040 | Strategies for pitching wholesale buyers with Rebekah Tennis, Wild Ink Press

Rebekah Tennis is the founder of Wild Ink Press, a letterpress studio and retail storefront located in northern California. Rebekah started Wild Ink Press in 2009 and was part of our very first Paper Camp class in 2011. The Wild Ink Press brand offers witty and pretty greeting cards, stationery, and other paper goods that can be found in hundreds of retail shops nationwide including the Container Store, Papyrus, and Paper Source.

On today’s episode, Rebekah talks about the power of slow, organic growth and why it’s okay to not have all your ducks in a row when you’re starting out. She also shares her thoughts on responsiveness, reliability, and why she likes sending catalogs and samples to prospective wholesale buyers.

ON TODAY’S EPISODE:

How Wild Ink Press got its start and what lead Rebekah to starting her own business
How she first got started with greeting cards
When she first hired a team member and how the Wild Ink Press team grew from there
The catalyst for wanting to open up the retail shop and the benefits it provides
How her wholesale marketing and outreach has changed due to the retail shop
The way she decides if she wants to carry someone’s work
How long she recommends waiting to reach out to a retailer after you’ve mailed them a catalog and your samples
Her schedule for sending out catalogs
How she nurtures relationships with the stores that she’s working with as a manufacturer
The way that she manages her business life and her family life
How she handles times of transition in her business
The advice she would give to someone just starting out in a product based business
What’s next for Wild Ink Press

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KEY TAKE-AWAYS

“I’m making a card because I think, this is real to me and funny to me or interesting to me or I would send this to somebody.” – Rebekah Tennis

“Hiring anyone for your team is definitely a risk and it feels very big.” – Katie Hunt

“I try to find what my employees enjoy doing.” – Rebekah Tennis

“What’s amazing is, I didn’t expect what a beautiful benefit it [the retail shop] would be to our business. I did not know that it would just automatically pay for itself. I did not know that customers would love coming in to see our work. There’s all these things that were just surprises because you think it’s going to be a hassle.” – Rebekah Tennis

“I feel like the biggest way you can show someone respect, value, and nurture relationship is to be so responsive.” – Rebekah Tennis

“I want people to know starting Wild Ink Press and all the various things that I do, we never had a smash hit. We never had a viral card. We never were the “it” person at the show.” – Rebekah Tennis

“Each of the times that I found that I’m under more stress, I found that you find something in yourself to rise to the occasion.” – Rebekah Tennis

“Don’t be afraid to not have your ducks in a row.” – Rebekah Tennis

CONNECT WITH REBEKAH TENNIS

Website: Wild Ink Press | Facebook: @wildinkpress | Instagram: @wildinkpress | Twitter: @wildinkpress

Connect with Katie Hunt

Katie Hunt is a business strategist, podcaster, mentor and mama to four. She helps product based businesses build profitable, sustainable companies through her conferences, courses and coaching programs.

Website: prooftoproduct.com | Instagram: @prooftoproduct