Starting a Greeting Card Business? Here's Some Tips to Help You Get Started!

Do you love to make handmade cards for family and friends? Ever considered starting a greeting card business of your own? Check out this post – it’s full of tips and tricks to help you get started with your very own card business!

Do you love to write and design?

Have you ever considered starting a greeting card business?

Believe it or not, a greeting card business is not hard to start. In many places, a business license and sales tax ID are all that you need to begin selling your cards.

Of course, you’ll need basic equipment like a computer with graphic design software, a good quality printer and lots of different paper, too.

But, when I started selling greeting cards, back in 2006, I had a cheap inkjet printer and your standard homeowner computer that came pre-installed with Adobe Photoshop.

It wasn’t ideal, but, it worked.

I’ve since upgraded both the computer and the printer, along with the software! But, when you first get started, you really don’t need a bunch of expensive equipment.

What you do need is faith and just a little bit of creativity.

So, let’s start a greeting card business!

Starting a Greeting Card Business

Educate Yourself

Spend some time looking at other greeting cards. See what’s selling and what isn’t selling in your local stationery stores or online. Before starting a greeting card business, you should also choose your niche.

Questions for you:

How will you manufacture your cards?

Create them by hand?
Draw and write everything on your cards?
Use graphic design and/or premade clip art?
Will you sell funny cards, heartfelt greetings or a mixed line?

Make a Plan

Create your business plan. No, you don’t need to create a full iron-clad plan, such as you would if you were opening a car dealership. But, you do need a plan.

Questions for you:

Where will you sell your cards?
How will you sell your card designs? Freelance or will you offer your designs to other greeting card sellers?
Will you open an online store to sell your cards?
Open a retail shop?
Who will buy your cards?
How will you market to these people?

Having a set plan, before starting your card business, will help reduce your stresses in the beginning and hopefully, will help catapult your sales!

Get Your Licenses

Visit your local town or county offices and ask what licensing is required for starting a greeting card business in your area. Fill out any necessary paperwork and get the licenses or registrations required.

Set Up Shop

No matter where you decide to work, make sure that you have a designated area to spread out while you’re designing. You’ll also want to have ample space to store your supplies.

Questions for you:

Where will you work?
Do you plan to run your new greeting card business out of your home or will you be opening a studio or storefront?

Create Samples of Your Cards

Get to work! Now that you’re all set up, it’s time to make some samples to share with family, friends and future customers.

Create a variety of greeting cards and send them out to loved ones, local business owners and anyone else you can think of that might be interested in your new business.

Be sure to include a note inside. Let them know that you’re starting a greeting card business and that you would love feedback, along with new orders, of course!

Advertise That You’re Starting a Greeting Card Business

You’ve already started to get the word out by sending out sample cards. But, you should also consider placing an ad in your local newspaper, creating a press release for local radio stations and even hanging up an advertising poster at local stores and/or community venues.

If you’ve got all your ducks in a row and you’ve decided to go ahead with starting a greeting card business, be sure to check out the Artist’s & Graphic Designers Market.

Artist’s Market 2018: How and Where to Sell Your Art

This book is packed full of tips, helpful information and best of all…it contains all the addresses, phone numbers and websites you’ll ever need to sell your beautiful greeting cards!

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I hope these tips help those of you starting a greeting card business of your own. It’s a lot of work, but so much fun! Be sure to signup for my daily newsletter to receive free printables, easy dinner ideas, recipes, home business tips and so much more right in your inbox!

Have a Spectacular Day!

Vanessa Hamlin

Vanessa Hamlin is the owner and founder of Food Life Design and VLHamlinDesign. With her passion for frugal living and homesteading, Vanessa loves to write about easy recipes, making money, gardening, home remedies and everything else that a good life entails! When she’s not writing for Food Life Design or creating products for VLHamlinDesign, you’ll find Vanessa reading, drawing, gardening, cooking or spending time with her family.