Daily Inspiration: Meet Mattie Miller

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mattie Miller

Hi Mattie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. My first job after I turned 18 was at Ashley Furniture factory. I learned so much about running computerized machines. I never did go to high school or collage, I learned by doing the work. I had some amazing trainers. I remember being asked many times what I wanted to do with my life, and my answer was always, I don’t know! It was the first time that I realized I could choose what I wanted to do. I had been taught that my role was to get married and be a home maker. I learned to grow our own food, can our own food, cook, clean, everything to do with having and raising a family. It took me years to learn how to make decisions on my own. Always questioning if I was making the right one or not. I still struggle with it at times. When I was expecting my second daughter, I was unable to get a job because of it and needed to do something to keep myself busy. I started baking to support us and to keep myself busy. After baby was born I was able to work at a grocery store as a cashier. I had a customer who came in to the store looking for a spicy jelly! Not knowing anything about making jelly , I started experimenting to create the Jalapeno Raspberry jelly. I would make it and give him a jar to taste. His feedback was great because he was honest. When he told me it was good I stopped and kept that recipe. That recipe has been our Blue ribbon winner for three years in a row at the Lincoln Co. fair In NW Montana. I had two little children and had a very difficult time making ends meet with starting a business, In June of 2015 I decided I wanted be able to have a better income. I moved us to Ohio to do taxi work for the Amish people in that area. I would take my kids with me when I could and all was ok for a time. It was a job and I was great at it too. As my kids got older they didn’t want to go with me anymore and being gone from them was really wearing on me. All 8 years that I wasn’t really making and selling jelly, I had past customers who would call about once a year just to have me make that recipe one more time. I knew my passion was to create recipes. In 2019 I took a personal growth class that really helped me to see where I was holding myself back in life. I started changing things for us. I was open to living life differently. I practiced paying attention to what I wanted for myself and not so much what others would think of me depending on the decision I made. I cared less what others thought of me. That was not easy since I was a people pleaser! In 2022 I was part of a goal setting group online where we would meet once a week as a group and also we would coach each other. Through That I met a business coach who started asking about what I wanted to do with my life and challenging me on the life I wanted to build for my daughters. To have something I could pass down to them. Ken Price was the coach, He was great at listening to what I thought I wanted to do. But was also very good at realizing what my passion is. We met in August and by Nov I had jam/jelly made and had my website up and running. Many of my past customers started ordering again and we have not stopped since. It wasn’t long before I realized we needed to move out of Ohio and I started looking at where I wanted to go. I have lots of friends in Denver and I didn’t want to live in Denver. By July 1 of 2023 we packed up and moved across the country to Colorado Springs. When We got here I got a job driving an airport shuttle. I started looking for a kitchen to rent. I met a really great group of people (powernet) networking group that have been such a great support. In Nov. of 2024 we made our very first batch of jelly with a copacker. So instead of making a 1.5 gallon batch we made 22 gallons at one time. Now we are working on getting labels made with the barcode on them and get it on store shelves soon.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has NOT been a smooth road! Working a job and being a solo mom is hard enough with working 50 plus hours per week I don’t get to spend much time with the kids as it is and then add making jams/jellies to that. Then take time off work to go to farmers markets and shows when possible. We did go to the Elpaso Co. Fair along with a few farmers markets! When going to markets I didn’t know if I was going to make enough to make it worth it or not. But I had to take the chance and get it out to more people. My kids have gotten to the point where they can take the jam and go sell for me, but they don’t like doing it by themselves.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I love creating recipes from scratch! I take what I think I want to create and put it together then test it to see what my customers think. What sets me apart is I am great at trying new things, new flavors.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The best lesson for us was if one way of doing something doesn’t work, pivot and keep going! Don’t give up for any reason!

Pricing:

• $12.00
• $10.00

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mattiesjamsjellies.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/millmattie/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mattiesjams
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MattieMiller780
• Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/tk9bGDWJAlQ-V7dvQBemqA

Image Credits
Gary Stacy ; https://www.youtube.com/@imageryenlightened-telling6215