Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Armstrong.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always had a passion for design, even as a little girl. After finishing college at UGA with a Journalism degree, I worked for several years in marketing, but designing marketing materials wasn’t exactly my passion. When an opportunity popped up for me to work in a local gift shop selling invitations and stationery, I took a leap from the corporate world to the world of a small family-owned business. It was a bit scary because I would lose a lot of security and perks and be working with the public (I’m pretty shy) but I’m glad I took the leap!
I started out selling invitations out of large corporate albums. At the time, their designs were pretty basic and very restrictive. The designs were sold as is, you couldn’t change the color of a design or the artwork. It was very frustrating to me (and my customers) that these minor changes couldn’t be made so I started designing my own. I did that for a couple of years and loved it, then the shop closed. This was around the time that online shopping was really taking off and Etsy had just launched, so I started working from home, opened up an Etsy shop, started selling my designs online and Tiger Lily Invitations was born. It took several years to grow Tiger Lily on Etsy, but one of my designs became popular and the shop became a success. I was able to hire an assistant, Rachel, and then Jessica, who is a lifesaver, and the business continued to grow. We still have a large portion of sells from Etsy, but we have also gained a talented group of local planners, wedding vendors, and customers we love to work with on a regular basis. and hope to continue to grow that portion of our business along with our online shop.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. Learning to deal with the ups and downs of owning a business is the most difficult struggle, some seasons (and years) are very busy and profitable and some are not, both come with their own challenges. I started my business during the recession, so the first three years were very rough. I am thankful to have a husband who was supportive through this time and continued to encourage me.
During our busiest years, when I couldn’t hire enough employees to help keep up with demand, my parents90-year-old old grandmother made an hour drive once a week to help assemble invitations. While this was stressful at the time, I treasure those days spent with them around the work table. As a small business owner, designer, and maker, it is always a struggle because we have so many different roles to play (marketing manager, designer, accountant, customer service rep., etc.) and it is difficult to be successful at all those things at once without something falling behind. Also, trends, shopping habits, and competitors are constantly changing and evolving, so it is a challenge to keep up, but those are also the challenges that keep this job interesting and keep me moving forward.
Please tell us about Tiger Lily Invitations.
Tiger Lily Invitations specializes in beautifully handcrafted wedding invitations and fun and colorful birthday invitations and paper party goods. Creating beautiful paper products and pleasing the customer are our top priorities. I am most proud of the relationships we form with our customers and the over 900 5-star reviews we have received from customers around the world over the years. My assistant and I are both perfectionists and passionate about what we create. I want to make sure our products are perfect for our customers’ events and that requires getting to know them, finding out the little details of their big day, doing research, being knowledgeable about etiquette rules, and then incorporating that information into their design in a timely manner to create a finished product that they and their guests will want to keep for a lifetime. That level of customer service is pretty rare today, especially for an online business.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I am horrible at time management, so It would have been helpful to have set up systems and work schedules and been more organized in the beginning when things were slower.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tigerlilyinvitations.com
- Phone: 7069490088
- Email: tigerlilyinvitations@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/tigerlilyinvitations
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/tigerlilyinvitations
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/tigerlilyinvitations
Image Credit:
Diana Bello Studio, Lyndsy Marie Photography, Janet Howard Studio
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