Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Steph Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Steph thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I truly believe that success comes only after failure (sometimes, a LOT of failures!) It’s the commitment to keep going despite setbacks, keeping the vision in mind, and accepting that failure is PART of success – not the opposite of it.

Reading books and listening to podcasts by other entrepreneurs helped me really grasp this. I’d heard it talked about, but living it is a completely different experience. It’s something I continue remind myself of, often weekly!

10 years ago I started my business and was so scared of failing. I took each next step cautiously, weighed the pros and cons, and essentially over-thought on everything. Now I view EVERYTHING I do in my business, and even in my life, as an experiment. I don’t take things so seriously and go with my gut. If it’s a “failure” it means I learned a huge lesson and can move forward in the right direction more quickly.

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’m Steph, the owner of someday paper co, where I help modern couples DIY their wedding invitations through template, tutorials, and supplies.

After 7 years of working with couples one-on-one to design, print, and assemble their wedding invitations, I pivoted my offering to digital templates to provide an easy, budget-friendly way for brides and grooms to create their own invitations, with the help of a pro. I like to say our couples are DIY”ish” – you don’t have to be a traditionally crafty or creative person to utilize our templates, since we provide full, step-by-step instructions. If you can follow a recipe, you can DIY your wedding invitations with our help!

You can find someday paper co on social media where I share tons of educational content and how-to tutorials around DIY weddings, focusing on invitations and other paper pieces.

We recently launched a pre-made wax seal collection for couples looking to add a fun upgrade to their pretty paper! Wax seals are traditionally made by heating wax, pouring the liquid, and stamping in a design. Our wax seals are ready to use with a peel and stick adhesive to make wedding invitation assembly even easier!

Have you ever had to pivot?

“People are always getting married!” This was a common response after I told people I worked in the wedding industry. We all know what happened it March 2020 and weddings were cancelled overnight. Our industry was dealing with something completely unprecedented.

I chose to take the opportunity of the pandemic to pivot my business. It started when I created a few “change the date” templates for couples, so they could print things at home or send digitally. It grew from there and I realized that I could help more people with this business model AND it aligned better with my own life goals. It was a huge pivot as my one-on-one business was in a really great place that I’d worked SO hard to get to.

Even though I started an entirely new brand, Etsy shop, and social media accounts, I knew I wasn’t starting at “zero” – I was bringing all the experience and lessons from the last several years with me. I really saw a possibility and knew I could make it happen!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I love this question. I worked with a business coach (shout out to Carley Z!) who helped me greatly with breaking through limiting beliefs. Diving into the things we need to unlearn is so important and something I recommend everyone do!

A huge limiting belief I had was “I’ll never make six figures with my business, BUT it’s ok because I get to do what I love and have a flexible schedule.” Consciously, of course, I wanted to make more money and hit certain milestones, but subconsciously I couldn’t get there with this belief.

I totally bought in to the “starving artist” thing. I accepted I was ok with it though, since I had so much freedom and was having fun in my business.

It took learning that other women in my industry were hitting those big milestones – all I needed was proof that it was possible. I thought, “if she can do it, I can too!” Talking about money can be weird, but I think being transparent around it can really lift others up.

Changing the belief to “AND” – I can make six figures AND do what I love and have flexibility. It’s true!

Contact Info:

• Website: somedaypaperco.etsy.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/somedaypaperco_
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@modernweddinginvitations https://www.pinterest.com/somedaypaperco_/