Start Your Own Invitation Business

Today I had the honor of interviewing Rikki Montoro, owner of By Invitation Only. I know many creative artists who'd kill for an opportunity to create their own product line. What's stopping them? I'm not really sure. Maybe it's finances. Maybe it's time. Maybe it's fear. Whatever it is, I'm sure they'll-as well as you-will get a good dose of inspiration from this quick interview. Enjoy...

How did you get into designing and selling custom invitations?

After the birth of my second child (14 yrs ago) I became seriously ill and was placed on permanent disability. For the first few years I was kept busy with raising my children, but as they got older I found I was "needed" less and less and so I began to look for hobbies to keep my mind and soul active. A niece of mine was planning a wedding and looked to me for help. We decided to tackle making handmade invitations - quite an undertaking as it was a time when very few brides were considering this option. The invitations were a huge success and I found myself being approached by other family members...and then friends...to create invitations for their occasions as well. It was only natural to take the next step and take my designs to a higher level: from hobby to business.

Storing so many different styles of papers and artistic supplies seems daunting. Do you have any storage tips?

I designed my home studio to accommodate my need for lots of work space and storage. I divided my room in half: one side with a 20' countertop set on top of base cabinets where I can do my cutting and assembling and keep all my heavier equipment inside the cabinets. My opposite wall is floor-to-ceiling bookshelves where I keep my design books and store my materials. Most of the paper I use is 8.5x11" and I find it easiest to store these, according to colour, in labeled folders in a filing cabinet. I store larger sheets of handmade paper in paper tubes - this prevents it from getting creased and takes up much less space than trying to store them flat. I attached a length of wood dowel across the front of several shelves. I slide my spools of ribbon onto the dowel so I can match samples at a glance. Scrap paper, embellishments, and any decorative scissors, etc. that I use I keep in two units made up of stacked drawers. I also keep a clear tackle box on a lower shelf: the small compartments are great for the small charms, tie-ons, etc. I sometimes use.

What types of advertising have you found to be the most successful and why?

Word of mouth - or better yet, actually receiving one of my designs as an invitation - seems to be my best way of getting my name and designs known to potential clients. I think people have more of a tendency to use a company a friend has highly recommended rather than one with which they have no knowledge. More so, if someone receives an invitation that makes a good impression on them, they will be more inclined to use that companies services when the need arises. I also have a wedding planner that I send out to brides-to-be as a free gift - so far I have good responses for my effort.

Visit her at http://www.itsbyinvitationonly.com/