i know a mom :: What inspired you to start Paper Shouts?

shannon :: The inspiration actually came out of my own personal need. I am a parent to 3 children and through the years of celebrating their birthdays, special events and milestones I always struggled to find the perfect customized, yet inexpensive invitation. Before starting Paper Shouts, I had my own marketing consultancy business and had several friends that were graphic designers. I usually turned to one of them to design something for our various family events. I realized that most people were not lucky enough to have those kinds of resources at their disposal and knew there had to be a way to make unique cards and invitations widely available to all consumers. In our competitive research we saw a few other companies that were ‘almost’ there, but the process was still manual and took a while to complete. So my husband and I decided to launch Paper Shouts, a place where busy parents could order custom, high-quality cards and invitations though a website that is automated and make the process quick and easy. I am lucky enough to have some great connections that made starting the business easier. There were designers and production partners that I had worked with for years, I had 18 years of marketing experience under my belt and my husband had 25 years of sales experience, so all the pieces seemed to be in place to make Paper Shouts a reality. And the best part of all; it allowed me get out of the high-tech world where I had spent my career and focus my energy on something that was focused on families and kids. It was a great move.

i know a mom :: What sets Paper Shouts apart from similar companies?

shannon :: 

• Cards and invitations are made from 100 percent Post Consumer Waste (PCW) recycled high-quality paper
• Hundreds of unique traditional, modern, and vintage designs
• Outstanding customer service. Paper Shouts pride itself on putting the customer first
• Easy online customization and preview. Many of today’s paper product websites that sell custom cards require customers to email them a photo and the text you want to see, then they design and send you a proof. The customer then has to make the changes and then the card company sends another proof before an order can be placed. At Paper Shouts customers can do it all online in a matter of minutes and play around with different options to see what they might like best. It’s so fast and easy and the end product is a beautiful, unique, personalized card.

i know a mom :: What was the best piece of advice you received when starting your business?

shannon :: Be careful about mixing business and friendship. It’s always tempting when starting a new business to work with friends. But even with the best of intentions, it rarely works out for the best. The other advice I received was to make sure I did not let it take over my life. When you start a business, especially when you start it out of the home, it is very easy to let it consume you and your family. We have worked very hard to keep a balance between family and work.

i know a mom :: What has been the best part about owning your own business?

shannon :: Well I have actually owned my own business for years; Paper Shouts is my second self-owned business. I owned and ran a successful marketing consulting business for the last 13 years focused on helping high-tech companies, but I felt like something was missing. The best part about starting Paper Shouts is the market we are in allows us to be a part of other people’s lives. We get to see their newborn babies, their children’s 1st birthday photo, and a family’s holiday photo. Its fun to see all the different ways people communicate with their family and friends and it makes us feel like we are a little part of their lives. Especially for those customers that have come back to us time and time again, we get to be a part of their ongoing family milestones. However, I have to say the baby pictures are my favorite!

i know a mom :: Do you have any secrets in managing a business and family?

shannon :: Over the years it has been important to me not to make it a secret that I have a family. I think often times people avoid letting anyone know they have family and with that comes family commitments. I believe it’s important for people to know upfront that not only do I have a family, but I put my family comes first. For years all of my clients have always known I was the mother to 3 kids and there were times when I would leave early for field trips or have to stay home with sick kids, but they also knew that when I was working I was 100 percent committed and I never let my clients down. If I leave early for a school function, I work that evening to make up any lost time and my clients always know I will. I think the biggest stress factor for many working mothers is trying to pretend they are not juggling both. For me honesty has always worked best. When people know the full story, your relationship reaches a new level of trust and respect.

i know a mom :: What is next for Paper Shouts?

shannon :: We are about to celebrate our 1st anniversary and are very excited about the growth the company has made in its first year. We are continuing to add new products and have been able to attract some great new exclusive designers to give our customers the very best designs. As we look at 2009, we will have additional emphasis on our wedding lines as well as continue to add to our products for parents and families. We are currently working on adding address labels, gift tags, mommy cards and many other customizable printed items.

i know a mom :: Favorite way to take a break from the business?

shannon :: My favorite break from the business is my kid’s sports. Both of my boys are avid hockey players and we enjoy watching them blossom. Both play on competitive state and national teams which keeps us all very busy! As a family we also really enjoy the outdoors and do a lot of camping.