GraceNotes greeting cards at Debra's Natural Gourmet in West Concord, MA
When I first set out to make GraceNotes greeting cards available to a wider audience - beyond just my mother and a few close friends - it’s safe to say I didn’t anticipate all the steps on the path. My intention was, and still is, to make greeting cards that inspire people to stay connected with those around them, and to celebrate the joy in the everyday. I had about a dozen card designs. Easy, right?
Fast forward to today. I’ll cover the process of getting GraceNotes up and running as a side-project in a separate blog post, but suffice it to say there have been more steps than I anticipated. I’ve worked in the business world long enough to know that projects like this have a lot of moving parts, so I can’t say I was entirely surprised. But what has surprised me is how quickly things have changed after the initial setup.
From the start, my top priority has been to print high quality cards. From excellent color, to the feel of the paper. I don’t own a home printer (an interesting challenge for someone with a greeting card side-gig) so in 2021 I spent a few months testing different options through online print services and local print shops.
I ended up going with a print shop close to where I live. After a few rounds of test prints, I was happy with the color representation, and I really liked the paper. The print shop was responsive, had good customer service, and it would be easy for me to physically go there to check proofs and pick up print orders. Off we go.
Then about 10 days ago I emailed my main contact at the print shop, requesting proofs for some new card designs. The next day I received a message letting me know that person no longer worked there, and the paper I generally use for the cards was not available.
I hadn’t seen that coming.
And I honestly never expected a tiny venture like GraceNotes could be impacted by two recent global phenomena: the Global Supply Chain, and The Big Quit.
Ok, so this is maybe a *teensy* bit dramatic, but at the same time it’s not entirely off base. It turns out everyone I had previously worked with at the print shop has left, not just my main contact. I don’t actually know what happened, if they all quit their jobs to start YouTube channels, or it was just time for each of them to move on. But the fact is, all the staff is new. As for the paper, it turns out that was actually just a misunderstanding. The paper is available. But in the meantime I had built up a pretty big story in my head about the global supply chain and paper shortages.
Regardless, it has been a wake up call, as I start building relationships with new people at the print shop. On the flip side it’s given me a chance to step back, review, and re-evaluate.
I wish I could say this has been a seamless process. It has not. I spent the first week licking my wounds and lamenting the extra steps needed to get the product and inventory process shored up again. Which is, you know, the most important part of the operation.
What’s that saying? The only constant is change? Arguably I only have myself to blame if I approach this venture with a “set it and forget it” mentality, thinking I’ll never have to make adjustments or adapt to change. It’s been a good reminder to use processes that can easily adapt, instead of being thrown off every time something shifts a little.
P.S. On a separate but related topic - I’m happy to report that GraceNotes are now available at Debra’s Natural Gourmet in West Concord, MA. Bonus: Debra’s is about a block from where I live, and I already shop there on a regular basis. Now I can hand deliver orders, then do my shopping! I love the hyper-local nature of this partnership. And - it’s another step on the path to one of my original goals - making the cards available to a wider audience. Thank you to my friends who have bought GraceNotes at Debra's, and for the fuss you've made in the store to draw more attention to the cards! I am forever grateful.