Wild Cinnamon Cards was established in 2013 and although I knew black ethnic greeting cards were needed and wanted, I struggled for years to be heard or seen, I was invisible! However, the Coronavirus Pandemic levelled up my business. I had the time to now concentrate fully on my business, I had seen an increase in sales and I was loving it.
This was honestly a great time for me, I can't speak for anyone else but knowing there was nowhere to go and no one to see, I had so much time to eat, sleep , create black etnic greeting cards and repeat. I also found my inspiration. Have you heard of writer's block? Well I'm not sure about other artists and illustrators but usually during my busy 9- 5 working day, there are days where I just can't draw. During Lockdown however, I never had this problem, I felt free again like I was back in school with no worries, I was able to express myself using a pencil and paper and loving what was created on the page and the new greeting cards I was able to create.
So, with all the retail shops closed which included the big high street names such as Card Factory, Clintons and the nation being advised to only shop for essentials at supermarkets. This meant everyone was heading online to shop for items they wanted. Having Wild Cinnamon Cards available online was perfect. My target audience were now taking the time to look for what they wanted instead of just going to the high street stores for convenience where black ethnic greeting cards are not available.
When the sales started to come in I couldn't believe it, I guess more people were sending cards to their loved ones who they could not see during lockdown. What would usually be my slowest months became my best months for card sales. I then pivoted my business to increase sales and awareness of my brand. I created a lockdown collection of cards and created greeting cards that represented black ethnic NHS workers. Check out my Forbes feature no.19. I can't believe I made it in Forbes, during Lockdown.Â
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