We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christine Eberle. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christine below.

Hi Christine, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to run my own business so I was always on the lookout for something that I could do on my own. I think that is one very important thing to note before I get into how I started my business and came up with the idea just in case there are others reading this that may want to start their own business. Always be on the lookout for something that lights you up inside and gets you excited, and you may just find your thing too.

The idea of starting a custom invitation business came about when I was shopping for my own wedding invitations. I knew that invitations were the first impression for any event, and so it was important to me that I send out something that reflected what I envisioned for my wedding. Quality was key. At the time, I was working in corporate America in sales for a company that sold digital print and copy machines. Therefore, I had a bit of experience with paper and printing already so when I ordered samples from online companies they were personally not up to par for the quality I was looking for I knew I needed to go another route. I reached out to some friends who had their weddings before me and they provided me the name of someone that designed custom invitations in Atlanta, Georgia. I met with this very lovely and talented woman for just over 2 hours, and fell in love with many of her pieces. However, once I received the proposal it was FIVE times more than I budgeted and I also realized we did not even discuss key pieces that I needed to include in the suite. It was very disappointing to spend so much time with someone and fall in love with something you were never going to be able to work into your budget.

So, since I knew printing and paper already and had already dabbled in computer graphic design, I sought out companies that offered invitation supplies to create them myself. One company I found allowed you for a mere $500 (and a business license) they would supply you with an album sample kit with paper swatches, print samples, envelope samples, etc. I immediately registered for a business license and signed up because I knew the cost of my invitations would have been at least $500 anyway. And what if I actually loved doing it? And this is how it all started…

Turns out, I loved it so much I couldn’t wait to leave my corporate job at 6:00pm and go home to design invitations for another several hours. I also loved meeting with clients and creating with them. With my background in sales, I knew that the customer should feel comfortable leaning on me to help guide them so I needed to be more of a stationery consultant
than just a stationery designer. I needed to educate my clients on the costs, the options, and help them execute their own visions of what they want their guests to feel when they received their invitations. I worked my side hustle for about 2 years until one day I was getting so many calls during the day from potential invitation clients that I need to make a choice. This choice was made 14 years ago and I’ve been doing this full-time ever since.

I often hear from friends how “jealous” they are that I get to do what I love doing, but I always tell them that they can do it too! Maybe not custom invitation design, but if you really keep your mind open and eyes peeled for potential entrepreneurial endeavors you could find your own thing too. I do want to point out, that running your own business is also not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of grit, hard work, and perseverance to run a successful business. But, all of that is worth it, and much easier to cope with, if you are truly doing something you love.

Christine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I do honestly believe that how I got into this business was just the right place at the right time, and being open to it since I was seeking something else all of the time. Like I mentioned before, I knew in my heart that I would run my own business one day. I just had to find it. I do think that having some knowledge already with paper and printing helped tremendously because that is oftentimes where many can get hung up. There is quite a lot to know about paper and printing and it could be very costly if something goes wrong. That, and my sales background and willingness to work hard led me to be successful in this business.

I do believe that I set myself apart because of my sales process. I was not a graphic designer when I started this business, and I think that actually helps me in a big way. I was a business major in college and worked in corporate America first. I knew how to work through a sales process, gain client’s trust, manage deadlines (a big part of my job now) and keep very organized. When a client inquires with us, I always start with a phone conversation so that we can get some initial questions out of the way and I get to know my client and what they may be looking for. This allows me to pull samples and swatches and ideas in advance to our in-person or video conference call meeting. My process is something I’m very proud of, and if you read my online reviews you will hear a lot of the same thing. They love my designs, but they also find the process easy and fun. I know weddings can be very stressful, so if I can make my process fun and easy then I did my job right.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I am the first to tell you that I am not that great with social media. I know, I really should be, but I think since its just not a passion of mine I am just not that into it. I have come to learn, aside from social media presence because I know that is not where I excel, that asking client’s why they hired me and why they didn’t helps tremendously. With those answers, you know what you need to keep doing and what you need to work on. This allows me to take criticism and turn it into something more positive. Not every client may be a great fit for you, and that is a key thing to know as well, but understanding why you lost a client helps you to fill in the gaps.

Another effective strategy I have is always asking for the business. Ask your client’s to refer you. Ask your wedding planners to refer their clients. If you did a great job for them or their clients, then you can also do a great job for their friends/clients. Especially if you worked with a client that you seemed to really jive with you will probably do the same with his/her friends and that makes the whole experience more fun.

Especially in my line of work, we don’t usually have repeat clients ;). So, its essential for the success of my business to ask for referrals and always look to get better at my job.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

My very favorite marketing story turned out to also be the day that I knew I had to give myself a chance and do this full -time. On my way into work every day, I listened to a specific radio station that had a target audience of 20-somethings like myself at the time. One of my favorite hosts announced that she got engaged, and although I debated it for a day or so, I decided I would email her out of the blue and ask to design her wedding invitations. And, guess what? Several days later, while I was ironically at a wedding in DC for a close friend of mine, she replied and agreed to meet with me. We had a wonderful meeting, and she wound up hiring me.

Several weeks later, after the invitations were mailed, she was on the radio and mentioned me and my business. As you can imagine, once I got to work, my phone was literally blowing up with phone calls and emails from potential clients. Because, remember, the radio station’s target audience were women and men in their 20s…many of which were engaged.

I learned that day what I mentioned in the last question, you have nothing to lose if you ask. You cannot be afraid of asking for the business because you never know if that one ask will lead you to bigger and better things…just like what happened to me. Because, 2 weeks after that day I went into my boss and put in my notice.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://eberleinvitations.com
• Instagram: @eberleinvite
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EberleInvitationsFans
• Other: The Knot: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/eberle-invitations-atlanta-ga-531408

Image Credits

Jill Doty Photography (all photos except Sara Jackson and large black sign)
Carla Gates Photography (Sara Jackson blue and white wedding invite suite)
Katee and Caroline Photography (large black sign)