We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Maddie Haulenbeek. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Maddie below.
Hi Maddie, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
My optimism comes from the people around me. They’re my biggest supporters in everything I do! My mom is probably the most positive person I’ve ever met, and she’s instilled those values in my siblings and I from a very young age. On days when I feel down, I like to talk through things with a friend or family member. It’s easy to swirl and turn a minor problem into something bigger in your own head. I find that once I vocalize my feelings and talk through it with someone, it’s SO much easier to look at the bigger picture and be more optimistic. When you take a step back and think about how awesome life really is, it’s a lot easier to tackle negativity and keep a positive and optimistic attitude!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Partee Designs is an online boutique specializing in custom hoodies, shot glasses, trucker hats, and more! I do custom orders, as well as create my own designs. I make a lot of apparel with positive phrases (ie. my latest launch- a line of hoodies that says “Life is better with you in it”). I’ve been lucky enough to have a platform to share my designs on, and I want to use that to spread good to other people! We all have bad days, and I think messages like “Life is better with you in it” and “I hope something good happens to you today” are messages we all need to hear sometimes. You never know… your hoodie could make someone’s day! I also do custom orders. Bachelorette parties, apparel for businesses, family reunions, shirts with inside jokes… you name it, I can make it! I love giving my customers a role in the design process. It’s so rewarding to have an idea and watch it come to life!
I recently launched my first collaboration: Partee Designs x Resilient Social Work! This collection is called BG2M (be gentle to your mental). A sorority sister and I reconnected to create mental health merch to spread positivity and create conversations on mental health. We created a shirt, hoodie, and trucker hat to share our message!
I also expanded and started offering boutique clothes. Think jewelry, rompers, cute tops, etc. It’s been such a cool experience to pick out these items!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. PATIENCE! I’m completely self-taught in terms of production and design. My designs have come a long way from when I first started, but I love looking back at what I used to make and seeing how things have changed! There has been a lot of trial-and-error over the years… I’ve redone my entire production process more than once! When I’ve encountered issues that I didn’t know how to overcome, having patience with the process was SO important.
2. Social Media Management! My full-time job is freelance social media management. I’ve worked with a huge variety of companies in tons of industries, both in the Grand Rapids area and beyond. Over the last 3 years, I’ve developed an awesome skillset in terms of social media management. This has played a HUGE role in Partee Designs! I’ve had a few viral TikTok’s and Instagram Reels and it’s been crazy to see how they’ve impacted my business.
3. Creativity. I’ve always been creative, but in school, I found myself using the analytical part of my brain a lot more. Now, I get ideas or have a vision and I know exactly how I want something to look. Sometimes, I’ll sit on a collection for several weeks or even months before it feels right. Other times, I’ll have an idea and have the entire collection ready the same day. I put a lot of thought into everything I create and put out, and only put out things that I believe in. That being said, I am always down to try new things and experiment with products, designs, colors, and more!
When you’re early on in your journey or new endeavor, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. You can look at others and feel like they’re so much farther ahead than you… but there’s beauty in every step of the journey. The version of me that started Partee 5 years ago would be SO proud to see how far it’s come. Things can change SO fast- it’s important to enjoy every step of the process!
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
By far, my biggest area of growth has been in not letting things get to me. I used to get SO overwhelmed and stressed out by problems that, in the grand scheme of things, were really not that serious. I’ve gotten so much better at taking a step back and chilling out. It’s a lot easier to come up with solutions when you’re not stressed or overwhelmed. I just have to remind myself that it’s all going to work out.. it always does!
Contact Info:
- Website: shoppartee.com
- Instagram: @parteedesigns
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maddiehaulenbeek/
- Other: TikTok: @parteedesigns
