On today's show I sat down with Katherine Watercutter, a former Indiana University distance runner, seven-time All-American, multi-time Big Ten champion, and national podium finisher, about her athletic career and post-grad entrepreneurship journey when she founded Gold Hinge as a side hustle at 23.
Watercutter transferred to IU as a walk-on and struggled with fitness and pressure before earning a full scholarship after placing 11th at cross-country nationals and setting school records. After graduation she worked in sales and started Gold Hinge in 2019, initially as an online boutique, facing cash burn, credit-line debt, and near-shutdown moments. A tie-dye Champion sweatshirt ad scaled during COVID to $100K a month but was unsustainable, leading her to private labeling and a breakthrough pleated tennis skirt with help from an ad agency.
Gold Hinge later scaled to major revenue of over $1M a month, earning Watercutter a 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 spot, and produced collaborations with the Indianapolis Colts and Homefield/IU.
If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast.
You are going to learn about:
- Katherine Watercutter's Running and Entrepreneurship Journey
- Gold Hinge's First Products and Eventual Scale to $1M a Month
- Gold Hinge's Licensed Collaborations
Thank you to our partners:
St. Elmo and Harry & Izzy's
World Food Championships (enter code 25INDY at checkout and receive 25% off all event tickets)
Check out these great clips from the show:
00:00 Show Intro & St. Elmo / Harry & Izzy's Game Day Menus
01:34 Guest Introduction: Kathryn Watercutter, Founder of Gold Hinge
03:00 Perceptions of Indiana
04:12 Realizing Running Elite Potential & Kentucky vs. Indiana Competition
06:18 The Mental Battle of High School Running & Coach Mentorship
08:47 College Recruiting, Transferring from Miami of Ohio, & Walking On at IU
11:51 Bouncing Back: From Walk-On to All-American & Full Scholarship
15:46 The Internal Mental Talk Track in High-Stakes Races
18:38 Exceeding Expectations & Proudest Race Moments
21:28 Managing High Expectations & Senior Year Cross Country Battle
25:12 The Early Days: Early Side Hustles & First Entrepreneurial Steps
28:13 Balancing IU Athletics, Internships, & Starting an E-Commerce Site
31:00 Overcoming Early E-Commerce Struggles & Private Labeling Shift
38:39 World Food Championships Break
39:35 The Tie-Dye Champion Sweatshirt Boom & Viral Ad Success
43:44 Scaling Bottlenecks, Pre-Orders, & The Reality of E-Commerce Growth
47:00 Grit, Mindset, & Manifesting Success Through Hardship
51:48 The Turnaround: Pleated Tennis Skirts & Scaling to Multi-Millions
57:30 Scaling Beyond 10 Million & Advice for Emerging Entrepreneurs
01:00:40 Forbes 30 Under 30 Honor & The Indianapolis Colts Collaboration
01:06:15 Female Leadership in Indiana, Homefield IU Collab, & Viral Celebrity PR
01:09:40 Innovation, Staying Futuristic, & Learning to Celebrate Wins
01:12:00 Why Indiana is Home
01:13:30 Hidden Gem in Indiana: Indiana War Memorial & Downtown Indy
01:15:20 Hoosier to Watch: Brian Kavicky
01:16:40 Favorite Indiana Memory: IU Big Ten Football Championship Victory
01:19:15 Outro & Where to Find Gold Hinge
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