So excited to kick off this new blog series! Every other Friday, I want to be able to share with you all some of my favorite business owners!

First up is the business that caused me to fall in love with the Pinterest platform! Brandy Unrein created little Blue Olive over seven years ago, so when the company suddenly took off, she decided to bring her mom Terri on as part of the team! As of this year, her team consists of over ten ladies who help with multiple elements of the business.

I reached out to Terri in July 2018 after ordering a party hat for Whitney’s first birthday party. I loved the product and quality and decided to reach out to Terri to see if she needed any social media services, and that’s when she asked if I had ever worked with Pinterest. I had dabbled in it a bit for other small shops but hadn’t dived in completely but knew i wanted to learn more, and that is where our working relationship started!

The Little Blue Olive Story

Little Blue Olive is home of the original crown headband. I love designing and hand-making unique and well-crafted accessories for every special occasion! My items are made with high quality materials, and are sure to make a statement and a special keepsake for years to come. I design crowns, party hats, and headbands that are perfect for newborn sessions, celebrating half birthdays, first birthdays, sweet sixteens, thirtieths, all the way to 100+ and every event in between!

Little Blue Olive has been featured on multiple Pinterest publications, Pinterest’s New Shop account as well as the following:

Terri has recently expanded and now collaborates with Hooray Everyday which a small business known for her felt ball necklaces and garlands that are perfect for any room in your home too! If you are one that loves to celebrate holidays while supporting an OG Etsy shop, be sure to check out Terri and Brandy’s Etsy store of 500+ design options along with the ability to customize any item as well!

Q&A

What are three tips you would give to a new business owner?

1. Focus on quality in all aspects of the business. From the products sold, all marketing, packaging, answering of emails, etc. your buyer deserves a first-class product and experience.

2. Know your market/your buyer. If you want to make a profit, you have to sell items that your target buyer wants! I might love aqua blue glitter crowns most, but my buyers want pink, pink, pink. I have to make sure that I supply my buyers with a lot of pink items.

3. Create an IG account and Pinterest account and get active on both.

Why is it important to have a team?

If you plan to grow and prosper in your business, building a team of experts that compliment your strengths is a winning strategy. My most significant growth periods for LBO always came right after a team member was added. It’s a scary step both financially and control-wise to put certain areas of my business into the hands of a new team member. But when I have, they become the expert in that area, and it frees me up to focus on more growth or other areas that need attention. Adding team members has allowed us to grow and handle growth over the past seven years. New people bring excitement and energy to the business.