The best time to become a thortful Creator? Always! The beauty of selling designs on thortful is that it only takes one well-timed, well-designed card to kickstart your side hustle – or even your career.
We chatted to a few of our newest Creators about how they got into selling on thortful, and where they see their businesses going in the future.
Hi, I’m Gemma! I have been creative and into art for as long as I can remember and began my creative journey in photography. I spent 8 years as a wedding photographer but a car accident forced me to stop until my wrist had time to heal, in this time I discovered a passion for graphic design and it grew from there. I find designing a great way to let off steam and unwind. It’s therapeutic for me. I actually find my creator name basic, I feel like I could have drummed up something a little more catchy but my initials won the battle damn brain block!
Hello, my name is Mark, and I am the designer from Not at all Jack. We are a small card company of three (Rebecca and Claire are the real workers) and we make (what we think are) funny cards that wouldn’t offend your granny. I started designing cards because I bet my wife Rebecca that I could sell more than her (she was a seasoned card maker) one Christmas. I jumped in and came up with a few designs, then printed them at home. Sales were amazing (5-10 cards in total!) but I got the bug and started taking them to local shops to try to sell. Several years later we are stocked in a ‘fair big’ bunch of shops in the UK and of course on thortful (whoop whoop). The name Not at all Jack comes from the fact that when I went to Uni, I told everyone my name was Jack and they believed me (suckers). But my name is Mark and so the thought behind our brand is that my name is ‘Not at all Jack’…I know that doesn’t really make much sense.
Hi, I’m Hollie! I started designing greeting cards 2 years ago and my main style was photo cards that are cute, meaningful and heartfelt. More recently I found myself designing funny and silly cards which is why I created a new collection called Silly Billy.
What inspired you to start creating greeting cards and then start selling on thortful?
Gl*Ink
I first started selling cards on Etsy which was good but I found after all the fees and trips to the post office it became a lot of work for not a lot of reward. I found thortful, quit Etsy and haven’t looked back. I absolutely love the thortful platform. It’s easy to upload, change designs and my time can be spent designing rather than printing, packaging and trying to get to the post office.
Not at all Jack
As I said, I started making cards as I am competitive with my wife (it extends into many other areas too…best dishwasher stacker etc). We had been doing this for a while when I met Thea from ‘Bold and Bright’ at a trade show and she recommended that we started selling on thortful as it had been an amazing thing for her business. I have really enjoyed it as you can check your stats and for some reason I find this completely addictive. It is also a very simple process and once you have uploaded your designs there is no other ongoing work to do, which is marvellous. I would highly recommend it.
Hollie Longland
I moved to Australia in 2022 to travel and was looking for ways to create a passive income using my arty background whilst on the road. I worked for an amazing small business prior leaving the UK who sold their cards on thortful, which gave me the idea to give it a go myself!
What challenges have you overcome as a new face in the greeting card market, and how have you overcome them?
GL*Ink
I’m not sure I have faced a particular challenge in this market, aside from trying the Etsy route. I turned to thortful and my problem was solved.
Not at all Jack
When we first started, it was very intimidating going into shops and seeing if they would consider stocking us. Mostly this was rejection training, but some places were kind enough to give us a shot. I think that you need to be able to deal with this type of rejection as it is a constant thing for anyone with a small business trying to sell to retailers, but it gets much easier with time. It really is a numbers game but if you persevere and don’t take things too personally, things usually come good.
Hollie Longland
The biggest challenge was coming up with unique designs and finding my own style. I have found through designing regularly and keeping up with trends the quality of my cards are improving day by day, helping my designs to stand out more and more.
Can you describe your design process from concept to finished product?
GL*Ink
Ideas always seem to pop into my head at bedtime, when my head hits the pillow and I have to jump up and add it as a note on my phone before I forget it the next morning. I usually envision it in my head, and rough sketch it on paper. I then use either Procreate if I’m using my iPad and Illustrator if I am using my laptop to bring the sketch to life.
Not at all Jack
If I sit down and try to think of a new card design, my brain just fills up with a thick dense mist and I couldn’t tell you what year it is let alone think of a good design. For me things just pop into my brain at random times and I just jot them down. I then draw a series of childlike drawings that I think may go with the idea and at some point a new card arrives. Some are terrible and some are reasonable. Usually the ones I think are best never sell (because the general public don’t know a good thing when they see it!).
Hollie Longland
I start by doing some market research, I read the latest thortful blogs to see what is trending, in demand etc then go from there. My current style tends to be a simplistic but aesthetic look with the idea that less is more. I pick a specific celebration and begin thinking about relatable or funny messages, once I find something that works I begin to design images which fit the theme. I then toy with colours which will best fit the theme and help the card ‘pop’. Some minor tweaking to finish and Voilà! We have a card.
Where do you see your greeting card business in 5 years time?
GL*Ink
I would love to see my cards stocked in high street shops. That would be a dream come true.
Not at all Jack
Rivalling Amazon in terms of revenue or bankrupt. I can’t see any outcome in between.
Hollie Longland
I plan to have a wide range of silly cards that make people laugh with variations of these designs on mugs, totes etc! I want to keep improving my cards and designs which are regularly included in thortful catalogues.
What has been the most rewarding experience since you started your greeting card business?
GL*Ink
Seeing people buy my designs, It’s got to be the most rewarding thing. Knowing they appreciate your designs and humour.
Not at all Jack
Having a card business means that Rebecca and I can go to trade fairs and other business related events and leave our children at home for a few days. Sweet freedom!
Hollie Longland
It’s definitely been watching my design skills grow and seeing my cards sell really well on thortful. This inspires me to keep going and create new designs in my spare time.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own greeting card business?
GL*Ink
Absolutely just go for it. It’s an amazing and rewarding way to let off steam and spread joy and positivity.
Not at all Jack
Be as original as you can be and do your homework. There are so many wonderful cards out there that you have to create something that stands out from the crowd, otherwise it will be demoralising trying to find stockists.
Hollie Longland
I would recommend starting out on thortful like I did. The thortful team are so helpful and have a really good eye for trendy and amazing designs! If your cards don’t get accepted the first time, keep trying! I kept pushing myself by practicing my design skills till I eventually got good selling designs.
What is your favourite card you’ve designed?
GL*Ink
I think the ‘Dadwest’ has to be a winner. It went a little crazy and I loved knowing so many people resonated with it.
Not at all Jack
It’s a card called ‘Mortal enemies’ where a cat and a bird are talking to each other at a dinner party. It is not a huge seller, but I like it because the bird is called Geoffrey and the cat is called Roger… nuff said.
Hollie Longland
The Father’s Day ‘sneezing’ graph card as it was a very relatable card to me!
What’s your favourite type of card to design, and why?
GL*Ink
I love a pun. I’m a big old romantic cheese ball so anything a little soppy, punny or a mixture of the two are probably my favs.
Not at all Jack
Funny cards with cats called Roger and birds called Geoffrey…and I think I am not alone in this.
Hollie Longland
I would say any holiday which i can find really funny relatable things family or friends do and highlight these in my cards. They fit really well within the Silly Billy collection as they are super simple as we can all be a bit silly.
Are there any particular artists or designers who have influenced your work?
Gl*Ink
I really like Joan Cornellà’s work. His humour is me all over and I love the colours.
Not at all Jack
Gemma Correll was one of the biggest influences. She made a card featuring a spider and a spider’s web saying, “I made this with my bum”. If that doesn’t inspire you then nothing will. Also, a lovely chap called Marc Johns who makes quirky drawings and lives in Alaska or Peru (basically not in the UK).
Hollie Longland
There are so many amazing artists on thortful that I inspire to be like! The designers that stand out the most to me are the ones with a trendy, funny & colourful cohesive style of designs.
If you were a greeting card, what would you be?
GL*Ink
I would be a punny anniversary card, I think. I’m a hopeless romantic with a love of puns and humour so I think that would suit me best. I’d probably get chewed up by a dog though because my luck is awful haha!
Not at all Jack
A detailed 3d pop up card of Lincoln cathedral during routine roof maintenance, in the snow.
Hollie Longland
Silly cards are definitely my favourite to look through. I find myself scrolling through the funny section of greeting card a-lot, admiring the witiness of other creators.
A huge thank you to our Creators for taking the time to share their stories. And we hope, if you’re not a Creator already, that it inspires you to take the same leap as they did less than a year ago!
Want to become a thortful Creator? Sign up here.
