Tell us about Words With Heart.
Words With Heart is a print and stationery company that directs profits to fund education for women and girls in the developing world. All of our products – including business cards, notebooks, brochures, postcards etc – are made sustainably, using 100% recycled paper, eco inks and green electricity. Every product sold then funds a specific number of education days for women and girls, for example 250 business cards will fund 10 days of education.
What inspired you to start Words With Heart?
I was volunteering at a school in Kenya a few years ago, when I met a girl named Esther. She was 10 years old, brightest girl in her class, and had dreams of becoming a doctor. But sadly the orphanage where she lived was no longer going to be able to pay her school fees, and Esther would have to drop out of school. I discovered that this was a problem that affected so many more girls than just Esther – 60 million across the globe right now. I knew coming back to Australia that I needed a business solution for this – an ongoing funding source for these girls.
Tell us about your career and background.
Post university I started a career in HR and business consulting mainly for NFPs, education and health companies. I also was a co-founder of two commerce businesses and am a self taught graphic designer. I started WWH two years ago now, and completed two social enterprise accelerator programs, with The School of Social Entrepreneurs and Impact Academy.
Describe a typical day for you.
A typical day is managing several client orders – so overseeing the design, quoting and ordering process. I might also meet with a new company to discuss their stationery needs and how we can help, post on our social media channels, meetings with my team to prepare for new season orders – Valentines Day cards etc. I’m pretty much all hands on deck at the moment, and sometimes its a juggle to manage the constant flow of orders! Definitely a good problem to have.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
I would advise them to just start. Dona’s wait for things to be perfect because they never will be. As soon as you have a sound idea that your given enough research too – get it to market and start getting feedback. You can then pivot and adjust as needed. Also don’t be afraid to make mistakes or to fail. Ive done it again and again and will continue to do so.
What’s next for you, and Words With Heart?
We are building a digital platform, something similar to what you’d find on moo.com or Vista Print , where our clients can do all of their designing, quoting and ordering directly online. It’s going to massively transform our business, and our impact for women and girls education.
