Hello and welcome! I’m Elizabeth, a deaf greeting card designer, mum of two little ones, and wife to my amazing husband, Nick. I’ve been running my small business for five years now, and today, I’m finally sitting down to share the story behind my creative journey in this blog post.
The Beginning: From Redundancy to a Creative Business
Before starting my own business, I worked as a menswear print designer in West London. I enjoyed my job but absolutely hated the 2 hour train commute and was working hard to try move up the career ladder, with the goal of becoming a senior print designer at a head office. I absolutely loved being creative, working with my colleagues and seeing my print designs on the high street such as New Look, Sainsburys TU and ASOS. It was really exciting.
Then, we all know what happened in March 2020.
When the pandemic hit, I was made redundant. I knew this would happen as high street retailers were cancelling orders. It was a really worrying time, but it also made me stop and think about what I truly wanted to do. I had always dreamed of setting up my own creative business and thought why not give it a go.
I opened my Etsy shop with just 20 greeting card designs. I had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Orders came in so quickly, with everyone shopping online while stores were closed.
I remember packing up to 90 orders every other day, it was absolutely crazy! The Hello Little One card, Just Married Blue Car card and Sending You Sunshine card quickly became my bestsellers.
Then, in August, I fell pregnant with my first son. I suffered horrendous morning sickness for the full nine months but somehow, I managed to keep the business going. I think designing and being busy was a good distraction for me!
From Market Fairs to My First Stockist
As the orders kept coming, I decided to try a few local market fairs to get more exposure and earn extra income. They were a good experience and it was great to meet customers in person but the markets were a lot of work (especially with a baby bump!). My husband and parents helped out, but I knew I couldn’t do markets often and that’s when I decided to focus on wholesale instead.
I gained my first stockist, a beautiful florist shop in the heart of Guildford called Secret Garden. My sister and I brought in my full card collection and gave a little pitch to the owner. I was nervous, but the owner gave such encouraging feedback and placed their first order right away. Five years later, they’re still one of my wonderful stockists and their ongoing support gives me so much confidence in my business.
A Dream Email from Oliver Bonas
In 2022, I received an unexpected email from a Buyer at Oliver Bonas. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I had to read the email a few times to make sure it was genuine. The buyer came across my website, loved my cards, and requested my wholesale catalogue. She also asked me to send over 20 physical card designs. I wrapped them up so carefully with tissue paper, included a handwritten note, and posted them with my fingers crossed. Then, didn’t hear anything for a few months.
I didn’t want to get my hopes up and I knew how incredibly competitive the market was but eventually, I received an email saying the team loved six of my designs which gave me hope. A few weeks later, while on a family holiday in Tenerife, I received a big order from them. I was so so so happy!
It gave me huge confidence to truly believe in myself and in my small business. My new baby designs continue to do really well with them today.
Shop new baby designs loved by Oliver Bonas:
My First Trade Show: Top Drawer 2025
I remember paying the deposit to secure my spot at Top Drawer and immediately thinking, “What have I done? I’m definitely not ready for this.” But the truth is you are never ready in business, you just have to take the leap and figure things out as you go and hope for the best!
Exhibiting at Top Drawer pushed me out of my comfort zone, helped me grow both as a designer and a business owner and it was a great experience but exhausting! In the future, I would love to exhibit more shows to gain more brand exposure and stockists.
I’ll be sharing more soon about how I prepared for the show and what I learned from the experience so stay tuned!
So, What’s Next?
Over the next year, I’m hoping to:
- Expand my list of wonderful stockists (independent shops and big-name retailers!)
- Launch brand new card collections
- Experiment with new products like gift wrap
- Share more behind-the-scenes stories here and on social media
Thank you so much for reading and for being part of this journey. I’m so excited to see what happens in the future!
