When we first start our businesses, more often than not, we don’t have the big picture idea of what our brand or business will look like down the road. So many of us embark on this so-called maker’s journey, where we truly discover our strengths, opportunities, and long term vision for our business. Lucky for us, one of our talented Paper Camp alumni, Genesis Duncan of Graphic Anthology, is joining us today on Episode 138 of Proof to Product to share her experience and advice for other makers on the path.

Based in Portland, Oregon, Genesis started Graphic Anthology in 2010 with just three art prints and an Etsy shop. Almost a decade later, her product line has grown to include a wide range of greeting cards and gift items that focus on joy, simplicity, and strengthening relationships with those you love most.

Today's episode is a powerful one and I know it will resonate with many of you. We talk about how Genesis started her business as a creative outlet and hobby, and why she had to shift her mindset and step into her role and title as an entrepreneur and business owner. Genesis also shares how adding a line of Spanish greeting cards was not only beneficial to her business, but also her personal development.

ON TODAY’S EPISODE:

What products Genesis makes and sells
The sales channels she utilizes
How she decided to start her own business
Life’s hurdles and how they led Genesis to where she is today
Finding silver linings and following your heart
Advice for shifting your mindset from maker to business owner
How Genesis manages the tactical aspects of Graphic Anthology
The importance of picking deadlines and sticking with them
How Paper Camp helped solidify her business mindset
What Genesis does to differentiate her products in the market
Testing products, taking risks, and discovering new segments
Advice for other small business owners and creative CEOs

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

“I think in the back of my mind I always wanted to run my own business, but I will say I resisted it a lot in the beginning.” - Genesis Duncan

“I am a child of entrepreneurs. Both my parents had their own businesses, so from an early age knew what I would want to do.” - Genesis Duncan

“I became an entrepreneur by accident actually.” - Genesis Duncan

“Business started to dry up and stuff, and so I kind of really was like, "I need to do something. I need to do something creative, I need to do something for me."- Genesis Duncan

“People come to greeting cards because they're trying to say things or they are trying to feel more connected.” - Genesis Duncan

“I am a firm believer that all of the different things we experience in life are there for a reason.” - Katie Hunt

“There is this shift, where you go from making something for someone to asking how can I do that efficiently? How can I do that sustainably? Yeah, it was the game changer.” - Genesis Duncan

“I know a lot of us with small businesses don't really resonate with the title, CEO. It just feels so corporate and so big. But really, but we are. We're the visionaries for these brands, and that sometimes means the creative aspect of our business becomes a smaller piece of what we do on a day to day basis.” - Katie Hunt

“After doing Paper Camp, it just really gelled a lot of things in my mind. I realized, "All right. We got to get serious here." Like this is happening.” - Genesis Duncan

“Paper Camp made me realize how hungry I was to grow my business. I met other people who were ahead of me and they weren't in suits and ties. They were very fun people talking about how they were making their business work and they were starting families or whatever.” - Genesis Duncan

“My favorite thing is that we don't have to follow the same path. We can make this whatever we want.

We can make things fit with the life we want to have.” - Katie Hunt

“There's always going to be more opportunities that are going to come down the pipeline.” - Genesis Duncan

LINKS

Website: http://graphicanthology.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/graphicanthology

Facebook: http://facebook.com/graphicanthology

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ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT:

Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

27. TE Stephen O'Neill, the SJC & the Priestess in Metro New York Presbytery