On a cold December day, Toronto Guardian gave me a shout out to ask if I would be interested in being featured in their Businesses stories.
Of course I jumped at the chance to work with Emilea Semanicik of Toronto Guardian, and began to go through her questions.
There were a few basic questions, that required typing but not thinking, and then there was a handful of thinker - put your smart pants on - questions that I needed to connect with before providing a response.
It was sort of cool to take a look back and see how far we've come. With social media the comparison game can be front and centre and, I find that I can easily forget that someones middle or highlight reel of their journey, does not lesson where I am in my journey.
If you would like to read the article, you can find it here. It is a great summary of how I got started and turned lemons into lemonade as they say.
One of the best questions in the interview was, What problem do you want to solve with the business? That was a thinker question for sure. Anyone who has taken business 101 knows, that question is the top question that should be answered in your business plan.
So what was my answer you say? Art on stationary. The connection to making someone feel special when they have a card with a note arrive at their door, or given to them is by far the best thing ever. Art and surface design are a way to make things brighter and better. A pattern or illustration on soneones wall, or pillow or bedding that supports who they are, is amazing.
Think of that shirt that you love with a picture of your pet, or a funny pun that you love. Someone created that. You connected with it. It's now a comfort object. Since this world has become sort of crazy and somewhat unpredictable, a comfort object is a good thing.
I love to think that we are a homegrown small business that is growing. My daughters help me, which means they are learning, which also means we are learning and growing together and I don't think that I would have it any other way.
Head to the article, its about a 3 minute read, and at the end, I give a shout out to another local business, May you Know Joy!