We caught up with the brilliant and insightful LaToya Simpson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi LaToya, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I made my first greeting card sale on April 24, 2021 but my brand, The Candidly Speaking, started 2 years prior to a greeting card ever being drafted. When The Candidly Speaking was created, the mission was a blog that would provide me with an outlet for my thoughts and ideas. I was a full-time employee in corporate, like I am now, and was so unfulfilled. I dreaded work so much that on Sunday’s I would be close to having panic attacks due to stress. After a few months of blogging, I still didnt feel like The Candidly Speaking was complete, but I couldnt figure out the missing piece until one day I was looking at old greeting cards that I had saved and everything clicked. Ive always loved greeting cards and have a habit of saving them for years. In 2020, during the pandemic, I drafted my first greeting card. During that year, I hired someone to finish my website, ordered business cards, hired a graphic designer and came up with content for 12 unique cards. Today, I have over 40 unique greeting cards. I think I started my business at the right time. I dont question the timing of things, but I do wish that I had asked myself more questions before I got started and I also wish that I had connected with a mentor sooner to help me understand the business side, requesting funding and making more connections. Ive learned a lot of things the hard way, which I expected. But everything didnt have to come with a lesson. Its definitely been a ride and through those lessons you truly see how strong you are and you also learn how committed you are to your vision and business.

LaToya, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is LaToya Simpson and I am the owner of The Candidly Speaking, a greeting card and stationery company committed to celebrating black images, experiences and stories. The Candidly Speaking was created to give a new face and sound to the greeting card industry as representation matters. Over the past 2 years I have done countless vendor events where little girls have picked up some of my cards and said “this looks like me”. Those reactions help push me forward and give me the confidence to know that what Im doing is needed. My greeting cards are intended to sound like family because thats where I pull my inspiration; from family and friends and how we interact. Ive literally taken experiences that so many of us share in my community and put it on paper which stirs emotions of nostalgia. This is what I love.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

When I first started my business I literally took money from my semi-monthly payroll check to fund projects. This got old really fast. In the beginning there may have been a few large expenses. Website, illustration, legal needs, etc., but these didnt occur regularly. Once I started printing cards, that came with a different level of commitment! Understanding sizing components and how they factor into costs and production, re-prints, deadlines, vendor event fees. The costs start to add up but you hope that the business will start to pay for itself, which may not happen for some time. Even when you start to make money, you put every dime back into the business when you’re starting so understanding that you may be working from a deficit for a while is vital to staying the course.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I send out regular newsletters to remind my customers of existing and new products, upcoming events and sales and I also engage with my customers through social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thecandidlyspeaking.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecandidlyspeaking/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecandidlyspeaking/