We recently connected with Sara Shayya and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sara, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
Being active, confidant and setting goals for yourself are the key points to success. I first started Formalinvites back in 2014 when I was just completing my first year of nursing school. I started my business by promoting and posting my stationery work on Instagram.
Sara, 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 Sara Shayya, I am a thirty-three-year-old Chaldean. I was born in Iraq and came to the United States a little after my third birthday. I am one of six kids! I have three daughters, my oldest being six, and my youngest being one! I am married to an electrical engineer who actually named my business. I have been a registered nurse since 2015. I currently work as a part time registered nurse at a local hospital. I have a soft spot for the elderly, the sick, and a passion for neuroscience.
I have always been a hands-on crafty person, and I love to design anything pretty! I started to study the industry of invitations, I got in touch with different manufactures all over the world. I currently work out of three different countries, and I am working on my fourth!
Finding a suitable vendor these days is quite difficult, the internet is filled with so many options.
The key for me, especially when I was a bride-to-be, is making that connection, making that bond. If someone had the best product, yet I was on the fence about the way the person made me feel, I would move on to the next option. In any industry, it is imperative to make that connection, not just on a vendor-client relationship, but on a person-to-person relationship. I thrive in these situations, because not only do I get to be a part of someone’s big day, which can be a bit stressful to someone, but I get to be there ensuring that every step of the way I will be there for them making sure they get exactly what they need.
I am most proud of my own customized designs. I am not your average stationery store; I like to think outside the box and love to design anything that will make a huge statement. I also carry enough invitation lines to target everyone’s budget, and style.
Besides invitations, I started selling my own designs of personalized greeting cards, thank you cards and menus as well as my own designs on napkins and gift tags, other things I like to sell are welcome signs as well as bar signs, mirrored items as well as favors that can be engraved such as charcuterie boards.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
I started this business as a hobby, I started an Instagram account and started adding my products. The key to success in this type of industry is to keep promoting and keep showing off your products. My main goal is to always find new things my clients will love. I have a passion for the stationery business, I really do think that my designs make a statement in any event either if they’re on a napkin at cocktail hour or on each plate as a menu, they most definitely dress up the event!
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think my honesty and patience really helped me build my reputation within this market. I think that it is important to build a bond with your clients and to get them the exact product they deserve.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://
formalinvites.carlsoncraft. com/ - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/formalinvites/ - Linkedin: https://www.
linkedin.com/in/sara-shayya- rn-a08a5278 - Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/
biz/formal-invites-el-cajon