We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Catherine Mattox a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Catherine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
My handmade business, Olly & Hazel Co., is named after my 2 amazing rescue dogs. I spend so much time with them at home and they’re part of everything I do, so it seemed only fitting to name my new business after the cutest 4-legged apprentices. Of course they can be a little distracting when I’m working, but they also remind me to take breaks!
Catherine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Catherine, the creator and owner of Olly & Hazel Co, a handmade crochet boutique. I took a very winding path to get here, but after leaving my previous career right before the pandemic, I decided I wanted a different lifestyle and started working towards running my own creative business. I eventually learned to crochet with my mom, and the rest is history! I decided to open an online shop, Olly & Hazel Co., and turn my hobby into a business. I’m still new to this and learning every day. My business motto is definitely “just keep growing!”
I love crocheting beautiful and functional items that fit into your everyday life. Currently, Olly & Hazel mostly offers handmade accessories + home decor. My makes are seasonal, so there’s always something new, and everything is vegan-friendly (and primarily plant-based).
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
I decided to take a leap and start my online shop with Shopify, which felt like a risky decision at first because most handmade sellers are on Etsy. I chose Shopify because I wanted a full website with more customization options and features. I also realized that I would have to generate my own traffic to my shop no matter the platform, so I might as well have my own space without additional competition. For example, Etsy recommends other products/sellers constantly as potential customers are shopping, even while viewing your listings. Once a potential customer lands on my site, they are only viewing my content and products. I’m enjoying the platform so far, and the more I learn about it the more I can improve my site and the user experience.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Social media is incredibly important for my business because I’m currently only selling online. I originally created an Instagram page when crochet was just a hobby to share my progress and interact with other makes, but once I started my business I began putting more time and effort into the community aspect. I was able to grow my following from less than 100 to over 2,000 followers in 3 months, which honestly surprised me. I focused on posting reels consistently, staying active in my stories, engaging with my followers, and offering value within my niche (tips, advice, free crochet patterns, etc.). My biggest piece of advice to anyone starting out is to be genuine, create content you love, and give as much as you take from the community. Don’t let the “competition” keep you from offering what only YOU can.
Contact Info:
- Website: ollyandhazel.com
- Instagram: @ollyandhazel