Meet Katie Ratliff | Owner of Lily & Lamb, a Catholic Gift Boutique

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

Hi Katie, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Honestly, I’ve always been pretty risk-averse. My parents were small business owners, so I always held entrepreneurs in high esteem. And even though I wanted to start my own business for a long time, it just felt safer to keep my corporate job. But when it came to launching Lily & Lamb, I finally felt ready to take the plunge. In my mind, it would have been more of a failure to not try at all than to try and fail.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I had a successful career working in marketing technology for enterprise companies. I worked with clients like LinkedIn, Intel, FirstData, and Honeywell, to name a few. But despite my career growth, I was restless. Something was amiss. And I yearned for more time with my growing family. As my faith life deepened, I felt that God was calling me to something more. After much prayer and discernment, I felt called to create a faith-based business. My friend and I worked together to launch Lily & Lamb and I quit my job. Only a month after we launched, I found out I was pregnant with my fifth child. A few weeks after my daughter was born, my friend and business partner decided to leave the business to focus on her family’s farm business. I had no idea how I was going to keep the business going with a newborn, while homeschooling my 4 other children, and with no business partner. By the grace of God, I was able to keep things afloat. Things were very difficult for awhile, but I refused to give up. I intentionally celebrated any small victory. And I viewed any “failure” as a learning experience. This year, my goal was to double my business, and so far my business has more than tripled. I share my story only to encourage others. If you feel like you are meant to do what you’re doing – don’t give up. As a friend once told me, flowers grow in the valleys.

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?
One of my favorite places to go with girlfriends is Avalon in Alpharetta. It has great restaurants and shopping and it’s all in a beautiful outdoor venue.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout is to my husband and five children, who have supported me throughout this journey. They are a fully integrated part of this business – they are my focus group, product testers, models, photoshoot assistants and sales & marketing team. It’s because of them I get to live my dream of living a seamless life as a mom and entrepreneur.

Website: https://lilyandlamb.com/

Instagram: @lily.and.lamb

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShopLilyandLamb

Image Credits
not applicable