I had such a great time guest blogging over at Oh So Beautiful Paper last week. I shared a mix of my own work and some more business and industry related thoughts. Here's a recap with links to the individual posts - check them out!
One of the biggest challenges as both a creative professional and a small business owner is figuring out how to balance my time and get things done. I've slowly created a system that works for me and central to it is the idea of "planning for your day." I used to sit down each morning and quickly pull together a to-do list of what I thought I needed to accomplish. This would inevitably lead to me remembering things I left off the list throughout the day and to trying to prioritize what I needed to conquer first.
When I tell people about my paper goods business, one of the first questions I'm always asked is how I came up with the name Happy Cactus Designs for the company (that's the Happy Cactus on the right). Here's the back story from my About page:
So just where did the name for the design studio originate? While living in New York City, Brannon bought a tiny one-inch tall cactus to remind her of her Texas roots. With loving attention (and a lot of sunlight), the little cactus grew into a thriving plant…a very happy cactus indeed! Now in Texas, the happy cactus is enjoying the warm Texas sun. Just like the plant, Brannon’s goal for the studio is to take her tiny seed of an idea for a paper goods company and grow it into a line of products that bring color and happiness to everyone.
Truth be told, it took a while to come up with a company name that I liked and felt was a good fit for what I was doing. My qualifications for the name were that it: a) was not just my name (My name, Brannon Cullum, is tricky enough to remember as is), b) was memorable and stood out, c) was not limited to just paper products as I hope to eventually branch out with other non-paper products, d) was easy to spell and pronounce, and e) had an interesting and compelling story behind it.
There were a handful of other worthy names in the running, but in the end Happy Cactus Designs just felt right and it met all of these qualifications. I like that the name evokes a sense of playfulness and fun. It's an easy name for people to recall and I am asked frequently about the origin of the name - a story I love telling.
Before you set your heart on a particular name, do your research and make sure that no one else is using it for your particular area of business. The last thing you want is to decide on a name, start building your business, and then realize you need to change the name. Google the name and check with the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office. You can search here: http://patft.uspto.gov/. It's also a good idea to see if the domain name is available and to purchase it before anyone else does!
How did you name your business?
While I spend most of the time on this blog sharing drawings and sneak peeks of new products and custom work, I do want to also focus on what it takes to launch and run a small business. When I first launched Happy Cactus Designs last year, I benefited from developing a network of stationery veterans and learning first-hand from some of the best in the industry. That said, it has taken a lot of time, effort, trial and error, experimenting, and vetting to develop and grow the business. I hope with this blog to share some of my insights in hopes of helping others who are thinking about launching their own small businesses (whether it be in the paper industry or beyond). Consider this post the first in a series about managing a small business and how I get things done.
Are you toying around with the idea of launching a company? The best advice I can give anyone thinking about jumping into the stationery/greeting card industry is to do your homework and learn as much as you can from those around you. I enjoyed drawing cards for friends and family for a number of years before it even crossed my mind to create a business out of it. I knew I had the creative skills, but didn't know where to begin! Somehow, the stars aligned...In May 2011, while living in New York City, I received the course bulletin for the School of Visual Arts' Continuing Education program in the mail. Thumbing through the thick catalog, I stumbled across the perfect class: the business of greeting card design taught by the amazing Joyce Wan of Wanart. For the rest of the summer, I was immersed in learning everything I could have possibly ever wanted to know about this industry, including concept development, industry standards, production techniques, pricing, trade shows, and marketing. On top of the class, I spent hours upon hours on the internet researching sources, industry leaders and how they got their start, and what steps were necessary to formally launch a business. I emailed other stationery designers with questions and was thrilled to find what a supportive environment it was that fostered a community.
The bottom line:
- Research art and business classes that are available at local universities, art centers, etc. in your area. Take a risk and sign up for one!
- Don't be afraid to ask questions. I found that more often than not, veterans in the stationery industry were more than happy to answer my questions and share how they launched their business.
- Find a community. I found that while the support of family and friends is beyond necessary to launch a business, it's also imperative to have colleagues in the industry that know what you are going through. Signing up for the class at SVA allowed me to meet others who shared my interests. These days there are so many ways to connect with others online as well. I joined a number of LinkedIn groups tailored to the industry. They've been great forums to learn more about best practices and trends and to ask questions.