We recently connected with Aarica Smith and have shared our conversation below.

Aarica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

Infectious Design Co. was started in 2020, during the summer of the pandemic. At the time, I, like many others, was spending much of my time at home, away from the masses in hopes of protecting myself from Covid. With two small children under 5, I had a lot of time at home and a lot of time to think of creative things to entertain my children, as they were also home with me. While consistently planning for engaging activities for them to do, I started going through packed boxes and founded a business plan that I wrote in 2008, the summer after graduation. This was a business plan that I wrote 12 years ago of a greeting card business that I wanted to launch. I remember writing the plan, and shelving it, as I was getting ready to embark on my career in technology. To the advise of others, I had to put away my ideas of continuing my art so that I could fully focus on my new career and adulthood as a technology consultant.

Do I wish that I had started this business when I initially wrote the business plan? Parts of me wishes that I did start the business in 2008, as I feel there would have been less saturation in the market for the business. The other part of me knows that everything works in divine timing. If I had started the business in 2008, I would not have the technology or software that is present today to help move the business forward. I also would not have had the life experiences that inspired me to create some of the card designs I have. At the end of the day, I have no regrets of starting the business 12 years after I wrote the business plan, but I would recommend this to others — if you have an idea, write it down and keep it close to you. Work on it when you can and continue to dream about it until it becomes your reality.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Infectious Design Co. is a greeting card and gift design company, offering a variety of products, including greeting cards, journals, and mugs, all featuring vibrant art and graphic designs. Infectious Design Co. offers a remarkable collection of greeting cards and stationery that celebrate Black women, sisterhood and their culture. Our creations evoke nostalgic moments and make cherished keepsakes.

Inspired by the giving spirit of both my maternal grandmother and mother, I created Infectious Design Co. as a way to bring a smile to others through my art. Even when I was creating canvas art, my art characters did not have facial details. This was an intentional nod to honor the work of the late Annie Lee, who’s art work also did not include facial features on her characters. Without facial features, I feel that people are able to see themselves more in the art. People are able to relate to the art more because it could be them in that visual, or their sister, mother, auntie. It allows people to focus more on the story that the art piece is trying to convey to us. For example, one of the postcards that my mom sent to me in a college care package featured Annie Lee’s “Blue Monday” on the cover. This postcard is still on my desk over 15 years later, as both the art and the act of sending a kind note is the inspiration for Infectious Design Co. This postcard reminds me of my why for the business.

All of our greeting cards and gifts are my original designs, hand-crafted and packaged by Infectious Design Co. Each card, mug, tumbler, journal and more are put together by hand in our studio. We also are able to create custom products for you and loved ones. Great for those girls trips, birthday and anniversary milestones and more.

To explore the products of Infectious Design Co., visit our website at InfectiousDesignCo.com. The products are also available for wholesale purchase on Faire, accessible through their website.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

A couple of books that have significantly impacted my thinking as an entrepreneur are The One-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib, Entrepreneurial You by Dorie Clark and You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero. I enjoy reading business strategy in order to continue learning and expanding my knowledge in areas that I am not familiar with. The help books are beneficial to read to remind you how unique and amazing you are, and the no matter what others say, you deserve every dream of your to come true.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

As an entrepreneur, I had to unlearn the idea that my ideal business customer is anyone who wants to buy a card. When you have a profile of an ideal customer that is so broad, it is very challenging to get to know your customers and their wants, because “everyone is your customer”. To resolve this, after a few months of sales, I took the time to really study the personas of my customers. This exercise helped me to zero-in on exactly who was buying our products, so that I can continue to serve that audience with new designs and more opportunities to connect.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.InfectiousDesignCo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/InfectiousDesignCo
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/infectiousdesignco
• Other: https://www.faire.com/direct/infectiousdesignco