The Greeting Card Biz

"THE DEEPEST PRINCIPLE IN HUMAN NATURE IS THE CRAVING TO BE APPRECIATED." - William James

Imagine with me for a second that you can plunk yourself down at your computer. Log into a personal account, and send a REAL, HIGH QUALITY, SNAIL MAIL greeting card to anyone, anywhere in the world - without leaving the house! In the mail! But without having to scour greeting card racks or the hunt for stamps or pens, and NO trips to the post office. Having a selection of thousands of cards in an online database to choose from (or completely customizing the entire front and inside of the card with your own photos, or creative design elements!) Typing a message in a variety of font and colour choices -- even using your own handwriting font or signature -- and clicking the SEND button. Then having a company print your card, put it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and mail it for you! Regardless if it's one card at a time, or hundreds. With SendOutCards this is exactly what you can do in a minute or two, and for a fraction of the price of most store bought greeting cards. This is just the tip of the ice berg, as it is also a contact management system, it reminds you of important dates such as birthdays or anniversaries, it tracks every card you ever send to a person and you can even attach a gift or gift card from the catalogue! You can send postcards too, or HUGE 8x10 cards that will knock people's socks off.

In 2009, SendOutCards earned a spot on the prestigious Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing American companies. In the first five years they had more than $150 million in sales, sent out over 50 million greeting cards, and over 1 million gifts on behalf of it's distributors and users. The company has a growing army of tens of thousands, dedicated to "sending out to give." That's a whole lot of positive going out there. You never know the kind of impact you might have on a person, and subsequently on yourself. You give love, you get love. It is as simple as that, and it is extremely powerful. And OH YAH! It just so happens to be a phenomenal business opportunity, too. Anyone is welcome to join me in making an income while making a difference!

As most entrepreneurs will tell you, your journey in business can often lead you down a few unanticipated roads -- which has absolutely been the case for me. While I have grown to love the art of photography and it is clearly a large part of what I do, I am equally passionate about my greeting card business. In retrospect, it is quite serendipidous how I found myself in the unique and wonderful world of greeting cards! I love how it weazled it's way into my life, but you'll have to read about that journey in my book. What I will say is that it is an amazing feeling (not to mention slightly eerie) when just the right opportunity finds you, at just the right time, in just the right form. This is exactly how it was for me from the moment I learned about SendOutCards. It aligned with my heart, and way of thinking in a way that I couldn't possibly have fathomed - and I immediately knew the product needed to be a part of my world. It wasn't long before the business was as well, as it was simply the missing link for me, and I knew it would be for many others. I needed to be positioned to share it with them -- The world NEEDS this system! The more I learned, the more I loved -- it just made sense.

When I first learned about SOC, the person I was inside and the person I was giving the world weren't exactly matching up as well as they could have been. Too many irons in the fire, not enough hours in the day! Lots of positive intention, not enough action. This service was exactly what I didn't even know I needed. It would enable me to be a better business person... a better person. No more intending to reach out to people. The first time I hit the send button and sent my first card on the system, I literally had a physical reaction and bawled my face off. I was excited to be able to live in a way that would not only enable but encourage me to reach out to others on the regular. I could express the things I needed to say to people in such a meaningful, profound, yet practical fashion. And perhaps more importantly, I could help others do the same. Some who would get the bigger picture and join me on the journey as business partners. Some simply as customers who would utilize the amazing service to themselves, become better. And so, I guess you could say, a new vision and mission was born!

To me, a brilliant business idea fills a void. People these days are BUSY. They're scrambling. If you can make something that they already desire to do easier for them, more FUN, more time efficient, more enjoyable, more affordable (and even profitable if they want it to be!) - then you are really onto something. (There's a reason book and movie stores are closing down left, right and center.) You won't see me spending $1000 on a piece of jewellery - I am a low maintenance gal. But I will certainly invest in the things that make my life/business (and in this case, relationships!) truly better. In the digital age that we live in, it sometimes seems that the personal touch has gone the way of the dinosaur. People spend so much time social networking online, that is easy for anyone to hide behind a computer, and get lost in a sea of online faces. While in many ways technology is a blessing and has made us feel more connected than ever before, in some ways it has actually made us more disconnected - and even lazy. How many Happy Birthday wall posts did you get on your birthday this year? Probably lots. How many actual birthday cards arrived on your door step? Likely not too many, if any. Can you imagine how you would feel if customized photo cards with heartfelt messages and well wishes, coupled with fun gifts and treats arrived by the truckload on your doorstep? Sounds crazy, unheard of even. But it's actually not all that farfetched. With the SendOutCards family, that is exactly what starts to happen - and not just birthdays! It has become a bit of a lost art, and I am passionate about reviving it! What if you could leverage technology (high tech) in an emotional, creative, personal, fashion (high touch)? Do you think that it would make a difference to the people in your life? What about your business? I'm here to say unreservedly that it absolutely can, and absolutely will, if you want it to.

It has always been my vision to create a community of like minded, positive people who put others at the forefront of their daily thoughts and actions. Expressing gratitude and appreciation to the people in their lives on a consistent basis. The world would be a better place, don't you think? If this sounds like something you'd like to be a part of in any capacity, or to hear more about it, please get in touch with me via the contact form on my website. It could be the missing link for you too, and I would be delighted to share!

You can also visit my website at The Business of Kindness to learn more.