The good news is that as your own boss, you have total control over what you want to create. There is one important drawback, though - you are not focused solely on the creative aspect, you need to take care of the supply chain, production, financing, marketing, selling, bookkeeping and administrative tasks. In addition to being the creator, you will be an entrepreneur who has to wear many hats.
Start by putting together some samples or prototypes of the cards that you intend to make. Determine what type of greeting card you like to create... inspirational, sentimental, humorous. Start by doing some shopping, buy as many cards as you feel comfortable buying that inspire you. I’m not suggesting you copy anyone else’s work, but to find your voice it often helps to see where you tend to gravitate. Start up a conversation and hopefully a relationship with the store owner or buyer and pick their brain about what is selling best in their store and why. This can serve two purposes. It gives you an insight into the market and with luck, might give you your first customer.
You’ll also need to start thinking about your market. Who is the end user and what type of retailer will carry your cards. Remember, there are over 50,000 retailers of various type that carry cards. Are your cards aimed at the general card shop, mass retailer or are you aiming for the high-end market. Each of these markets have pro’s and con’s.
Once you believe you have a good handle on the product itself, it’s time to decide how you want to enter the market.
You also need to know about the "technical aspects" of this business -- where to sell your cards; printing and color; buying the right paper and envelopes; renting spaces and finding a sales rep or distributor.
There are several things you’ll need to consider.
1. Printing and preparing your cards.
2. Setting up your office.
3. Setting up your accounting package so you have the ability to input an order, and record your sales.
4. Determining how you will market and sale your cards.
The first thing will be to determine how much money you will be investing in your new business and how big you expect it to be.
I’ve broken this down into 3 basic categories with an estimate on what you can hope for (depending on the market acceptance of your line). Here you have a few choices and they basically come down to dollars and potential revenue.
1. An initial investment of less then $20,000 and a hoped for first year revenue of between $10 - $100K.
2. An initial investment of between $100-250K with a first year of between $100K-$1M in revenue.
3. An initial investment exceeding $1M
In future posts, I’ll cover each of these topics…for now, think about your new life, the fun you’ll have and the work you will be doing.For more information on me, please visit my website at www.managementbyintention.com
Monday, February 11, 2008
Why greeting cards are about the message:
In an article I did years ago when asked about greeting cards, I said that “Greeting Cards are the written expression of the social consciousness of the consumer”. We buy them to send a message, a message that we want to say, but don’t know how. Sometimes we just can’t find the words, or perhaps we want the words to be printed so as to validate our reason for sending them.
The image is there to support the words and indeed, it usually requires both to be a good card (though there are a number of companies in the industry that have been successful with only words).
In a future entry, I’ll write more about how to go about this.
Good luck!
For more information on me, please visit my website at www.managementbyintention.com
The image is there to support the words and indeed, it usually requires both to be a good card (though there are a number of companies in the industry that have been successful with only words).
In a future entry, I’ll write more about how to go about this.
Good luck!
For more information on me, please visit my website at www.managementbyintention.com
I want to start a greeting card company with my images, but no copy. Can this work?
The first thing you have understand about a greeting card is that it is NOT an industry that is about the art. Greeting Cards are about the message. And I know this is something you may hate to hear, but it’s true. Over 90% of all cards sold in this country are greeted cards, cards with some kind of message both on the inside and the outside of the card. It doesn’t have to be wordy, the message can be one word, what is important is that you understand that the total package of art and message is what creates a card that a person buys.
I emphasize this because over the years there have been literally hundreds of artists who have come through my door wanting to start their own greeting card company and every time when I tell them this, I get this look from them that suggests that ‘well, that may be for some, but my art stands for itself’. Yea, well…that may be true of your art, but try to find one single company that exists in the greeting card business with blank cards and the work of a single artist…it doesn’t exist for a reason.
And yes, there are a couple of card companies that have made it with just blank cards. These companies and again, out of 1000’s, there are really only one or two that made it use art of all types from literally 1000’s of artists. I’ve been blown away when I find an amazing photographer or artist of international acclaim and then find that these companies have chosen 1 or 2 images from a body of 1000’s that they artist has.
But that is the art card or blank card market. It does not work for one artist – ever.
So let me ask you a question. Do you want your company to be successful? If you answer yes, then I’d say to you; ‘why take a path that has so little possibility of success when there is another path….or let me put it this way; ‘why set yourself up for failure when you don’t have to. Give your art a voice, if you can’t…stay in the fine art market.
I emphasize this because over the years there have been literally hundreds of artists who have come through my door wanting to start their own greeting card company and every time when I tell them this, I get this look from them that suggests that ‘well, that may be for some, but my art stands for itself’. Yea, well…that may be true of your art, but try to find one single company that exists in the greeting card business with blank cards and the work of a single artist…it doesn’t exist for a reason.
And yes, there are a couple of card companies that have made it with just blank cards. These companies and again, out of 1000’s, there are really only one or two that made it use art of all types from literally 1000’s of artists. I’ve been blown away when I find an amazing photographer or artist of international acclaim and then find that these companies have chosen 1 or 2 images from a body of 1000’s that they artist has.
But that is the art card or blank card market. It does not work for one artist – ever.
So let me ask you a question. Do you want your company to be successful? If you answer yes, then I’d say to you; ‘why take a path that has so little possibility of success when there is another path….or let me put it this way; ‘why set yourself up for failure when you don’t have to. Give your art a voice, if you can’t…stay in the fine art market.
Should I start my own Greeting Card Company?
Usually when someone decides to start a greeting card company, they are either an artist of some kind or have a talent for writing. Both of these talents are going to be needed, but trust me, it takes a whole lot more then creative talent to start a business. There is the ‘business of the business’ that must be taken seriously.
But let’s start with the creative aspects.
Most new companies in the industry are started by artists, for any artist, the idea of finding a way to make a living selling their art is a lifetime struggle. Finding a market for your original art can be very difficult. In talking with hundreds of artists over the years that got into this market, that was most often the reason that finally came out.
The answer to this question comes first from the creative aspect. Do you have the ability and the desire to create 100 or more cards per year every year?
The Greeting card industry is a business and like any creative or fashion business, it depends on new products to come to market for every season and every year. So take a minute and think about how many cards are you willing to design each and every year?
Only if you can see yourself doing 100’s every year should you even consider starting a full time business. If not, consider offering your creative services to an existing company. In a future entry, I’ll write more about how to go about this. In the meantime, you can search the web and find many articles on submitting your ideas.
Good luck!
For more information on me, please visit my website at www.managementbyintention.com
But let’s start with the creative aspects.
Most new companies in the industry are started by artists, for any artist, the idea of finding a way to make a living selling their art is a lifetime struggle. Finding a market for your original art can be very difficult. In talking with hundreds of artists over the years that got into this market, that was most often the reason that finally came out.
The answer to this question comes first from the creative aspect. Do you have the ability and the desire to create 100 or more cards per year every year?
The Greeting card industry is a business and like any creative or fashion business, it depends on new products to come to market for every season and every year. So take a minute and think about how many cards are you willing to design each and every year?
Only if you can see yourself doing 100’s every year should you even consider starting a full time business. If not, consider offering your creative services to an existing company. In a future entry, I’ll write more about how to go about this. In the meantime, you can search the web and find many articles on submitting your ideas.
Good luck!
For more information on me, please visit my website at www.managementbyintention.com
How to start a greeting card company
Ah…the beauty of new frontiers, of taking control of your own destiny, the thrill when others ‘buy’ and therefore support our belief in our own creativity. And of course, the financial freedom that comes with earning a living with our creativity.
To anyone who dreams of starting their own greeting card company, I applaud you and hope with all my heart that if you take the plunge that you do it committed to succeed. For above all else, you will need to be committed to the process. Yes, it can be fun and there will be times when you will absolutely know you made the right decision…that is if you do it right.
As a former executive of some of the best alternative (small privately owned) greeting card companies in the U.S. and founder of my own successful card company, I will try to share with you here a bit about how you can start your own company and have it be successful.
There are hundreds of new greeting card companies that start each year and 1000’s that are in business today, but few will ever make it. My goal here is to at least make you aware of some of the biggest pitfalls of the industry in hopes that with this knowledge you will be better prepared should you take the plunge.
In the posts to come, I’ll cover some general ‘how-to’ subjects and of course am more than happy to answer any questions you might have.
For more information on me, please visit my website at www.managementbyintention.com
To anyone who dreams of starting their own greeting card company, I applaud you and hope with all my heart that if you take the plunge that you do it committed to succeed. For above all else, you will need to be committed to the process. Yes, it can be fun and there will be times when you will absolutely know you made the right decision…that is if you do it right.
As a former executive of some of the best alternative (small privately owned) greeting card companies in the U.S. and founder of my own successful card company, I will try to share with you here a bit about how you can start your own company and have it be successful.
There are hundreds of new greeting card companies that start each year and 1000’s that are in business today, but few will ever make it. My goal here is to at least make you aware of some of the biggest pitfalls of the industry in hopes that with this knowledge you will be better prepared should you take the plunge.
In the posts to come, I’ll cover some general ‘how-to’ subjects and of course am more than happy to answer any questions you might have.
For more information on me, please visit my website at www.managementbyintention.com
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