034 | Why you can't force creative work with Adam Smith, Life is Funny Press

Adam Smith is the founder of Life is Funny Press, a letterpress greeting card company based in Los Angeles. Adam worked a pressman for Sugar Paper before branching out on his own to start Life is Funny Press. Adam’s passion for printing, his family and making products with purpose really shines through in this episode.

Adam came to Paper Camp in 2014 before jumping into trade shows. He currently sells his products via wholesale, retail and custom channels.

On today’s episode we’re talking about leaving a full time job to pursue entrepreneurship, a dad’s perspective on juggling family & business, plus why it’s important to not force yourself into creative work that doesn’t feel right.

ON TODAY’S EPISODE:

When Adam first grew an interest in letterpress printing
When and how he started Life is Funny Press
The benefits of working at Sugar Paper while building his business
The things that motivate him when he is creating new products
Printing in small batches at first to test products before printing large quantities
Pricing letterpress cards with multiple colors
How he balances his roles as a dad and a business owner
How Adam defines success and how that has changed over time
The retail portion of Life is Funny Press
Transitional times in his business and how he handled them
The advice he would give to anyone starting a product based business
What’s next for Life is Funny Press
How often he does product releases

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KEY TAKE-AWAYS

“We need to stay true to who we are and I think that the best work we produce comes from just our natural interests.” – Katie Hunt

“I might love an idea and think that it’s like the best thing that I’ve ever come up with but I don’t want to print like a thousand and then find out that it’s just it’s only funny to me or it doesn’t work so well.” – Adam Smith

“I absolutely love being on the press and wouldn’t ever want to take myself away from that.” – Adam Smith

“When’s going to be a good time for anything? Let’s just do it and then adjust on the back end.” – Adam Smith

“Choose what you want your brand to represent.” – Adam Smith

“If it doesn’t work, don’t force it.” – Adam Smith

“There is a market for everything and you need to be true to what you want to do.” – Adam Smith

CONNECT WITH ADAM SMITH

Website: Life is Funny Press | Facebook: @LifeisFunnyPress | Instagram: @LifeIsFunnyLA | Twitter: @LifeIsFunnyLA

Connect with Katie Hunt

Katie Hunt is a business strategist, podcaster, mentor and mama to four. She helps product based businesses build profitable, sustainable companies through her conferences, courses and coaching programs.

Website: prooftoproduct.com | Instagram: @prooftoproduct