Chasing Dreams: Starting a Product Line {An Interview with Jo at Things By Bean} + A GIVEAWAY!

This interview is part of the Chasing Dreams interview series. I've interviewed a variety of entrepreneurs and small business owners who have chosen a different path in life in order to go after his or her dream career. Have an entrepreneur in mind you'd like to learn more about? Let me know! Today’s interview is with my friend Jo, creative mastermind and owner of the fun greeting card company, Things by Bean. Jo is one of my favorite people EVER, and will be one of yours too. She may be an Aussie now, but you can still find her cards stocked in the US at Urban Outfitters and now Whole Foods Market!  {OR buy them online, of course!}

Read on to learn about her journey in starting a business and how she stays inspired. Also, don't miss the giveaway instructions at the end! Enter for a chance to win 5 popular greeting cards from Things by Bean.

At what point did you know you wanted to follow this career path? How did you know this was the right direction?

It came on really gradually. I made birthday cards by hand when I was a kid and all through high school. Eventually, I got more card ideas than I could make, so I started filling a notebook with the one-liners. And when that notebook got full, I decided to launch a greeting card line! I know it was right purely from the creative satisfaction I got from a completed design. Nothing feels better than getting your idea out of your brain and into the world!

What are the biggest struggles you've faced while trying to achieve your dreams?

Definitely the sales aspect of running your own business. I’m a pretty social person but I get super weird about approaching someone for the sole purpose of selling to them. But I’ve finally (sorta, mostly, I think) gotten over that by constantly reminding myself that shop owners want to stock cool stuff and make cool money from them.

Owning your own business can be tough on the body and mind, between long days, instability and really putting yourself out there to reach your goals. How do you stay healthy? Do you have any rituals that help you stay centered?

Anyone who goes from a stable 9-5 job to working for yourself will go through an adjustment period. It took me about six months to get used to the benefits as well as the struggles. The benefits for me are having time to exercise every day and cook healthy lunches and dinners; those two things have made a huge difference to my health, physically and mentally. The struggles mostly revolve around the sporadic nature of self-employment. The first time I had a slow week, I panicked and thought it was all going to fall apart and I’d be destitute by morning. But the next week, it picked up! Now when I have a slow week, I work on hobbies, try to garner new business or do some professional development with online tutorials.

Speaking of putting yourself out there, overcoming rejection is a big part of chasing dreams. How do you bounce back?

Yeah, it’s a major part of chasing dreams! When I got my first ten greeting card designs printed, I approached a big stationery shop to see if they’d be interested in stocking them. The owner said ‘they were of no interest’ to him… and I started bawling right after I left. For a horrible second, I thought maybe my cards were stupid and no one liked them but me! In retrospect, that shop was all wrong for Things by Bean, anyway. It’s the fancy, Italian-imported, elegant breed of stationery shop and Things by Bean is a bright, cheeky range bursting with personality! So analyzing your target audience carefully is important. Even then, you’ll still get rejected by someone you thought was a PERFECT fit, but there’s plenty more where they came from!

What do you do when you're having an off day- maybe feeling down, struggling with self-doubt, or just unmotivated?

They’re the worst. It doesn’t happen to me too often, but when it does, I usually go to the gym or start working on something completely different. If you force yourself to do an hour of boring admin, the challenging creative tasks suddenly seem really appealing.

What is one misconception people have about you and/or your profession?

I can’t think of any misconceptions about my profession, but I think there are all kinds of misconceptions about working from home. I don’t think most people realize how much motivation you have to create for yourself and how honed your work ethic has to be.

What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way?

I think the rejection thing above is the biggest one. But the second biggest is discovering how possible entrepreneurialism is! If you have an awesome idea and you’re willing to work hard for it, you really will be successful.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to run their own creative business?

Be consistent with your ‘brand’, be really easy to work with (answer emails promptly, get orders out quickly, be friendly) and don’t be afraid to tell people how awesome you are. I went into one shop and said ‘Hey, want to stock my cards? They’ll sell better than any cards you’ve ever stocked, I guarantee it!’ And they totally did, which is great because I don’t have a lawyer and shouldn’t be going around making guarantees…

When do you feel the most inspired, alive and the most like YOU?

Definitely when a great card idea explodes into my brain and I lunge for my computer and bang it out on Illustrator. I’m also a writer, so I get the same rush when I finish a piece of writing that I’m really happy with.

What people, books, music, etc. inspire you?

Neil Gaiman is my favorite author because everything he writes is magical, weird and unique. When I need to break from work, I get up and have dance parties to get the blood flowing again – today, I think I’ll have a boogie to Mac Demarco, Steal My Sunshine, anything by Grouplove, King Tuff and some Ignition Remix by R. Kelly for good measure. I’m also inspired by interactions with friends – you’re always at your brightest and funniest around your best buds, so great ideas come out of our interactions!

Describe your favorite moment or accomplishment in your career so far.

Definitely when I got an email from Urban Outfitters saying they were interested in stocking Things by Bean. UO was my favorite store throughout high school and college and I still flippin’ love it, so it was huge for me. After I read the email, I rolled around on the kitchen floor and squealed for a few minutes.

What’s the most exciting thing going on in your life right now?

Things by Bean will be stocked in Wholefoods soon, starting with the store in Charlottesville, VA. And if they go well there, hopefully they’ll be available in other parts of the region before long! Non-professionally, my man and I are hoping to buy our own place soon. Finally I’ll have a proper office! Right now I work in various locations, including but not limited to the living room, the kitchen, my bedroom and once, the bathtub.

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GIVEAWAY

You have two options to enter the giveaway:

1. Check out the Things by Bean website and tell us in the comments on this post which card is your favorite.

2. Leave a comment and tell us what your dream job would be, if you could do anything in the world.

Two random winners will be chosen on Wednesday, October 8th (one week from today) to receive 5 cards each. I will contact the winners by email to get mailing addresses. 

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The winners have been chosen using this random number generator. I've emailed the two winners (#1 and #5!). Thank you all for entering!

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Jo is the creative director, owner and designer for Things by Bean. Things by Bean is a range of cool cards for occasions, non-occasions, and made-up occasions. They're always cheeky, sometimes creepy and often downright cute! And if they make someone chuckle, they've done their little job well. You can find them stocked in various card shops around Melbourne, Australia, as well as Urban Outfitters and Whole Foods Market in the U.S.

Website // Facebook  // Instagram

Have questions for Jo about starting your own product line? Ask her in the comments!

The Secrets to Happiness

Happy has been on my list of documentaries to watch for quite some time. I finally got around to it a few days ago, and have to say it's one of my new favorites! It was full of interesting facts, theories and kept my attention the whole time.Here's some of what I took away:

Graph from Happy Documentary on Netflix

The beginning sets the stage for the documentary by explaining the main aspects that determine happiness.

50% set point / range (genetic): this is the general range of happiness we're all born with 10% circumstances: income, social status, where you live, age 40% intentional activity (this is just a theory): things we can do on a regular basis to become happier

Isn't that interesting to think that your circumstances only make up 10% of your happiness? It provides hope for those born into unfavorable circumstances. The 'set range' of happiness we're all said to be born with also makes a lot of sense to me. Some people are just eternally upbeat. The leading psychologists studying happiness theorize that the remaining 40% is more under our control. We can do things to make ourselves happier.

The most important type of intentional activity to increase happiness is to constantly vary what you do. Try new things often, even if it's something as simple as trying a new coffee shop or trying a new sport. We inevitably adapt to every new situation, no matter how wonderful or bleak.

secret to happiness

Happiness is controlled by the neurotransmitter dopamine. We slowly lose dopamine synapses starting in our teenage years, so we need to seek out experiences that release dopamine. Physical activity is one of the best, especially if you do it in novel ways. Have you wondered why there's an increase in themed 5k races like The Color Run, mud runs and zombie runs?

Another important key to happiness is experiencing "flow." In the documentary this was described as "the psychology of optimal experience...the synergy of aspects of consciousness." It's often something that requires you to be fully present, like playing an instrument, rock climbing or cooking a complex meal. When you're proficient enough at the activity, you almost intuitively know moment by moment what you have to do, so you fall into the flow of actions. People describe it as feeling in control and forgetting their worries. I could see it as a disconnect from the ego and the ultimate way of being present. Researchers have found that people who experience flow on a regular basis are happier than those who don't.

Researchers found that those who can recover from adversity more quickly than others also tend to be happier. Negative experiences affect everyone, but these people are able to move on more quickly.

key ingredient to happiness

You've probably heard that money doesn't buy happiness. Well, that statement turns out to be both true and false. The difference in happiness levels between an annual income of $5k and $50k is dramatic, but $50k vs. $500k doesn't make much of a difference. And remember, you'll make the most of that money if you're using it to experience new things like traveling to a new country. Earlier I mentioned that you will adapt to your situation. This is also true for the more money you have. It's called hedonic adaptation: "whatever level of material goods and wealth you have, you will adapt to it and want/need more to get the good feeling."

So other than new experiences, how can we achieve more happiness and life satisfaction?

• Having intrinsic goals vs. extrinsic goals. These are in opposition with each other. Intrinsic goals are those related to personal growth, community contributions and meaningful relationships. These people report more satisfaction, less depression and less anxiety. (The exact opposite of what is reported by those with materialistic goals.)

• Having compassion. To experience compassion, try starting a gratitude journal (once a week vs. every day even makes a difference), increase your acts of kindness, start volunteering, etc. Acts of kindness are the most effective compassion tool to increase happiness.

In summary, the documentary states that these are the building blocks of happiness:

Building blocks of happiness

"Happiness is not just about feeling more blissful. Happier people tend to function better, be more productive and even live longer."

I highly recommend watching the full documentary to learn more. These are just some of the highlights!

Have you seen 'Happy?' What did you think?