Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tyler Browning. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tyler, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I have worked in healthcare marketing for 16 years now, and use stationery for client and physician correspondence. The market is completely saturated with option after option for women, but very limited selections for men. After spending an exhausting amount of hours searching for something that was masculine and had personality, not just my initials on it, I had a close friend encourage me to make my own. I’ve always been a creative and was working in graphic design at the time, but never saw myself as a business owner. Plus the thought of putting my art out for others to see and judge was extremely terrifying.
Everything inside of me was screaming to not do it, yet something kept pushing and pushing the idea. The excitement of having a creative outlet was increasing. People also really like the thought of vintage and those trends seem to circle back around eventually. I felt that there was a value in reviving the lost art of the handwritten note and its sentiment, while giving men a creative medium to write. And it seems that in today’s world men are taking more pride in the products they purchase and use every day.
That conversation with my friend happened in January of 2014, and I launched Oak & Ink in August of that same exact year. I started with eight designs on four different products, and didn’t have a clue how it was going to resonate with others. But to my surprise, I experienced an incredible response from the world. Never did I imagine this business to have brought so many incredible opportunities as it has over the last eight years. Oak & Ink has connected me to some of the most amazingly talented people, opened up once in a lifetime opportunities, and helped me form some really cool friendships.
Tyler, 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?
These are the words that embody the essence of Oak & Ink. Growing up in the South, good manners are engrained in every young man and a true gentleman always follows up a nice gesture with a handwritten note. The seed for Oak & Ink sprung from an endless search for professional stationery that not only reflected my personality, but gave me something that could convey more than the words I jot down. Oak & Ink strives to help revive the lost art of the handwritten note and its sentiment in the style and the class of the modern gentleman. My stationery is a creative blend of modern style with vintage artwork, stemming from inspiration received from the various male figures in my life and the impact they’ve had on me over the years.
Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, I’ve always had a passion for all things creative with a tie back to tradition. Who Oak & Ink is today is a culmination of the people and happenings of the past. When not working, you’ll likely find me exploring the world with my little sidekick, wandering around some thrift store or working on a DIY project around the house. Anything to get my creative juices flowing.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Much like a lot of other small business, COVID-19 gave me a scare when it came to Oak & Ink. With the business selling items that were not considered a necessity, I saw sales drop while on the other hand I saw online interactions increase. I think people were missing connection, so social media brought a lot of great conversation and exposure to the business.
It wasn’t until last fall that I truly experienced resilience though. Since I haven’t made the leap into a full time gig, it’s hard to separate personal from professional life. And when one of those falls apart, the other will usually start to unravel as well. As my personal life took a severe turn for what seemed to be the worst, I found myself seriously contemplating closing up shop. I stepped away from creating, promoting and even fulfilling orders.
After a couple of months of pretty dark moments, I told myself that it would be a big loss for myself if I threw this dream of mine away. So I took a deep breath and have started creating again and finding the encouragement along the way to keep pushing through tragedy.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Honestly, word of mouth has been a huge value to Oak & Ink. I have found that surrounding yourself with people who want to see you genuinely succeed can not only build your morale, but bring business to you. They become your spokespeople and cheerleaders at the same time, and it’s an awesome thing.
Contact Info:
- Website: oakandinkpaper.com
- Instagram: @oakandinkpaper
Image Credits
Cody Landrum – @cal.images