Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amber Olsen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Amber, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

My parents are amazing. The work ethic I have now is a direct result of what I learned from them. We weren’t just given things we wanted, we were given opportunities to work to get the things we wanted. For example, when I was in elementary school I wanted the new iPod, I went in to talk to my dad about how much I wanted it and his response was, “yeah, of course you can have one!” I was so excited. However, the next sentence was “how are you going to pay for it?” Then we worked out a plan, I’d mow the lawn x amount of times and I’d have the money. If we were ever in trouble financially they’d help us out, but not with a check- there would be a plan to work and earn the money we needed. From iPods to cars or trips with friends. In short- my parents taught me how to ‘work hard-play hard’ The list goes on, they’ve taught me so much about hard work, integrity, teamwork & honesty. Both within our family as well as his employees. They taught me that the principle of work is a spiritual necessity as much as it is an economic necessity. It feels good to put in an honest day’s work! These are principles I’ve taken with me into all my jobs, especially in running my own business. I’ve learned from my dad that there’s many good times and many bad ones that you have to be patient and problem solve your way through.

Amber, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

If I were to introduce my business in a sentence, I’d say “I’m Amber, I love flowers and I think everyone deserves to have flowers everyday.” Mayzie Co. was born out of my desire to have flowers everywhere. I think everyone can agree that real flowers make you smile and feel special no matter what. My original idea with Mayzie Co. was to make mason jar lids that had pressed flowers on them, sealed in with a resin. Though I think this idea is still possible, it was failing at the time and required way more manufacturing than I was able to do. There were too many kinks to feel good about selling them. I did another type of jar for a little bit that was a better fit for my resources but there just wasn’t too much of a need… one day while I was messing around with the jars and resin and I had some resin left over. I always opted for a clear phone case so that I could put pictures and pressed flowers into the back of it, at this point it was quite dingy so I took my left over resin and started putting flowers on my old phone case! A couple days afterwards I posted it on my instagram story. I had 3 people that same day say they’d pay me to make them one, so I sold a couple! Then I’d post again and I had another! At the time, I was working in retail at a store that I loved but I was starting to realize that working grocery retail didn’t give me the freedom that I wanted in life, long story short- I just went for it! I made Mayzie Co. it’s own instagram, made my own website and went from there!
It was a slow start, but back then- 2 or 3 orders in one month was unreal to me. When I get overwhelmed with orders now, I think to myself, “this was my dream, I would’ve done anything to be this busy”

So what’s Mayzie Co. now? Mayzie Co. is known for our hand crafted, high quality iPhone cases decorated with real locally grown & pressed flowers. It was important to me to sell a product that I loved myself but was a quality I felt confident selling. I tested so many different iPhone cases, I finally found one that’s slim yet durable, non-yellowing and is the perfect material to work with resin. I don’t skim on the iPhone case, they are awesome! On top of that, I individually design each cash with pressed flowers, sealing it with a strong resin. Each product is truly individual and unique, lots of time goes into each and it is so worth it. I love running into people who have had a Mayzie Co. case for months-years and seeing how much they love them!

One of my favorite things about my product is of course the flowers, but on top of that- I source my flowers from a local family owned business here in Utah. They grow, harvest and press flowers all summer long! I love that I get to support a small business with my own business. I’ve become great friends with the ladies I get my flowers from!

After I started Mayzie Co, my husband, Frazier and I started traveling more. As we’ve gone from country to country I’ve aquired a very big stamp collection! Now, on top of the iPhone cases with real flowers, I also have iPhone cases with real postage stamps from all over the world! They’re so much fun. I’m mezmorized by them! I’ve always been a very sentimental person and loves to travel so to have my business around flowers and stamps makes tons of sense.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I catch myself in the mindset of “if things are slow, I need to add something new” which- adding new products is always fun, but sometimes I spend more of my time and money on new things rather than spending that time and money on my main product that I’ve already sorted out the kinks with. I did this a few times early on in my business that I wish I could go back and undo, I wish I could’ve taken all that effort and investment and put it into my main products that I’m most confident in.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Selling iPhones cases has been a unique market from my experience so far. It’s not the first thing you think of when you think “handcrafted-farmers market item” which I think has helped my grow in the small business world. Overall- and something that would apply to any business is quality. I think I stand out because of the quality of my product. When people are happy with the quality, they will tell others and they will remain customers themselves. For me, I could skimp on the iPhone case and get a cheap 90 cent one but I choose to spend a lot more than that because I more about the quality & integrity of my product.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mayzie.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayzie.co/