We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lydia Coutlee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lydia below.

Hi Lydia, thanks for joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

I think I started my business at just the right time. I always knew I wanted to have my own business, I just didn’t know the when or what about it.

I started sewing baprons in 2015, when I was pregnant with my 3rd and last baby. I had very kind neighbors who were willing to teach me how to use my sewing machine and help me make a pattern. They got me started and I kept it going.

I opened my Etsy shop in 2018 once I was a little more confident with my sewing skills and had more help from a friend to open up my shop.

Once you take that first step, you take a little risk, then you can do it again. But you won’t go anywhere if you never take that first step.

Now we’ve settled into our 10th (and hopefully last) house and I’m ready to stretch and grow my business!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m Lydia, creator and maker behind Lydia’s Wild Things. I sew baprons and bibdanas for babies and toddlers. I am working on adding banners and bucket hats to my products as well. I create products that help parents with babies and toddlers. All my products are handmade by me.

The thing that sets me apart from others is how I connect with my customers. I want people to know that a real person made their items. Not a robot and not a factory. I buy the fabric, wash it, cut it, sew it, wrap it and mail it. I am a part of every process from beginning to end with my business.

The thing I’m most proud of with my business is that I started. I didn’t have all the answers when I opened my shop. Just a little ambition and a dream and a lot of hustle. There have been times when I took a risk and it didn’t pan out but I kept going. Failure is a part of any success business. It’s what you do after you fail that matters.

I am a wife to the most amazing partner and mom of 3 wild things. They are my biggest inspiration behind my business. I’ve been married 12 years and have lived in Utah, Hawaii and Texas. Texas is home for now, hopefully for a long time.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was that I had to have all the answers to everything for my business right away.

It is so easy to get swayed my social media and other businesses when you’re first starting out. You see their brand, their logos, their displays and you think you’re failing because you don’t have it all figured out. What you don’t see is their background, their struggle, their business loans, the employees they’re paying for their blog and social media posts.

I am a one woman show. And it was a steep learning curve for me to understand that I am going to go at a slower pace as I cash flow everything in my business. Also while being a full time mom and wife and all the responsibilities those roles entail. Even today, I still have to remind myself that social media is a highlight reel and doesn’t show the reality of what everyone is actually like. So I just keep going my own pace and run my own race. I am only in competition with myself.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

A time I had to pivot my business was during the pandemic. I was still making bibs and baprons and suddenly had friends asking for masks. I didn’t want to do it but I also welcome opportunity when it knocks.

So with the help of my husband and kids, I started testing out masks and watching YouTube tutorials and figuring out what I could make with the materials I had on hand. I learned to make my own bias tape during this time which I still do today.

It was a crazy busy couple of months but it stretched me as a business owner and I am a better person for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: lydiaswildthings.etsy.com
• Instagram: Lydia’s Wild Things
• Facebook: Lydia’s Wild Things
• Other: Pinterest: Lydia’s Wild Things

Image Credits
Me: Lydia Coutlee