And, I'm back!

Unlike most bloggers that take a break for a REALLY long time, I have to admit to you that mine was a bit intentional.  Actually, I think it was necessary in my small business adventure.  I'm excited to update you on what's been going on behind the scenes.

After announcing the launch of my little stationery biz, working with clients one-on-one, submitting designs to Minted challenges, blog posting, updating social media, and opening my Etsy shop all within a quick 6-month span....I literally felt overwhelmed, exhausted, and burnt out.  I had such determination to become an overnight success, that I lost sight of why I started all of this in the first place...my passion for design.

I decided to take a step-back and take a break for a few months (last summer).  What I learned from this period was the importance of keeping balance in my life.  As women, it's no secret that we play many roles in life; wife, co-worker, small business owner, and friend.  After really making an effort to spend time in each of these roles and make each of them a priority, I slowly got back to what felt like a normal schedule and routine.

Around the holidays, I received several requests for holiday cards, save the dates, and a few wedding inquiries.  I was so excited to start designing again and I'm thankful that my passion had been reinvigorated. My etsy store has also slowly started to boom, which has been so exciting to see.

I have several exciting things in the pipe and I really look forward to sharing more of these here on my blog. As with the rest of the demands of owning a small business, blogging can also be time-consuming.  My goal is to make an conscious effort to update important new happenings here in regards to new products in my store, behind-the-scenes business tips, and custom work.

Thank you so much to all of my friends and family who continue to be my cheerleaders!

Behind the Scenes: Opening an Etsy Store

First, I want to thank everyone for your kind words of support after the launch of my store.  I'ts been on my "to do" list since the first of January, and it feels great to have accomplished this goal.

I thought I would do a quick behind-the-scenes of what goes into setting up a store on Etsy.  For the most part it is a very intuitive process, but there are several steps you have to take to go from "I want to open an etsy shop" to "My shop is open!".

Step 1 |  Shop Name:  This probably seems like an easy step (to name your store and to add products), but, Etsy requires that each of its stores bear a unique name.  So, before I even considered finalizing my business name, I checked Etsy to make sure that GoldenberryPaper was an available store name.  I didn't want my customers to have to type something different to find me on Etsy, so this played a critical role in the very early stages of setting up shop!

Step 2 | Images:  Once you've narrowed down the products you wish to sell, it is very important to have a clear image of these on display for the shop.  Pictures are actually what entice buyers more than anything else on Etsy, so this is a very important step.  While my long-term goal is to shoot my own product photography, I currently lack the knowledge and resources.  So, I created my product images in Adobe Illustrator using a neutral vector backdrop.

Step 3 | Policies:  If you've ever purchased anything online, you can understand why this is an important step.  In order for the buyer to have a clear understanding of what they are purchasing, the responsibility is on the seller to make sure the policies are clearly stated.  This took a bit of time and research on my part.  I know that once I get into the swing of things, I may need to alter these to better fit my operations, but make sure you do your research here.

Step 4 | Tags:  When you type something in the search bar of Etsy to search for a product, I bet you don't think about the marketing that the shops put into your searches.  In fact, each item in everyone's store is allowed 13 tags, or keywords that can help their product get found.  So, if you search for "Mother's Day gift that's purple," you will actually see items that have these words tagged behind-the-scenes.  This is a very time-consuming process for shop owners to try and get inside the mind's of buyers, but it can be a very valuable and useful tool.  I will be changing my tags often nonetheless! 

Step 5 | Promotion: With any launch it's important to let people know about it!  Luckily, with my background in marketing, I am active in most social networks and have created several email newsletters in the past.  I sent out an email blast to almost every contact I have to let them know about my shop opening.  It was a great way for me to announce not only the shop, but introduce my business.  I am looking forward to continuing these newsletters, so if you didn't receive it I would love to get you on my list (email brittany@goldenberrypaper.com).

These are just a few of the things that I worked on to make sure that I had a presentable storefront upon launch.  For more tips on how to open an etsy shop, check out this article.

Inspiration

These last few weeks I have been working tirelessly on Goldenberry Paper's first launch of stationery notecards.  A friend that I met through Junior League was kind enough to let me test out the market by selling my stationery in her shop at our upcoming Hollydays Art & Gift Market.  This opportunity has been perfect for setting a deadline to launch my first product line.

One thing that I struggled with was what would the overall look and feel of this stationery collection look like?  I decided to turn to Pinterest to collect photos of my favorite things.  Once I placed these images into an inspiration board, it was easy to see what colors and things inspire me and make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.  A lot of the designs for the upcoming line have been tweaked and tweaked again and again, and I am so excited for the finished products.

For now, take a sneak peak into what inspired me for this first stationery line:

Images courtesy of Pinterest and Design Seeds

Finding the RIGHT name

Well, you might notice the blog looks a bit different today.  It's only been one month since making this business official, and I'm already changing things up!  Naming your business has to be one of the single most difficult things to do, and as you can see I had a bit of a time figuring it out.

I recently hired a business consultant to assist me in writing a business plan.  Our first call was last week and she asked me why I chose B.Kay Designs?  I said honestly, because it is my name and it won't change.  But, as I was telling her this, I noticed that I wasn't even excited about the name.

I had originally wanted to name this business after the Kentucky state flower, the Goldenrod.  But, the "rod' part of the word makes it sound too harsh.   So, over a glass of wine with a friend, I decided to start brainstorming again.  I visited the Kentucky state symbols web page to notice that our state fruit is the blackberry.  Obviously, my first thought was blackberry cell phones so that wouldn't work.  Then, I thought maybe I could combine the state flower with the state fruit, for Goldenberry.  I love the way it sounds, I love the colors it represents, and I knew I could do a lot graphically with the logo.

So, after much anguish, I am thrilled to announce my official shop name is Goldenberry Paper.  I designed the first thing that popped into my head and think the logo fits "me"!

I am really excited to continue on through the business planning process.  Stay tuned for more updates related to this!

Research Research Research

I know it's been a few weeks since my last post, but believe me when I say I have been working non-stop on this business.  Not necessarily in the form of designing, but research.

There are SO many things that go into opening a stationery business.  Luckily, there are plenty of designers who have walked this walk before, and I have found some amazing resources and websites that are helping me things out.  Here are just a few things I have been pondering:

- Will I outsource all of my work, or print some of it in-house?
-  If I outsource, who will be my primary printer?
-  Where will I order envelopes, paper, packaging, shipping boxes, etc?
-  Who will I use to ship my products?
-  What accounting system will I use to keep track of sales, taxes, and expenses?
-  How will I get good photography shots of my product line once it's finished?
-  If I print in-house, I need a good paper trimmer, which one is the best for my needs?
-  What will I charge for my final pieces, once all of these things are taken into consideration?

As you can see, this just touches the iceberg of all the things stirring around in my head.  If you have any suggestions for me, please share.

In the meantime, I will continue to research and order product samples.

Happy Monday, hope you have a great week!
Brittany

How I got here

I didn't always think of myself as a Type A person, totally in control of where I wanted to go in life.  In fact, I very clearly remember a friend telling me they thought I was a bi&*h in high school, because I NEVER talked.  Somewhere between finding the courage to tryout for the high school dance team, dancing at the University of Louisville in front of thousands, graduating in four years, coaching, and getting a full-time job the month I graduated, I've realized this is EXACTLY who I am.

In June, my sister and I were chatting over Gmail chat as we often did.  She was in Denver where she attended college and currently lived.  Both of us had found our way into corporate America, working 8-5 everyday mostly feeling fulfilled.  Until...Kristina decided she'd had enough.

She wrote me over chat, "you know what I really want to do.  I want to teach."  And so, she got online, found a school in Honduras that was in need of teachers, quit her job, and is currently living there fulfilling her dream.  At the exact same moment, something inside of me decided to send a chat to her stating exactly what I wanted to.  "You know what I really want to do?  Open a stationery shop, and attend the Stationery Academy in 2013."  I was THAT specific.

That was the moment when I knew this is what I was supposed to do.  My sister is a very rare person.  Not everyone can say what they WANT to do one minute, and literally make it happen the next.  For some reason, the decision to begin a path of entrepreneurship was always inside of me, but it took my sister and her ambition for me to really step outside of my comfort zone and live it.

For those interested in following my sisters journey, you can tune in here:  http://inthis-wonderful-life.blogspot.com

On a positive note, I FINALLY connected our printer at home to my MacBook, which means I can start testing and printing some design samples.  More fun to come!

Goals

While I'm currently spending my free time with new ideas for fun stationery, I had to take a moment to really think about what my goals are for this up and coming business.  In order to be successful, you have to have well thought out goals and a plan.  I really have never written a full business plan, but thought I would at least write down my mission and my current and five year goals.

Here is goes:

Mission:  To create elegant, tangible keepsakes for life's important moments such as birthdays, wedding, and births.

Current Year & 2013 Goals:

1. Create a full portfolio of 30 designs
2. Open up an Etsy Shop
3. Attend the Stationery Academy in 2013
4. Make $500/month in revenue by August 2012.

5 Year Goals:

1. Create and Launch a wedding invitation line
2. Have an e-commerce website and blog 
3. Sell my creations on other websites and look into retail outlets
4. Have winning designs for sale on Minted
5. Quit my day job

Some of these may be off, but at least I have strong intentions of making them happen.  When was the last time you sat down and wrote out your goals and dreams?  It's often hard to be honest with yourself, but I truly believe anything can happen if you believe in yourself and make a plan to achieve!

Happy Monday!

Brittany

It's Official

Well, I officially took the plunge today.  I registered my business with the State of Kentucky and the IRS for a tax-ID.  If you are just starting out, this is the absolute first step.  In order for me to open a bank account to keep business separate from personal, you have to get a Tax ID.

So, no turning back now.  Although I was back and forth on what to name my business, I decided to stick with what I know won't change, my name.  B. Kay Designs is my first initial "B", my middle name "Kay", and Designs because this does not limit me with what final products I might produce in the future.  Although I will eventually hire someone to develop a website, blog, and branding for me, I have to make some $$ before any of this can happen.  So, I'm working on some concepts for branding in the interim.

My husband and dog are out of town this weekend, which means LOTS of alone design time for me, yay!  I am still working on developing my portfolio, so it will be sometime before I fully launch an ETSY shop.  Tonight, I am meeting with another local online business owner that I met through the Junior League.  I'm helping her with re branding her logo, and in return she is going to share with me her own business insights.

For those friends that have been supportive about my new adventure, THANK YOU!  It takes confidence and courage to pull the trigger on something like this, and you have allowed me to do it!

Happy Friday!

Illustrator

After doing more research, I've decided to start at the basics and that is to perfect my design skills and abilities.  Since I don't have a graphic design degree, most of what I have learned has been self-taught or through brief stints in training.  I am very well versed with Adobe InDesign, somewhat good with Adobe Photoshop, and I have NEVER used Adobe Illustrator.  The design world only focuses on Illustrator for creating vector images, therefore this is where I need to spend my time.

I downloaded a 30-day trial so that I can start playing around with the program.  Luckily, I am already familiar with some of its tools, but there are so many more things that I can do with this program.  I am most likely going to sign-up for an online class to kick start my training.

I have made a personal goal to design something everyday using the program.  It will be fun to just create without deadlines or pressure.  Hopefully I can build a solid portfolio in the next few months or so.

Putting thoughts on paper

It's been about 6 months now that my brain has been consumed with the idea of starting my own company. Somewhere between helping friends design and print wedding invitations, scrapbooking, and designing cupcake toppers I realized that I really enjoy creating for people who don't have the time, talent or know how to do so. So, how do I start my own company and what in the world is my product?

I've been brewing for months over this question, and my type-a personality will not allow me to start anything until there is a proper vision, plan, and demand for the product. So, that lead me to pouring over blogs of creative talents all over the country, mostly stationery entrepreneurs. It seemed that time and time again I found myself fascinated with the designs, texture, and process of letterpress. I only could wish that my own invitations for my wedding could have been created with this oldest known form of print. I started researching and reading the business of letterpress, and it has been fascinating.

Before I can even decide if this is the proper route for me and my vision, I decided to invest in the most studied book on letterpress:

The Practice of Printing: Letterpress and Offset by Ralph & Edwin Polk (1964) HC.

This book is hard to find and usually retails for around $50. So, when I came across an old version selling on ebay for $28.99 I jumped on the opportunity to have it.  Once I educate myself on all things letterpress, I will likely take a workshop course to decide if this art form is where I want to invest my time, efforts, and money.  

In the short term, I view this as a hobby to eventually launch into a business.  I find that if you don't write things down, thoughts are just simply thoughts and may never turn into actions.  So, I'm starting this blog as a means to keep myself accountable on this journey to finding the real plan behind the urge within me.

To reading and finding vision.

Brittany