November 19, 2016

Meet Dunwoody Small Business Owner: Tammy Walden

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tammy Walden.

Tammy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up having a great appreciation for colorful, stylish, personalized items. Invitations and stationery have been an obsession of mine ever since I received a set of beautiful, embossed notecards as a high school graduation gift. I’ve always been intrigued with the idea of designing stationary and invitations, but I didn’t have the formal training and wasn’t sure how to branch into that arena. I have an accounting undergrad and a masters degree in middle grades math education. Changing to a creative, self-employed career path was never something I envisioned but I’m so excited my path has brought me to where I am today!

Getting engaged and planning a wedding heightened my obsession with personalized paper goods. After getting married and moving to Dunwoody, I opened an Etsy shop during the summer of 2014. I enjoy painting and small DIY projects and I thought opening an Etsy shop would be a fun outlet for my creative hobbies. I was a middle school math teacher and had free time during the summers. At the time I had no idea the course my small business would take. Paintings evolved into designing monogrammed gifts, then into stationery and invitations. I spend a lot of my time learning how to navigate various graphic design software, in addition to learning how to manage and grow an online business.

As sales started to increase I sourced new products and was able to branch into the paper goods and party supply industry. With that change, I added, “Paper Co” to the shop name! Sequins & Lipstick Paper Co. now offers a plethora of options for wedding receptions and parties…. matchbooks, napkins, party cups, straws, ribbon, bags, and drink stirrers just to name a few! S & L Paper Co. works with multiple printing vendors across the US to produce high quality, stylish yet affordable options for your home, party, or wedding. The shop has come a long way in the last few years!!

Owning a small business has been a rollercoaster of excitement, learning experiences, and late nights filling orders. I’m grateful for the opportunities that presented themselves and I’m excited to see how my business evolves in the future.

Has it been a smooth road?
In the beginning growing the business was pretty smooth, sales grew quickly. But navigating behind the scenes has never been smooth. I will hit a sales plateau and it feels like “I will never get past this”, but I do. The ups and downs in a small business are more acute, more stressful. Every day brings a new challenge or triumph! Before starting Sequins & Lipstick Paper Co. I remember hearing a small business owner say things like “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done” or “I work harder at my business than I ever did working for someone else”.

And naively I thought… that’s silly, surely working from home and doing something you love is easier. False! Being in charge of a profit driven business is hard work, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But it is hands down the most rewarding endeavor I’ve ever pursued!

Learning from your struggles and mistakes is hard but invaluable experience. I feel like a sponge, I try to soak up every bit of knowledge and advice I can. Are there days that I don’t want to check my email, times when I don’t want to log expenses, or package orders to be shipped? Sure! I’m human and sometimes I want to watch Netflix and avoid my responsibilities. More often than not, I find myself sucked into hours of sitting in front of my computer designing new products, answering questions, editing pictures, and marketing my business. Time will pass so quickly and I want to keep working. Sometimes my husband will have to remind me to stop… eat dinner, go to bed. When you feel tired but want to keep working to make your business the best it can be, that’s when you know you’ve made the right choice to become a small business owner. Even if you have a case of the lazies on some days.

When you look back, can you point to a period when you wanted to quit or a period that was really frustrating?
Anytime an idea (or design) doesn’t perform as well as I envisioned, it’s a little tough to stomach. I’m a bit of an optimist in the business realm, and I tend to think an idea will automatically be successful. How could it not work? It’s genius, right? Then in hindsight, you see the flaws. I’ll admit I usually beat myself up for a few days (or weeks) for not seeing the flaws in the first place. Learning from those tough moments and adjusting your business plan is what is important.

What advice do you wish to give to those thinking about pursuing a path similar to yours?
Most of my business is online but cultivating a local base is important. Try to seek out other small business owners and soak up any advice they want to give you. Podcasts and blogs about small businesses are a great resource! Collaborations with other companies are something you should carve out time for. It never hurts to send an email, the worst that can happen is you don’t receive a reply.

Also, never stray away from your “best sellers”. Don’t fix something if it’s not broken. It’s great to take a little time, effort, and capital and try something new. But don’t abandon ideas or products that your customers or fans are giving you positive feedback on.

What are you looking forward to?
I have a running list of “brilliant ideas” and executing those is exciting! Also, I’m compiling a catalog for wholesale options. I’m looking to branch into that market in 2017. Behind the scene, work is no walk in the park but I’m excited to see how it all turns out. Fingers crossed!!

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