翻译
书面拥抱设计，克里斯蒂·克梅克
书面拥抱设计, 该公司由克里斯蒂·克米克于2022年创立, focuses on creating uniquely designed greeting cards that authentically address themes like grief and loss, 心理健康, 鼓励, 和庆祝活动. Christi's mission is to help people feel more seen, connected, and less alone through these cards. Her business operates both online and through wholesale distribution, including Homegoods, with a commitment to donating one card for every card purchased to nonprofits that serve the community. 她最近的成功之一是与毛伊岛希望村的合作, 展示了“书面拥抱”的影响和日益扩大的范围.
当 毛伊岛的希望村 在我看来，它真正定义了成功. 想到夏威夷有人, 致力于在儿童最脆弱的时刻支持他们, 在商店里发现了我的卡片. They were not only touched by the cards but also took the time to reach out via the website. 毛伊岛的希望村 为寄养家庭的孩子们准备了装满必需品的背包, 孤儿, 或者那些因为野火而流离失所的孩子们, 而且他们总是附带一张卡片. 自从我们的合作关系开始, 他们分享了他们所产生的深远影响, not only on the children but also on the volunteers and those assembling care packages. 对我来说，这就是真正成功的例证. 它反映了我们渴望创造的信息和联系.
我的工作是帮助人们感受到更多的关注，更多的联系，更少的孤独. And I do that through uniquely and specifically designed greeting cards that lean more authentically and vulnerably into grief and loss, 心理健康, 鼓励, 以我从未见过的方式庆祝.
我的愿景是彻底改变贺卡行业, 为凌乱的东西腾出空间, 生活中我们常常回避的困难方面.
例如, that holiday that you've always loved and cherished with someone who's no longer here is now coming up and it feels like the rest of the world has moved on. 我为那个人做了一张卡片.
我为悲伤的人制作卡片, 在某个特定的月份，这种悲伤的压力会更大.
I make Mother's Day cards for people who are estranged from their mother or estranged from their child and find it a difficult day. 我只是想让他们在那一刻觉得自己更受关注. Or Mother's Day cards for people who are grieving through infertility and acknowledging how infertility in and of itself is such a cyclical grief that compounds more on Mother's Day, 我觉得应该给那个人一张卡片.
There's another card I'm currently designing for the 支持 families of somebody struggling with addiction. 当 you're that parent of a child who is trapped in addiction and you yourself have been through so much to help them, 你的心碎了, 你感到被孤立和被忽视. 我想为这些人制作一张卡片.
我正在制作卡片，为那些有临终关怀的人建立联系. 我设计了一对纪念品提示卡, 让所爱的人分享他们最美好的回忆，表达他们的希望和骄傲. 这些卡片是给面临生命终结的家庭的珍贵礼物, 提供提示来捕捉记忆和情感.
The inspiration behind starting this business stems from both my love for creativity and my personal experiences with grief and loss. While I've always had a passion for being creative and even took a few art-related and graphic design classes in college, I didn't pursue a formal degree in these fields; it was more of a fun hobby for me.
我经历过焦虑和抑郁, and I turned to art as a way to connect with my children and reassure them that even during my low moments, 我仍然爱他们, 他们很安全, 我会照顾好自己和他们. It was crucial for me to convey that it was neither their fault nor their responsibility to make me feel better. This personal journey and the desire to communicate these feelings to my children served as the catalyst for launching my business.
Our society often struggles with effectively 支持ing and empathizing with one another in times of hardship. I've always been the type of person who embraces challenging conversations and seeks authentic, 脆弱的人际关系. 我注意到，在贺卡市场上，能够真正表达同理心的贺卡存在缺口, 支持, and authentic connection during difficult times – something I found lacking when shopping for cards in stores. So, I began crafting these cards myself because I firmly believed that such cards should exist to help people express themselves and offer meaningful 支持 to one another.
It feels like a blessing to engage in work that not only carries a sense of purpose and mission but also resonates deeply with my own life story.
除了填补了市场空白, 让我的企业与众不同的是我们对回馈社会的承诺. 通过我们的网站或在供应商活动中购买的每张卡, 我们有一赠一的皇冠现金官网政策. 这意味着，对于某人购买的每张卡片, 我们皇冠现金官网一张卡片给一个服务社区的非营利组织.
I'm proud to have partnered with organizations like Brighter Days Family Grief Center in Eden Prairie, 明尼苏达州, 去支持他们所服务的人. Our cards aim to make individuals feel more seen, connected, and less alone during challenging times.
另外, 我们最近与毛伊岛希望村合作, 谁会为寄养儿童组装装满必需品的背包, 那些孤儿, 或者那些受野火影响的人. They include our cards in these backpacks to bring a personal touch and comfort to the recipients. 这种伙伴关系使我们能够为他们的美好事业作出贡献, making it one of our most recent and exciting collaborations in the spirit of giving back.
高潮很容易, 就在那时，人们在网站上联系我，说他们发现了我的卡片, 多么感人，多么有意义啊, 或者他们和我分享的情况是多么完美.
然后是低谷, I would say it feels lonely sometimes as an entrepreneur trying to build and create something and keep all the wheels moving in the right direction. 有时候不一定有一个清晰的路线图. 你真的是在开辟自己的道路.
一路上有人告诉我SCORE，所以我试了试 几个车间, which helped me get really clear about my target market is and to identify how to meet their needs in a unique way. 然后我很早就联系上了我的皇冠现金官网导师.
通过SCORE，我与一位在印刷领域有背景的导师建立了联系, 我需要什么来帮助我度过我所面临的挑战. He's been really invaluable and helping me get through some hurdles that have come my way.
而我的朋友和家人都非常支持和鼓励我, 他们不是那个领域的专家. 所以能有人跟我谈论这些事情真的很不可思议.
我们在一起工作已经有一段时间了. He brings a unique perspective as a retired professional with expertise in the printing industry. 这使我能够在没有任何别有用心的情况下讨论重要问题, 不像对待销售人员或有偏见的意见. 他帮助我克服了供应商的障碍. He's helped me learn how to expand some sales opportunities that wouldn't have happened without him. 他是个很棒的啦啦队长.
If you're thinking about starting a business, my advice would be to begin with thorough research. 了解你所处理的需求是否与人们真正想要的一致. 这是我后来才意识到的, 但这是每个小企业在投入之前应该优先考虑的关键一步.
如果你的研究表明，你的想法是有需求的, 然后相信你的声音和你的生活经历的价值. 承认所有的支持, 或者缺乏, 你所学的课程塑造了独一无二的你. 世界上没有人经历过你所经历的一切. While we can empathize with others on similar journeys, your perspective is one-of-a-kind. 所以，相信你自己，相信你的声音的重要性，因为它真的很重要. 记住，没有人能完全创造出你将要创造的东西.
I would tell a fellow business owner that SCORE offers a wealth of workshops that are designed to accommodate your schedule. 这些讲习班定期举行, 所以如果你做不到, 很有可能会有另一个相同主题的人可以参加.
此外, 当你达到一个点，你需要更多的个性化指导, SCORE指导计划非常有价值. The process involves a straightforward questionnaire about your business and the questions you have. 我相信你会遇到一位能提供宝贵见解的导师.
更好的是，SCORE是理解和灵活的. If, 出于某种原因, 你和导师的关系不太好，或者你想换个角度看问题, 他们愿意为你重新配对另一位导师. 所以，如果导师不适合你，也没有必要纠结于此.
作为一个喜欢制度和秩序的人, 我必须很快弄清楚的是我实际上必须提供, produce and create the system and the order because it's not going to just magically happen.
还不找到和你一起工作的人是很有价值的, 无论是供应商还是合作伙伴, 这些都是你的使命和目的. 刚开始的时候，我不知道这是可能的. 我在每个角落都遇到了一种冷漠的氛围. 所以我开始让自己振作起来，这就是未来的样子. And then I started finding people to partner with who were, in fact, on mission with me. 你有可能和那些对你所做的事情和原因感到兴奋的人一起工作.
Sales, marketing and business development professional in the software and graphic communications...
