Turn The Tables Series - Question 12
QUESTION 12
At the end of the day, when you are alone with your computer/dog/pint of ice cream and you have a second to dream... what do you dream about for your company? Do you have a "bigger picture" for your business?
"I have so many dreams for my shop and while I like to think I am currently living them, I would like to see the shop have more Outposts and grow my own line of designs I’m working on, to expand to some wholesale accounts. I like to think slow and steady wins the race. I like the idea of #slowdesign." -Erin
CONNECT WITH ERIN: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"I dream for the day that my studio is not in my garage. Don't get me wrong - it's a beautiful garage. The Taj Mahal of garages complete with can lights, air conditioning, base boards, the whole nine yards. As much as I love walking down the stairs and being at work every day, we've outgrown our space, and part of me does crave the separation between work and home. I very easily fall into the workaholic category, so I feel having that separation will help with that, especially down the road when we think about starting a family. But I hope to have a small storefront, with a (large) studio in the back on a little main street in small town Texas somewhere. That's the dream!" -Meg
CONNECT WITH MEG:
website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"We change the way women shop - instead of taking an hour to pick something off-the-rack, they come to us, design it and walk away in the same amount of time. That's the dream, man." -Aubrie
CONNECT WITH AUBRIE: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | aubrie's instagram
"I've always said if I won the lottery I'd keep doing exactly what I'm doing, just bigger. More presses, more products, more people, more events, more! Those are what my dreams look like. Continuing to expand what we're doing into the lives of the people who love our work. Continuing to bring people together with letterpress stationery and more!" -Sara
CONNECT WITH SARA: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"I dream of a larger studio where I can spread out a bit -- my current print studio is only 72 square feet! I would love to be able to print yardage and teach workshops from time to time... and if we're making a wishlist, let's make sure this studio had giant, beautiful windows, OK?" -Erin
CONNECT WITH ERIN: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"Brick and mortar, baby! A bright white space and pegboard walls loaded with amazing cards as far as the eye can see. Did I mention I also have a full-time job? Cuz I do. Step 1: QUIT. Step 2: Panic! Step 3: Live happily ever after under a pile of envelopes." -Kristina
CONNECT WITH KRISTINA: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"I dream of leaving a legacy with this company and creating an incredible workplace for my daughter, Caroline, if she so chooses this path (And / or Tyler or Brady too!)" -Emily
CONNECT WITH EMILY: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"I think we'd love for our company to feel more like a lifestyle brand. Something that's more than just a card company. We started out by thinking we just wanted our cards to show up in people's mailboxes to make them happy. Now we want people have that same feeling, but through all of our product extensions at their parties, or in their office, or on vacation. We want people to just look at our designs and freaking laugh their ass off or think "Man, so and so could use this!" - Lisa
CONNECT WITH LISA: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"It's funny. Sometime I feel guilty like maybe my dreams aren't BIG enough. I don't dream of having a multi-million dollar company with hundreds of employees. That's never been my goal and I don't think I would enjoy that. It's not that I don't want to grow. My goal is that I want to always be pushing the business to be its best self and to be enjoyable for the readers. I enjoy having a small team of amazing women who love what they do and contribute to that success. I also want to provide for my family and make them proud. So far that's what I'm doing and at the end of the day that makes me fulfilled." -Taylor
Photo by Delbarr Moradi. http://delbarrmoradi.com
CONNECT WITH TAYLOR: website | glitter guide's instagram | taylor's instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"I like to imagine myself as a 70 year old, who is still happy to draw and create, and has a cat that is internet famous." -Arley-Rose
CONNECT WITH ARLEY-ROSE: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"My “bigger picture” vision is to of course to grow my business, but never to be too far from the press. Every day I’m learning how better to deal with people, sell my products (myself), etc., but I always think that the most comfortable and therapeutic part of the business will be getting down and dirty on the press. AND I can’t wait for the day that I can teach my daughter to print as well!" -Adam
CONNECT WITH ADAM: website | instagram | facebook | tumblr
"I dream of the influential people I really admire being our customers and I dream of us being 100% hands off giving me time to just focus on creative direction for the company. Those both seem kind of impossible, but totally possible. No bees, no honey, right? Just got to keep hustling!" -Erin
CONNECT WITH ERIN: website | lucky-luxe instagram | facebook | erin's instagram | pinterest
"First off let's make it two pints of ice cream. No dog yet, but I am getting a puppy in November I'm naming June! We talk about her like she's here already, so stay tuned to see lots of her on Packed Party. As far as my dreams for this brand goes sky is truly the limit. I don't really do anything small, so when I started Packed Party it was let's make a global brand that inspires women to start the party for themselves or someone else with fun unique gifts. The bigger picture for us is to keep building and expanding our brand and community of Party Girls. I want women to see beautiful doorsteps and immediately think Packed Party or a fun something and say, it must be Packed Party. We have so much up our sleeves to expand Packed Party with things even beyond jewelry, so I'm really excited to see what's in store for us. I dream a lot - it's healthy to!" -Jordan
CONNECT WITH JORDAN: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"We’d love to branch out beyond candles to include home and lifestyle items. The other aspect that’s been really rewarding is growing our workplace - making it the type of company we’d want to be working for." -Kristen
CONNECT WITH KRISTEN: website | instagram | facebook | tumblr | pinterest
"My dream is to build a business that works for me. I want to spend my time doing what I love with rad people but also, I want to take time off to have fun without feeling guilty. Owning your own biz shouldn’t have to be so stressful." -Jillian
CONNECT WITH JILLIAN: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"I've always wanted Sycamore Street Press to be a way towards a simple, beautiful life. For me and my family, but also for the Sycamore community, of course. I feel like we are doing that, but I want to take it a step further and go beyond paper goods. This fall, we'll be re-launching our online shop to include lots of other goods from other makers, everything from notebooks to scarves to candles to baby blankets. Everything will be well made and beautiful and a nice compliment to the Sycamore aesthetic. We'll start having quarterly pop-up shops, too, and who knows? Maybe a brick and mortar one day? I'd also love to start designing other kinds of products, and I have some book ideas floating around in my head. There is never an end to the creative projects I would like to get started on, ha! As for NØRR film, our big goal is to make feature films. Achingly beautiful, brilliantly told films. We want them to all be period pieces as well, and to have strong, complicated women leads. We've made two short narratives so far (along with several brand videos) and are in development for our first feature." - Eva
CONNECT WITH EVA: website | instagram | journal | pinterest
"My long term dream for my company is to do more custom design work and to teach! I currently focus on wholesale and retail, but my big dream is to have a creative space/design studio, you know, a blank white raw space with awesome loft-style windows where I can work as well as teach workshops and host events. I love sharing with others how to make art and be creative, it's so rewarding all around." - Shannon
CONNECT WITH SHANNON: website | instagram | facebook | twitter
" I have been making things my whole life: friendship bracelets, stationary, scarves, lamps, jewelry, I am sure the list could go on and on. Jewelry is the thing that stuck and that I am still doing to this day but I dream of making a line of in-house goods that go beyond jewelry. I have been working on ideas and doing product research so hopefully it isn't too far down the road." - Dana
CONNECT WITH DANA:
website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"All I dream about is making enough money to employ a room full of creatives pushing toward the beautifying of the world and to enforce that you can make a career out of your dreams and that you can build and empire on glitter and glue." -Tiffany
CONNECT WITH TIFFANY: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"I want to help more people. Whether it be through more TSBC classes or speaking at other conferences, I want to share what I know and have learned through my own experiences & schooling. And I want to help our community share what they know, too. In 2016, I’ll be launching a podcast wherein I interview TSBC speakers and alumni to share different hurdles and successes they’ve encountered. I think it will be a great way to give people a deeper look into what we’re doing at TSBC and also highlight everyone involved. Beyond that, I want to expand the Business Camp series and also create an advanced Paper Camp course for people who have been in business awhile." -Katie
CONNECT WITH KATIE: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"I would love to incorporate more events and workshops. Space is a factor at the moment so I dream of an additional room with a long white table and lots of fun, creative people sitting there talking, sharing and creating." -Susan
CONNECT WITH SUSAN: website | instagram | facebook | pinterest
"Being a world renowned lifestyle brand that brings people happiness! I have always imagined a tall building full of happy people, hustling and bustling like Santa's workshop. We are already on our way...maybe one day we will own the building or even have a campus!" -Kelly
CONNECT WITH KELLY: website | kelly's instagram | brand instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"I have a vision for my business but I'm not sure I would call it a bigger picture vision. I actually want to keep my business fairly small to retain the sense of intimacy and connection with my readers that is at the heart of my business. I think the bigger challenge for Oh So Beautiful Paper is to develop alternative and passive sources of revenue and income that will support the larger business without changing the nature of the blog. I'm not sure that will make sense to anyone else reading this but it's what I think about when I think about the future of my business. My "bigger picture" vision is actually more a vision for my family. The kind of life that I want for my family and my children. The ability to take actual vacations and have the resources to travel and provide meaningful experiences for my children. Outdoor space for my children to explore. I love living in a city but I've been in DC for more than 12 years and I'm feeling ready for a change." -Nole
CONNECT WITH NOLE: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
"Truly, it's the mentoring that has my heart. I partnered with Etsy this summer as a judge in their Etsy Open Call program and it was the happiest I've been in my work: I love the combination of being inspired myself by the incredible things designers are making and being able to offer them insights into how to grow their business and approach retailers and their life to grow their business thoughtfully. " -Emily
CONNECT WITH EMILY: website | instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest
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