Like us, you’ve probably been isolated at home for months now. So you can imagine our surprise when scrolling through Instagram and seeing that our friend, Jasmine Sing of Merremade, has already resumed in-person paper flower workshops! The pandemic is in a very different state in South Korea where she lives, but hopefully we are headed in that direction here in North America and the rest of the world. So, we took the opportunity to chat with the lovely Jasmine in our latest episode of Paper Talk about how she eased back into teaching face-to-face in the age of Covid-19. 

To keep herself and her students safe, Jasmine follows these rules: 

• Asks students beforehand if they have been sick, visited a hospital recently, etc.
• Sanitizes the entire workshop before class: tools, furniture, doorknobs, etc.
• Sets up the space so that tools and materials are 2 meters (a little more than 6 feet) apart, and keeps students 2 meters apart at all times.
• Limits the number of...

Have you ever been asked to work for free? For those of us in the creative fields like paper flowers, this happens all the time. Seriously. All. The. Time. If you haven’t encountered it yet, you will. We’ve been there, and we know how tricky it can be to navigate.

Sometimes, working for free can bring valuable exposure. It can open doors. You can make lasting connections with clients and vendors. Other times, working without pay brings only headaches and resentment. Those of you who have had one of these negative experiences are probably nodding your head in agreement and shuddering with the memory of long, thankless hours of work that netted basically no gain.

Figuring out which situation you’re heading into is a difficult task. In the latest episode of our podcast, Paper Talk, we delved into this subject and agreed that deciding to work for free is a highly personal choice that should be examined on a case by case basis. 

One way to ensure that your...

So your business is all set up on a fancy platform, and you’re receiving analytics about clicks and emails and on and on. What do you do with all of that? How do you change things? Should you change things? Is there some sort of secret marketing formula that you’re missing? 

Last week on our podcast, Paper Talk, we dove into the world of branding with Kalisa and Missy of Kalyx Group. We loved and learned so much from our conversation that we extended into this week’s episode. Our focus shifted from finding the heart of your business (in short, the brand) to the ins and outs of marketing your business.

To answer one of those earlier questions, Missy gave us some great insight:

“When it comes to marketing, I think that every person, brand, or business who isn’t super familiar with marketing, they assume…that there’s a secret sauce to marketing. You know? I’ve seen other influencers who have become marketing experts now, and they...

We’ve all taken different paths to the wonderful world of paper flowers, but one thing that unites us is a love of our craft. It’s no surprise that many of us want to turn that passion into a business. But even if you make the most amazing, creative flowers, you may have found yourself feeling a bit over your head when it comes to the branding and marketing side of things.

Luckily, there’s help out there. On our latest episode of Paper Talk, we were so lucky to speak with two incredible ladies: Kalisa Jenne-Fraser and Missy Palacol. They are the talented duo behind the consulting firm, Kalyx Group, and they shared insights and tips to help businesses succeed.

Kalisa helped us understand the difference between marketing and branding: “I think a lot of people think that [they] are the same thing, but really, they’re separate pieces of the same puzzle...Branding is about who you are as a company and why you exist, and it provides your business with a real...

For many of us in creative fields like paper floral design, starting a business can feel overwhelming. You want to make money from your amazing creations, but that leap forward into businesshood often holds many unknowns for those new to the entrepreneurial side of things. One of the biggest worries new business owners face is uncertainty about money. Just how much upfront investment will you need? Are you forgetting any costs?  Luckily, many people have done this before, including us. We’re also lucky that in a field like paper flowers, the startup costs are relatively low. While we can’t give you an exact number for what your business will cost since there are so many variables, we can give you a starting point, so that you aren’t caught off guard later on. 

Guidance from Professionals

When setting up your business, we highly recommend consulting a lawyer and/or a certified CPA. Taxes and laws are complicated, and it’s worth the money to...