We recently connected with Jess Wallace and have shared our conversation below.

Jess, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

As an entrepreneur, self-promotion can feel awkward at times, but it is so important. You are always going to be your biggest advocate. When in conversation, I am never shy to drop my business details or contact information when it feels right. I try to gage the way the conversation is going before I offer my services. That can be tricky at times, but I have never regretted talking about my business.

The amount of support I have received from my friends and family is unsurmountable and I am so appreciative of them for it! My family and close friends are my best, repeat customers who always come to me for new projects. They are willing to let me try new techniques with them and give me their honest feedback. Word of mouth has been my biggest and most successful form of marketing and I have all of them to thank for it!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started by paper journey while preparing for my own wedding. My husband and I had our invitations professionally designed, and I used them as a template and ended up designing all our day of stationery myself. I absolutely fell in love with the process and from there, JW Paper was born! I genuinely get excited to create all types of pieces, whether it be for weddings, baby announcements, shower invitations, or everyday cards. I know with the digital age we live in the art of paper isn’t as popular as it once was, but there is something so special about physical paper (I mean… I literally watch for the mail to be delivered nearly every day and get so excited when my family receives cards from friends and family), and when it’s done right it can be truly beautiful!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me has been prior clients. As I mentioned before, word of mouth has been my main and most prosperous form of marketing and client acquisition. When I get new client by other client recommendations, it gives me a small confidence boost and excitement, knowing they have had a positive experience with me and my stationery products.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I am a planner at heart. When it comes to things such as invitations, I help my clients organize other aspects of their event, because we may need to provide their guests with additional information upfront. I try to have a positive outlook on things and bring in splashes of humor where I can. I genuinely get excited for my clients and their projects. With the combination of my need to plan by nature and bubbly personality, I think that goes a long way with keeping a positive reputation across my client base.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jwpapercreations.com
• Instagram: jwpapercreations
• Other: Pintrest: jwpapercreations