Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Martin.
Hi Catherine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Gosh, let me think way back when…
I was a retired kindergarten teacher who was loving my time with my new baby girl. I had worked in retail and actually majored in Retail & Consumer Sciences but went on to get my master’s in education and never followed through with my dream of opening a children’s clothing store.
A friend had started working with Matilda Jane Clothing a few months prior and approached me at just the right time to ask me to join her in the business. I loved Kaiser and spending time with her, but she needed a little something for me. I certainly wasn’t upset about a little extra spending money, but more than anything, it was an opportunity to use my love of interacting with children and their parents creatively. Matilda Jane Clothing offers products for babies to ladies and an occasional home item as well.
Fast forward through two more children, the loss of my dad, and many seasons of life later, I had a thriving personal business and was leading a team of over 80 women who all joined the business for various reasons but stayed for the community, a sense of purpose, and financial freedom that comes with being a Matilda Jane Clothing business.
In the past few years, my business has really shifted, both due to the age and interests of my children and the shift in the world, largely due to the pandemic, to more online connections and online shopping. Matilda Jane Clothing started a sister line, Good Hart Clothing, which I have been very passionate about from the beginning. Good Hart Clothing is my personal style. I like to say it is for the everyday woman on the go who wants to be cute and trendy without effort or an endless budget.
Even before I began my Matilda Jane business, I was the girl that was always sharing when I found a new lipgloss, or restaurant, or clothing piece I was wearing on repeat, so I thought it only made sense to create MIX AND MATCH MADNESS. Mix & Match Madness is a website and Instagram account where I share all sorts of things, including but not limited to: fashion and accessories, life hacks and teacher tricks, self-care, and authentic struggles and successes of myself and other women like me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Oh gosh, no… I don’t know many roads that aren’t a little bit bumpy. I have learned to work my business while juggling the many hats I wear at my children’s various ages. I am a workaholic (something I am not always proud to admit), so one of my biggest struggles is turning off my mind from my business.
I have certainly been met with many objections from potential customers, possible team members, and even friends who question, “when are you going to go back to work?” meaning the classroom. I try not to let other people’s opinions get me down because, at the end of the day, I am proud of the business I have created and how I can work with other small businesses along the way.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The thing that sets me apart from others with both the Matilda Jane business and the bigger picture, Mix and Match Madness brand, is my authenticity.
I am the 1st to tell you when I don’t think a certain silhouette is flattering for your body. It is about more than a sale for me- it’s about helping women dress in a way that they feel confident and secure when they walk out the door for the day. I strongly believe that is why women continue to come to ME as their personal stylist and Matilda Jane Clothing/Good Hart Clothing rep.
Don’t get me wrong, we have a wonderful life, but I don’t pretend in person, on Instagram, or in any other arena like we have a picture-perfect life with no struggles. Life is not always easy, and it has been so nice feeling free to share the real-life struggles of a working mom of three and wife to my college sweetheart. I think that helps other women relate to me- not just on a fashion and style level.
Since starting my Mix & Match Madness Instagram and website, one of my major goals has been to use my creativity and audience to support other small businesswomen. One of the dreams that came to life that I am most proud of is my Favorite Thing Event after a wildly successful 1st event, intended to become an annual gather of small businesswomen who created and curated, as the title says, MY FAVORITE THINGS.
We gathered 10+ women-owned businesses in my home for 1 day in November 2019. We had close to 400 people through my house shopping and cheering for the women and these businesses. It was truly a dream come true. Due to the overwhelmed request by those who attended and many who couldn’t make it on that one day, we intended to make it an annual event. In 2020, the pandemic caused us to lay that dream to rest. Still, we are hopeful that in November 2021, we can recreate in a bigger and even more inclusive way My Favorite Things 2021 with more small businesses and over a slightly longer period of time.
How do you think about luck?
Oh gosh, I am not sure I really believe in luck… hard work, a positive mindset, learning from my mistakes (there have been lots), and a ton of prayer has gotten me where I am in life and business.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.mixandmatchmadness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mixandmatchmadness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mixandmatchmadness
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtoyeyPh5lRc9o14do34ZSQ
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/mixandmatchmadness
