Ms Macdonald, who turns 23 on Thursday, is in merger negotiations with a "significant player" in the outdoor clothing industry.
If the negotiations are successful her Doe A Deer company, which manufactures hunting and outdoor clothing for women, could have a presence in the huge United States and Canadian markets.
"These negotiations will open many doors for me - travel, export, support and a chance for me to really get into my flow and leverage off other experienced people in the industry.
"That will add to my enthusiasm and passion for what I do."
Ms McDonald describes herself as having been "submerged" in her business for 19 months.
It had taken her a while to appreciate how much hard work she had put in over that period.
Finally, she managed to take a step back and realise what she had achieved with the help of Upstart and the Dunedin Fashion Incubator.
"When you finally do step back, it's the best feeling and realising that other people want to be a part of that drive, it's even better."
The next big project was preparing for the New Zealand National Agriculture Field Days, at Mystery Creek, where Ms Macdonald would have a tent to display her clothing.
She managed to last week fit in a 90-hour week in five and a-half days as her preparations continued.
All of the bright ideas Ms Macdonald had come up with stemmed from her own passion for hunting and fishing.
She took up hunting two years ago and discovered that outdoor clothing for women like her was in short supply.
"I realised there was a gap in the market as women were always being put in men's small sizes.
"I came up with the idea to create a range of clothing and realised quickly that the farm side had to be important as it is a huge part of New Zealand's lifestyle."
Her family have had a crib at Middlemarch for many years and Ms Macdonald has had contact with women in the rural areas to use them as a sounding board for her designs.
She also has friends who hunt who she uses for feedback on new designs.
What the women wanted was "comfortable clothing for rigorous outdoor pursuits but with a twist of femininity" she said laughing.
Not much of an ask for a young designer.
What started off as making a few clothes for herself soon turned into a burgeoning business.
Ms Macdonald, who has a Bachelor of Design (Fashion) degree from the Otago Polytechnic, rose to the challenge by producing a large range of 32 pieces.
She had pared that back to 14 as she realised there was no point in trying to do everything well.
Rather, she found she could concentrate on a smaller range that had export possibilities.
In New Zealand, women made up only 1% of the people who hunt.
But in the US and Canada, the percentage was higher and the market was much larger.
Doe A Deer used New Zealand wool that is woven in New Zealand.
"I really like the cycle of taking the wool from the farm and bringing it back to rural women.
"It completes the cycle."
While the rural women wanted practical clothing to wear on the farm, they were also aware of the fashion side and wanted something they could wear off the farm.
Some of her clients include women working on vineyards and one from Southland who studied "bugs in mud".
Ms Macdonald used some man-made fabrics for waterproofing, but she also used 100% cotton in her clothing.
One of the most popular items was a hunting vest which was structurally supportive for women.
Deerstalking was a top priority for Ms Macdonald - when she could get the time.
Fishing was something she would like to do more of when time allowed, but pig hunting was not a popular past-time.
For fun, she hunted possums and rabbits.
"Deerstalking is exercise, but you are doing it in the most amazing corners of New Zealand."
Being her own target market has helped develop the range.
When she is hunting she wears quick dry shorts, a vest and, on cooler mornings, woollen garments to keep warm.
Apart from Upstart and the fashion incubator, Ms Macdonald has had strong family support.
Her mother Frances is an accomplished machinist who helped out when needed, and her father Keith had provided business mentoring advice.
The rise to prominence had happened quite quickly and Ms Macdonald was looking forward to continuing the merger negotiations at present under way, which should free her up to do the things she was good at - design and running the business rather than manufacturing.
However, she realised that she had to start small and grow, and making the garments was part of growing the business.
"It's great being able to mix my two passions of hunting and fashion. I still don't think I'm working.
"If this turns into work then I know I am not in the best place.
"I'm heading in the right direction."
Keeping an eye on competitors was part of the process of growing her business and although there were not many in the same industry, there were some Ms Macdonald kept tabs on.
Always being better than her competitors was the target.
It was not always 90-hour weeks, but the pressure came on when deadlines loomed.
"It's amazing what you can achieve when you are 100% focused, but I want to work on my business, not in it.
"The merger will help that. It will get me into areas in which I excel."
