From Nearly Broke to $1M+ a Month | Katherine Watercutter, Gold Hinge

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: