Most stationery makers aren’t in the industry long before they hear about Stationery HQ. This San Francisco house of design specializes in one-off and short-run wholesale production of fine stationery and gift products. Their mission is to empower entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, taking day-to-day order fulfillment off the creative plate so makers can work ON their brand instead of IN it.
As Vice President of Creative Direction, Erin Sarpa is the face of Stationery HQ to many. After *Noted, she reached out to inquire if I was interested in a guest post revolving around empowering female makers. Of course, the answer was a resounding “Yes!” We decided that a Q&A format would work best to achieve this, so Erin’s insights follow below.
SS: You wrote me, “I just finished another conference — The Ultimate Product Party — and really feel like there is a thirst for business tips. A lot of these amazing designers/business owners don’t have a lot of confidence in themselves or what they are doing. I tend to focus on recognizing your strengths and building up crucial skills that are in conflict with the way women are conditioned to operate in society.” Can you give me an example of a maker you have seen benefit from this?
ES: Last year I developed a workshop called Articulating Your Value for the Ultimate Product Party conference. This event is geared toward product based businesses with owners who are motivated, smart, talented and eager to grow. You’d think these would be crazy confident people. And in some ways, they are. But deep down, there is doubt. These risk takers are concerned about their ability to sell, how to manage money and whether they even know what they’re doing. And most commonly, there’s a fear of asking for what they’re worth.
I took them through an exercise that includes assessing their accomplishments, skills and talents, and drilling that info down into a couple of sentences that explains who they are, what they do and why it matters.
Cat Hildner of Kitty Meow Boutique, also the founder of The Ultimate Product Party, did the work and her value statement is this: I am a designer, educator, & speaker with a stationery line called Kitty Meow that is sold in over 1,600 stores & 13 countries. I teach other brands how to get their products sold in stores too with my Wholesale Intensive and in-person event — Ultimate Product Party.
It’s succinct. Cat’s audience knows that she has expertise and success under her belt. This is how it sounds when someone is confident about their value.
SS: Can you give me some examples of the type of internal conflicts you have seen holding women back, and how you have addressed them?
ES: I recently chatted with Amber Jacqueline, founder of Blú Rose Designs, about what it took for her to launch her business. Early on, Amber had to get past the idea that “art isn’t a real job.” She tried to study terribly boring things but it was killing her soul. And then she found design. The perfect avenue to be an artist with a “real job.”
In the beginning Amber struggled with imposter syndrome like many of us, asking herself, “Who says I can design cards as well as all those talented stationery designers out there?” She took all the classes, kept making cards and eventually got hired by American Greetings. Between learning about the industry and establishing herself as a legit card designer, she finally had the confidence to go out on her own.
Confidence is half the battle. Maybe more.
Another Creative Business Owning rock star, Ana Bianchi of Ana Loves Color, talked with me about her challenges as an artist who overcame self doubt about her ability to run a business.
First, there was pressure to get an MBA before opening her design firm. Add a little negative self talk about, “What do I know about running a business?” Turns out that one does not need to know everything before starting a company. They just need to be curious and passionate. And stubborn. Ana landed big brands and did amazing work, confidently presenting her ideas to men in leadership positions. She was sure about her design abilities and solutions so she was very comfortable in that environment.
The real challenges began when Ana decided to open a product based business. She had designed beautiful dresses for little girls and was looking for a manufacturing partner who could help her create something very special. It wasn’t until she found a woman-owned factory that finally someone understood her goals and was willing to figure out how to make it happen. And then her network of friends embraced her products and told all of their friends about it. The business grew and Ana was the first Mexican person to have a clothing line in Bergdorf Goodman. Ana credits the support of many women on her path to success. They believed in her, supported her vision and helped make it a reality.
As we talked I noticed that each time Ana had a setback, she quickly flipped the situation. Either she looked for the silver lining or learned the lesson that would help her do better next time. I asked Ana where her optimism and belief in herself comes from. She said that we all need to trust in ourselves and understand our super powers. We need to stay curious and not compare ourselves to others. And once we choose our path, go forward tenaciously.
SS: Is there anything else you would like to share with Paper Nerd readers?
ES: I want Paper Nerd readers to know that we all have setbacks and doubt ourselves sometimes. And that owning a business can be lonely, frustrating and scary. But it can also be freeing, exciting and lucrative. There will always be hills to climb but the view up here is pretty freaking beautiful. Find your support system, ask for help when you need it and know that for every challenge, there’s also a win.
Thank you so much Erin for sharing these amazing insights! I invite all my readers to explore the makers above at their leisure — and all my maker friends to check out the offerings at StationeryHQ. From double-thick cards to journals, wrapping paper to art prints, these offerings have the capability of bring your every last stationery dream to glorious life.
