Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Marks.
Michelle, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As a born and raised Austinite who left for the East Coast and returned, I am happy to be able to call Austin home again for the last sixteen years. It is where I have also grown my business, Inviting Affairs Paperie, for almost fourteen years. At the time I bought Inviting Affairs, I had a two year old son and wanted to find something that gave me more time at home compared to my job at the time as a wedding planner and catering sales manager. In the beginning, we were primarily doing wedding invitations in and around Austin with great success. We decided to add a retail aspect to our business and opened a store on Far West. We met with brides and provided the area with a much-needed gift shop. We slowly began to realize that custom invitations were the true success of our business, so we made the decision to close the Far West location and moved to an office off of Burnet. Little did we know the increase in custom online wedding invitations would quickly change the way we did the business again. At that time, I decided to take our custom designs and develop more ideas to branch into the wholesale business. It started with a booth at the New York Stationery Show that quickly enabled us to be the successful company we are today with both wholesale and retail entities.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As a single mom with three boys, I have had many challenges in my personal life and running a business on my own was not always easy. My kids were 7,3 and 2 when I got divorced and was running my business at the same time. Finding the time to give 100% to both was a daily struggle. I also had to start competing with the online businesses at that time. More were creating invitations that customers were looking for, and their convenience was hard to compete with. We had to step up and supply a customer service experience that an online business could not provide. Ultimately, in the end, I could no longer compete and had to change how I did my business. Has a wholesale business now we are suppliers for many retail locations and some online services.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I create mugs, totes, greeting cards, and more with cute sayings or graphics. I started by designing wedding invitations exclusively and selling other designer’s products. Then I moved into designing greeting cards and adding mugs, totes etc. as time went on. I am most proud of my designs that put a smile on my customer’s faces. We also specialize in some calligraphy designs that is really popular now.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I have learned is knowing how to adapt to change and be open to different opportunities. With that, it also requires taking some risk. It has not always worked out, but it is learning to adapt again. I have also learned to lean on the experts. I try to get as much education and lessons through seminars or online education resources. I also consider leaning on my current community as support. I have been a member of a few organizations and really have put my networking skills to work for me. I learned the trust and support you can create through them is a very important way to stay prevenient in the community.
Pricing:
- Products range from $2.50- $32.00
Contact Info:
- Email: michelle@invitingaffairs.com
- Website: https://invitingaffairspaperie.com/ www.invitingaffairs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invitingaffairspaperie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InvitingAffairs
Image Credits
Joe West for headshot
