Meet Maddie Light | Serial Entrepreneur & Fashion Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maddie Light and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maddie, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Taking risks is never a bad thing. While it’s not always easy, I try to take risks whenever they present themselves. The key is to not look too much into what you expect the outcome to be. If you expect it to be one way, and you put a lot of pressure on it coming out that way. Then, of course, you will always be disappointed with the different, negative outcome.

However, if you always take the result and information as a way to grow, develop, and learn, then a risk can only be a good thing! You learn from your risks that don’t pay off, and this could lead you down a new path. Whether this be the direction of your own company, a career path, or even a development of a personal relationship, something is only looked at as terrible if you give it that meaning. The world is what we make it, and our perception of it.

In my opinion, this is an important mindset for an entrepreneur to have. If you are putting yourself down for every single bad thing that happens, so much of your life will be spent wallowing in the disappointment. The reason so many people don’t reach their dreams is because they are playing it safe, or are afraid of failure. If I have learned one thing through starting business after business, it’s that failure is only a good thing no matter how painful it might be in the moment. Instead, you could take that “failure” and use it.

I’m not saying that taking risks is easy, or that they all goes as planned. But if there is even the slightest bit of chance, why not try. I am also not saying that you should take blind risks. Risks can still be calculated, and to some might not even seem like a risk. A risk to one person could be getting a beer they have never tried before. While a risk to another, may be investing a large sum of their savings into their company and passion. Doesn’t matter the risk, or how “big”, what matters is the way you take in the information. You can either choose to let that destroy you, or rise up and grow with it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve known from a young age that I wanted to be a serial entrepreneur. I never wanted to be a fireman, or a ballerina, I always said I wanted to be my own Boss. My confidence never wavered on whether or not I was going to have a successful company, but the question was what it will be and when will I come up with that glorious idea.

I know I will have a good idea in the future, something that I am passionate about that will grow into something beautiful. But in the meantime, I want to continue learning and growing. This is why you will constantly see me with one, two, or even three companies at a time! Of course, they are not all big and successful, but I am learning with every single one of them. Whether these skills be new social media marketing skills, better sewing techniques, or financial management, they each present me with an opportunity to develop my personal and professional self.

I started my first company when I was a Sophomore in college. Let’s just say, I had a bit of a shopping addition at this time! I decided to find a way to make this shopping addiction more economically sustainable. We created a business that took thrifted clothes and turned them into something more beautiful that would make them desired again. For example, we would take a pair of ratty jeans with a rip in the knee and paint them or add fabric from other thrifted pieces. Each item was one-of-a-kind and made by my roommate and myself in our backyard.

We had this company for just under three years and wow did we meet some amazing people. We found ourselves as a part of an “artist collective” in Boulder, where artists work together to grow each other’s passions and ventures. We lift each other up. Through this artist collective, we were lucky enough to meet a Boulder based rap group, Low Hanging Fruit, who loved our designs so much that they hired us to be their personal fashion designers.

While it looked like on the outside that we were headed towards growth and success, this timeframe was a pivotal moment in our founder journey. As our orders ramped up and the company required a greater commitment of our time, we realized just how much time and energy went into each project. If we wanted to show the growth in our talents, this also meant spending more and more time demonstrating that. What started out as 30 minutes on each apparel item, turned into 8 hours on each. We struggled with making our clothing items accommodate a wider variety of bodies. And most importantly, we faced issues with communication and collaboration between co-founders as often times, our ideas for the future of our business, differed. One founders idea differed from the others. As our direction changed, we found our core base of support fluctuated as well. Sometimes our initial customers felt distant and alienated with the direction our company was going, so therefore finding a balance in maintenance and progression was a struggle.

As I said earlier, starting a business is never easy. There are always unforeseen problems that Co-founders have to work through, and sometimes it ends up being the death of the company, as it was for this business.

After college, I spent two years being an outdoor gear sales representative. While I loved the laid-back environment, I started to crave being around individuals with the entrepreneurial mindset. Eventually, I took the risk of quitting my job, knowing that something perfect for me would reveal itself once I gave it the space to do so. Flash forwards a month after quitting, and the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado posted a job for the Program Coordinator. When I was a student at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the person in this position was fundamental in the growth and development of my clothing company. He made such an impact on so many different aspects of my life, whether it be educational or entrepreneurial. This position was perfect for me in so many ways, especially as those I work with on a daily basis are either beginning entrepreneurs or well-seasoned ones. Surrounding yourself with passionate, hardworking, and creative individuals daily is an inspiration.

Having this position at the University allows me the space and provides the motivation to be constantly creating. I love to create, so most of my companies revolve around my creations that I am making in the current. There is so much waste in this world, and I have always loved the idea of creating companies based on the materials that already exist in the world. n the past, I have used this concept to create and sell climbing bags, women’s base layers, and other types of apparel. Currently, I am working on two separate companies under the same parent company that incorporate similar concepts to my past clothing company. One is Rustic Pine Jewelry, that uses wood and recycled materials, to craft unique small-batch jewelry. The other is Rustic Threads, a new era of my old company, that uses thrifted items to create reimagined apparel. In both of these cases, I have made it a priority to donate 20% of each sale to the organization of the customer’s choice. I am so proud of everything I create, and I love nothing more than sharing it with those around me. If I can help the world in the process, then heck ya let’s do it!

In the end, the main thing I have learned is the hardest part is just taking the first step. This can often be the scariest part of your entire journey. It is the fear of the unknown. But often times, things happen naturally past this first step, whether this first step be creating a name, or logo, or concept. Once you have succeeded in doing the first step, everything else flows naturally, and eventually a couple years later you will look back and recognize how far you have come. If you are passionate enough about what you are creating, or sharing, or doing for the world, you will take any effort to make sure this idea becomes a reality, I am sure of it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
1. Go get the ‘Big Dill Eggs’ and the Walnut Latte at the South Side Walnut Café 2. Go hike to the beautiful views from the top of Green Mountain
3. Go brewery hopping by bike.. Hit Sanitas Brewing, Rayback Collective, and Avery Brewing– they have the best outdoor atmosphere’s
4. Hike up Ant Hill in South Boulder with a blanket and a bottle of wine to watch sunset
5. Play Spikeball outside in the 3 feet of new snow
6. Go play ping pong on the outdoor table at North Boulder Park
7. Go thrifting at the pay .50 cents by the pound Goodwill Outlet Store
8. Go to a yard sale – you never know what people in Boulder are going to have laying around their house!
9. Take them for a dance class at StreetSide dance studio

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mom and dad deserve a huge shoutout! They have been so encouraging of my ideas over the years, no matter how terrible of a business idea it was! Also so thankful for my roommate, Fiona Matson, and dear friend, Lizzy Barrett, who are both incredibly talented photographers and help me with my product photography and development at the drop of a hat.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/rusticpinejewelry?ref=shop_sugg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rusticpinejewelry/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleinelight/

Image Credits
Lizzy Barrett and Fiona Matson