In this episode of The Penny Linn Podcast, Krista sits down with Caroline, founder of Atlantic Blue, for an honest and energizing conversation about building a business while working in corporate America — and what it really takes to make the leap.
Caroline shares her journey from CPA at Deloitte to full-time needlepoint entrepreneur, including how she balanced Big Four accounting with launching and scaling Atlantic Blue, why she never originally planned to leave her corporate career, and the moment she realized it was time to bet on herself.
The two dive into:
Growing a brand during the needlepoint boom
Building a designer collective and distribution model
Managing a painting service
Inventory stress, market strategy, and navigating supply chain chaos
Hiring your first employees (and what that actually feels like)
Why “the math has to math” — but sometimes your gut has to win
Caroline opens up about the realities of entrepreneurship: golden handcuffs, burnout, scaling responsibly, and the fear (and freedom) that comes with going all in.
If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to transition from corporate stability to creative ownership — or how two needlepoint founders navigate growth in real time — this episode is packed with insight, transparency, and plenty of behind-the-scenes business talk.
Stay tuned until the end for a special code to shop Atlantic Blue.
