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

Alright, Natalie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I started Monday Morning Press in 2015 as a custom letterpress stationery business. My focus was on luxury wedding invitations at the time. In 2019 I had the idea to use some of the beautiful papers I had around the studio to try making earrings. I started playing with different paper types, letterpress textures and colors to design my first earring styles. I was completely hooked and shifted my focus to paper jewelry design! Through a lot of trial and error over several years, I developed my own systems and processes for making the earrings.

Natalie, 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?

I have had had a love for design and crafting since I was a little girl. My dad and I used to have weekly art classes in our attic. Throughout my early education, I excelled in art related classes and ultimately chose to pursue a degree in Architecture at Virginia Tech. I graduated in 2008 and started my Architecture career in Richmond, Virginia. After working as an intern for several years, I decided I enjoyed design on a smaller scale and switched gears to marketing, graphic design, and architectural rendering. In 2014, I had my first child and my husband and I decided that I would stay at home to raise her. I knew I still needed a hobby and that is when I opened Monday Morning Press. We now have 3 girls and I have been so blessed to be home with each of them in their early years while also running a successful business. My husband is my hero for believing in my and allowing me to find my own path and explore my passions.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

One of the most important things that has helped my business grown over the years is social media and specifically Instagram. My IG account grew quickly when I started focusing on making and selling paper jewelry. I was doing a lot of live sales and personal posts and people began to relate to me as a person first and then a business owner. This really has helped me gain the trust of my followers who turn into super loyal customers.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

When I got to the point in my business when I knew I needed to bring help, it was a completely daunting task. I interviewed several high school students sho could help me with production and ended up finding a wonderful assistant and friend. My sister joined our team later that year and we brought on a few other small production gals who helped grow the business overall. We became a family. Finding people who you can trust is the most valuable asset to growing a business. Several of the ladies have moved on but I’m still incredibly grateful for the time and dedication they gave me! Today it is just my sister, Lauren, and I running the show. Sometimes you have to take a step back and focus on a plan in order to grow to the next level and I feel like that is where we are right now. It’s scary and exciting at the same time.

Contact Info:

• Website: Mondaymorningpress.com
• Instagram: @mondaymorningpress
• Facebook: Monday Morning Press

Image Credits
@lindseymartinphotography