We recently connected with Alane Gianetti and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Alane, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?
My calligraphy journey started as a hobby in December 2013. I was working full-time in the city and was looking for something to do in my spare time. I majored in Studio Art in college and specialized in large-scale pastel drawings, so after I graduated and moved into my own apartment, I didn’t have room to create the way I used to. I missed making things and was on the hunt for a new creative outlet when I first discovered calligraphy.
I started to see really pretty writing everywhere I looked. Having always loved doodling and drawing letters (the covers of my school notebooks and binders were covered in bubble letters and scripts, and I was always changing the way I wrote, priding myself on having very neat handwriting), I thought, “I want to learn how to write like that!” So I asked my parents for a beginner’s calligraphy kit for Christmas, and sure enough, it was under the tree on Christmas morning. Little did I know, that gift would change my entire life!
I started practicing calligraphy every single day after work. I signed up for Skillshare classes and watched YouTube videos to learn how to use the various pens and form each letter. I filled blank sketchbooks with pages and pages of letters, words, and phrases, and quickly fell in love with the art form. Calligraphy remained a hobby for almost 2 years before I ever even thought that this could be a possible business venture.
That idea didn’t form until the summer of 2015 when one of my friends was planning her October wedding and asked if I could address her envelopes in calligraphy. Before then, I had no idea that calligraphy was a service people needed and were willing to pay for. But once she asked and became my first “client,” I saw the possibility of being able to make extra money by offering my calligraphy skills to others.
After I successfully completed my first “job” and my friend was thrilled with how her envelopes turned out, I started telling others that I was available for all of their calligraphy needs. I took pictures of practice projects, made my Instagram public to share my work and connect with other calligraphers and lettering artists, and made a very simple website with sample photos and a contact page. Friends and family began commissioning art prints for their homes, and in the spring of 2016, I connected with a local stationery store that was looking for an in-house calligrapher for their wedding clients.
That connection really helped my business grow. Through their referrals, and then the referrals of the couples I worked with, I built up enough of a steady stream of side work that, by the summer of 2017, I began to think about what it could look like if I quit my corporate job. I was excited and inspired by the possibility of owning my own business, directly serving clients, creating my own schedule and income, and leading a more purpose-filled and creative life. I felt like I was on the brink of something great–I just had to find the courage to leap into the unknown!
I continued filling up all my free time with jobs and put almost every penny I made back into the business or in savings. By January 2018, I resolved to myself that I was going to quit my job that May and go all-in on my calligraphy business. I was so busy with calligraphy work that I was turning down multiple jobs, so I felt confident that the demand was there. I also thought to myself, if my business was doing this well as a side hustle, what could it look like if I gave it 100% of my time and energy?
On May 19, 2018 I gave my notice to my corporate job that I would be leaving in 3 weeks and I started my career as a full-time entrepreneur on June 8, 2018. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made! I’m grateful that my journey was born from a place of curiosity rather than a full-fledged business idea because I think it alleviated a lot of the pressure that I probably would have felt if I had been financially dependent on my business right from the get-go. I was able to slowly test the waters and try different things while still having a steady income.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a calligrapher and artist specializing in custom wedding signage and stationery that highlights each couple’s love story, wows their guests, and becomes keepsakes that last long after they say, “I do!”
No two couples are the same, and therefore, no two weddings should be the same, so I provide a personalized experience that’s completely tailored to each couple and their unique vision. Rather than making a generic sign, I get to know each of my couples so that we can incorporate pieces of their love story and aspects of their personalities into their wedding decor. Whether they have a fur baby that they want to include, or they want to name their tables after bucket list travel destinations, the possibilities are endless and I have so much fun bringing it all to life with hand-crafted precision!
I love it when my couples ask for thoughtful details that make their guests feel extra special, like handwritten place cards at each setting, or calligraphy on the restroom mirror to surprise their guests when they take a break from the dance floor. I live for these small, but impactful moments! While I love keeping things fresh, I strive to still maintain a timeless feel to my work so that in 20, 30, and 50 years when my couples look back at their wedding details, they still love what they see.
Because of my artistic background, I’m able to offer more than just calligraphy, giving my couples various options and a well-rounded service that takes their decor to the next level. My favorite addition to a wedding package is painting beloved pets onto bar signs and other day-of details!
Quality over quantity is at the forefront of everything I do. I pride myself on delivering high-quality, intentionally crafted pieces that can be repurposed into keepsakes after the wedding and giving my clients the best customer experience during our time together. Wedding planning can be stressful, so I strive to make their calligraphy details the easiest and most fun part of the planning process. I also understand that not everyone has a clear vision or a creative eye, so I offer my expert guidance to create a suite of details that perfectly complement the venue and overall vibe.
I feel most proud when my couples say that I was able to bring their vision to life even better than they had imagined and that it was so fun and easy to work with me!
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
I pour a lot of time and energy into serving my clients extremely well and I think this has proved to be the best strategy for growing my client base.
I believe that the client journey begins long before someone actually becomes a paying client. It starts from the very first touchpoint, which is usually either my website or my Instagram, so I make sure that I’m putting my very best foot forward in both places. I want my audience to feel welcome, cared for, and nurtured. I make sure that my visuals represent the quality of work that I produce. And I try to answer any and all questions a potential client may have before they even have to ask. For me, this is the definition of a “luxury” experience.
Once a lead becomes an actual client, that level of attention and care doesn’t stop. It continues throughout their journey in all interactions and resources that I have with them, and I try to surprise and delight them along the way.
By always putting my clients first and striving to go above and beyond when serving them, I’ve been able to build a strong word-of-mouth referral base, which I honestly think is the best way to gain new clients because those leads are already warmed up to me. They already have a point of reference because their planner, friend, sister, etc. worked with me before and can confidently recommend me and my services.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media has definitely changed a lot since I first made my Instagram public in 2016, but I’ve found that the best way to build an authentic and engaged audience is by focusing on connection rather than vanity metrics and trends. This looks like responding to all comments on my posts, answering DMs, engaging with other accounts on the platform, and showing up consistently. I aim to share a good balance of work-related content as well as personal content so that my audience feels like they know me. I want our real-life interactions to feel the same as our social media interactions. I want people to know that I’m a real person, not just a business, and I want them to feel like they can relate to me. This helps build the know, like, and trust factor with my audience. I love it when I get an inquiry via my contact form that says they’ve been following me on insta for years, are finally engaged, and are so excited to be reaching out for their own wedding!
A couple of other strategies that have helped build my audience are using geotags in all of my posts and location-based hashtags. This helps target people in my area and get their eyes on my page. When I share a wedding, I tag every vendor that I worked with as well as the couple, that way, they can all re-share my post, which allows for new eyes on my page.
Contact Info:
- Website: writeprettyforme.com
- Instagram: @writeprettyforme
- Facebook: @writeprettyforme
Image Credits
Mile Square Moments Kayla Tiffany Photography Jess Palatucci Tori Kelner Morgan Taylor Artistry Kate Neal Photography