054 | Shifting from services to products with Jessica McSweeney

Jessica McSweeney is the owner of Little Well Paper Co, a letterpress greeting card company aimed at celebrating and deepening the connections between loved ones. Prior to starting Little Well she taught herself calligraphy and offered wedding calligraphy and invitation services. Jessica’s calligraphy work has been featured in The Knot, Southern Weddings Magazine, and Once Wed. Jess attended Paper Camp in fall 2016 when Little Well was just a spark of an idea, and she launched to the retail and wholesale markets in fall 2017.

On today’s episode we’re talking about shifting from a service based business to a product based business, her vision for Little Well Paper Co., and why relationships are critical to building a successful business.

ON TODAY’S EPISODE:

How she got started her calligraphy business & Little Well Paper Co. 
Taking online courses to learn calligraphy 
The impact relationships within the wedding industry had on her business 
What the calligraphy side of her business looks like now 
What prompted Jessica to create Little Well Paper Co. 
The most challenging part of adding a second brand and a new business model
How she manages both the retail side and the wholesale side of her business
 Fostering relationships with her wholesale customers
Her decision to do New York Now last minute & her experience sharing a booth
 The advice she would give to someone just starting out in a product based business 
What’s next for Jessica McSweeney & Little Well Paper Co.

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KEY TAKE-AWAYS

“I’m a big believer that business is 90% relationships.” – Jessica McSweeney

“To me, to have a card that can be a vehicle to help somebody else start a conversation with someone they love about something that might be really hard like that is just the best thing.” – Jessica McSweeney

“So many of the logistical things were things that if I hadn’t gone to Paper Camp, I would have no idea about.” – Jessica McSweeney

“I felt if I don’t change this, I will be way more uncomfortable than if just taking this leap of maybe this won’t work out, this new venture.” – Jessica McSweeney

“It’s important to have a brand voice that carries through everything, that brings in retail people and wholesale people alike.” – Jessica McSweeney

“Make sure that what you’re doing is something that feels good for you that you can be passionate about that also is not something that is already saturating out there.” – Jessica McSweeney

CONNECT WITH JESSICA MCSWEENEY

Website: Little Well Paper Co. | Instagram: @littlewellpaperco | Pinterest: @littlewellpaperco

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