This month we’re focusing on Sarah from Stormy Knight.We’ve just restocked with Sarah’s cards following PG Live last month and loved catching up with her again at the RETA Awards

To get to know Sarah a little bit more, here’s a little interview we did with her :

Tell me a little bit about yourself

 I’m Sarah and I run Stormy Knight – a greeting card company that specialises in contemporary illustrated designs with an extra special finish! I run the business with my sister, who takes care of a lot of the day to day running of the business while I focus on the creative side of things! I set the business up in 2013 and I am pleased to say it was one of the best decisions I ever made!

How did you get into doing what you’re doing?

My degree was in illustration, and after graduating I got a job as a graphic designer for a local newspaper company. I spent a lot of evenings screen printing small batches of cards and prints alongside my day job, until I finally plucked up the courage to run the business full time. It took a while… I launched Stormy Knight in 2013 and went full time in 2018 - by that time I was heading up a graphic design team for a well loved kids travel project and was lucky enough to have a very understanding boss who supported me while I reduced my hours and grew my business until I was ready to make that leap of faith!

What does a ‘normal’ day look like?

It’s very unglamorous – a lot of it is admin… processing orders, making sure we have enough stock, helping our customers with any queries. But then there’s also the designing – when I’m working on a new range I take myself out of the office so emails don’t distract me and sit drawing on my iPad. Working on new designs, either by myself or with other illustrators, is my favourite part!

Biggest achievement to date (personally or business wise)?

Our two Henries awards – it felt so good receiving those awards! Personally – it’s managing to juggle a small business with a small child… That’s hard!

Where can we find your cards?

We’re stocked across the UK in some of the best high street card, gift and lifestyle shops, as well as in the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe – we’ve over 500 stockist across the world!

Favourite card you’ve designed  / most popular card design?

Oooh that’s so hard! I can’t pick a favouruite but our best selling card at the moment is our Fave human Bean card by Holly Maguire!

 Have you seen any changing card trends over the last 12 months?

I think people are always on the look out for something different, whether that’s be design style, finish or concept, so we are always trying to be innovative and look for something that isn’t already out there at the moment. And that can be hard in the saturated world of greeting cards! We are currently working on a range of support & friendship cards that have a more contemporary look and sentiment to a lot of the cards out there in the support/sympathy genre (launching in a couple of months so watch this space!)

Why do you think sending cards is still so important?

I love cards. I believe they have the power to make people feel good – whether that’s by sending some birthday wishes, welcoming a new baby to the world or by giving someone a hug when they need it the most, so our company mission is to make the world a brighter place with each and every card we design.

Best thing about running your own business?

 So many things – the flexibility is brilliant as it allows you fit your work around other life commitments. But the main thing is that I get to choose how I shape my business and what I want to do with it. I get such a swell of pride knowing I’ve built this business to where it is today.

Advice to someone looking to turn their hobby / talent into a business?

You’re gonna have to be willing to work hard – passion alone is not enough (but if you are passionate then it won’t feel like such hard work!). Don’t be too influenced by what everyone else is doing – you need to find your place in the market and pave your own way!

Plans for the future?

More of what we are doing – keep designing new cards that are exciting and relevant in todays society. We may look into branching out into other paper products in the future too.

You can find Sarah’s cards in Chirpy and just let us know if you’d like us tp include them as part of our card bundles