When Fiona Richards started Cartolina Cards in 2006, she didn't have time to start slowly - she needed to create a job for herself and fast!  Moving from Victoria to the Kootenays meant adjusting her lifestyle but it was the best move she could have made.  Once there, Richards felt compelled to share her collection of rare vintage ephemera and so created her own greeting card design & paper products company. 

She started with one store on Granville Street in Vancouver and, with the help of her distributor, quickly spread from there into the U.S.  Today, Cartolina has gone global, gracing the shelves of beautiful stores across Australia, New Zealand, North America and Europe.  Richards considers each unique vendor a milestone, with locations like Harrods and the British Museum carrying her whimsical designs.

With her collection of vintage imagery and a great eye for colour, Richards has created a niche for herself.  She names social media, especially the use of blogging and twitter, as one of the reasons for her success.  Vendors hear about Cartolina through social media chatter - and it has paid off.  The Cartolina i-Phone app, a "three-dimensional e-greeting treasure that shows up in your email", came out last year and became #1 and a staff favourite at the app store.

Being a small business owner has its challenges of course, namely when Kootenay winter weather holds up a large shipment.  But Richards says she loves being at the helm and seeing her designs in flagship retailers feels amazing.

Richards advice to small business owners is simple:  learn every aspect of your business, from website development to what kind of packaging tape is best.  Put the effort in, enjoy the huge rewards of your vision and expect to lose sleep.

www.cartolina.com