthened our commitment to our mission, made us stronger as a team, and fostered a lasting resilience that empowers us to overcome future obstacles with confidence. All great obstacles and setbacks can be great wins in building a muscle for overcoming the next big challenge.
Describe a typical day in your life and what you love most about it.
A typical day for me starts around 6.45am, getting the kids off to school by 7.15am. I try to exercise two to three mornings a week, whether it’s tennis, a walk, or a beach or home workout.
My day is spent between meetings with team members, planning activations in marketing, tech, finance and operations. I spend my time on day-to-day details, and planning and executing longer-range strategic objectives and opportunities. Evenings are for dinner and bedtime routines with the kids, who usually go to bed around 9pm. After that, I either reboot my computer to continue working or call it a night.
What’s your favourite book, movie, or TV show that has influenced your entrepreneurial mindset?
I read a lot of business books, but ‘Good To Great’ really stood out to me. It dives into what sets companies apart in terms of long-term performance and sustained success, highlighting how great companies build a strong culture of discipline and vision that goes beyond any single leader.
I’m inspired by organisations where that mindset is so deeply ingrained that it can thrive through different leaders and changing conditions. The book’s analytical approach and clear findings felt simple, enlightening, and highly applicable to building lasting impact and resilience in business. I found the analytical approach and findings simple, enlightening and applicable. I aspire to build a company that has the endurance to outlast me.
Otherwise, podcasts are my preferred format for inspiration and learning. I love ‘How I Built This’ and ‘Acquired’.
Any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Don’t chase a business idea. Focus on solving a real problem and validate that it’s a real problem before jumping in. Getting press coverage and building a founder profile might seem exciting, but the behind-the-scenes work is often far less glamorous and much more stressful, especially without the safety net of typical workplace benefits.
Jump in only if you’re comfortable with a certain level of risk and you’re confident that you have the grit, resilience, and passion to see it through. It’s crucial to have a strong fit with your business, whether that’s through your experience, values, purpose, or vision. Without that alignment, it’s easy to lose motivation and give up. You might be interested in something, but true founder-business fit is what keeps you going through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.
Top tip for maintaining a good work-life balance?
I have days or even months that feel more balanced, and others that feel less so, guided by my internal compass and goals. I believe we need to stop chasing the elusive idea of consistent balance, especially since everyone’s definition of balance is different. Expecting it to be steady is unrealistic, particularly for entrepreneurs.
My sense of presence and what balance means has evolved as my kids have grown and become more independent, with their own commitments. I spend a lot of time working because I’m passionate about what I do and the business I’m building, which sometimes means other areas get less attention.
But it’s a conscious choice. I feel empowered knowing I control how I allocate my time. That flexibility is liberating and powerful, and I strive to make intentional decisions about my time every day. My top tip, which I try to live by, is to be fully present wherever you are. Whether you’re at work or at home, give that zone your complete focus.
Favourite thing to do on weekends?
I love unstructured, free time outdoors with my kids – whether it’s hiking, beach days, tennis, swimming, biking, or camping. My favourite weekends are when we try something new or adventurous together.
Tell us one fun fact about yourself that not many people know.
I moved to Hong Kong in 2007 with three suitcases and no job – only an ambition to start a new life chapter.
Get in touch with Sarah Garner online.
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