Max & Ollie began in 2020 with a book, Max & Ollie’s Guide to Baseball, which founder Stephanie Montgomery created to teach kids about our national pastime and share her own love for the game. She has since developed it as a brand for all ages, featuring baseball-themed gifts for kids such as puzzles, blankets and notebooks — which include art from the book, illustrated by the award-winning John Steven Gurney — as well as mugs, apparel and more with classic logos and sayings.
“I grew up around the game of baseball, from being the bat girl on my dad’s little league team to going to Mariners games in the Kingdome in Seattle,” Montgomery shares. “Almost a decade ago, I met and then married my husband, Mike, who plays professionally, and in 2019 we had our first child. When our son was about four months old, we were watching one of Mike’s games on TV and I went to look for a book or show that taught kids about baseball. When I couldn’t find anything, I set out to create it myself, and Max & Ollie’s Guide to Baseball was born, inspired by my husband; son, Max; and our mini-Australian Shepherd, Ollie. It follows Max and Ollie to the ballpark for a day of fun to learn the rules of the game and why baseball is the best game of all.”
Following up on her initial goal of creating a book that would illicit some joy and happiness via the game of baseball, Montgomery began considering what else she could create that could have the same effect.
Researching through illustrations, quotes and memories that were special to her (“Such as Max, when he was three, seeing a home run and yelling, ‘That’s a homer, dawg!!!!’”) and collecting “an insane amount of samples,” Montgomery says she “started to create collections of only products that I (or my kids) would use or wear, all centered around a game that has given us so many memories and special moments.”
Believing in the importance of trial and error as key to any business, Montgomery shares, “Thus far, I’ve been able to overcome most challenges that I’ve faced by being extremely stubborn, researching like crazy, and refusing to accept defeat or a subpar product.” In fact, for an entrepreneur, “Mental toughness is sometimes more important than skill — as long as you’re willing to learn and ask for help when necessary,” she says.
“Especially if you have children, the startup life can be a challenging one, for sure — late nights post-bedtime routine, early mornings, taking calls with all kinds of noise in the background — but it’s also extremely fulfilling to see your idea and work come alive,” Montgomery shares, “and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Did You Know: Max & Ollie donates a portion of the proceeds from every book and product sold to organizations supporting families. Currently focused on diaper banks, the company recently partnered with the Central Arizona Diaper Bank.
