Cathe is the owner of Feterie, a stationery company based in San Jose, California. And, she is a promotional machine!  I am always so impressed with all the ways that she is able to market her business.  First there is her blog, Papercuts, an incredible journal of all things inspiring.  It’s a love letter, if you ask me… a love letter to all things beautiful and lovely and papery.  She’s also banded several stationers together for the occasional Paper Carnival.  (Yes, it is as fun as it sounds!)  This little rolling festival of paper goodies makes its way thru blogs and sites and twitter for stationery goodness all over the country.  And, then there is her online shop.  I’m super smitten with these super cute little lunchboxes for kids.  Genius!  I always love seeing what Cathe’s got going on because it’s always fresh and original… very smart marketing, if you ask me!

Cathe Huynh-Sison
Owner, Feterie
San Jose, CA
www.feterie.com
Established 2003

Why did you start your business?

I started my business out of necessity. As a nearlywed, I couldn’t find the wedding invitation that reflected the style of my event or our (my fiancé and I) personalities. As a designer with a background in corporate branding, I realized that developing the look & feel of the wedding and designing the stationery were very similar to my corporate experience — but more on a personal level. After designing the stationery and coordinated pieces for the wedding, the responses started pouring in which prompted me to enter it in a design competition (and it won an award!). At the same time, the event coordinators at the art museum that my reception was held in contacted me about a wedding event they were hosting and invited me to showcase my invitation design. Fresh from the exuberance of the wedding, I was already designing a line of tailored wedding invitations so the event was just the right opportunity at the right time to launch it to the world. That was eight years ago and since then I’ve expanded our business’ offerings (including couture event stationery) and product lines.

What book do you recommend to new business owners?

To be honest, I don’t read books as much as I read magazines and business blogs. On any given day, I have a full schedule so I like to digest my in small bits. One of my favorite magazines is Inc., which I keep up with online and offline and of course, the Sage Wedding Pros blog.

Do you have any cool goal-setting tips to share with us?

I’m a list-maker and I like to celebrate not only the big milestones, but the smaller ones. I think it’s important to mark the smaller milestones as you progress along the way to accomplish the big goals. One of the methods I picked up awhile ago was to set a timer (kitchen timer, any sort of timer) and divide the day’s tasks on my daily to-do list into small chunks of time. It’s not a perfect method, but it works and enables me to be flexible when I need to. Sometimes, some things aren’t accomplished but they can move into the next day and some days crossing 7 out of 10 things off that every growing list feels really good.

What do you find to be the biggest challenge as a business owner?

Two of my biggest challenges as a business owner is balancing the life/work aspect and the “business” side of a creative business. As a wife, mother of 2 young kids, design educator, designer and entrepreneur — I am a self-professed workaholic. I’m constantly changing my schedule to be flexible to tow that fine balance of family and work. I don’t think it’s going to change because it’s just something you have to deal with in a modern economy. The other challenge is putting on my “business head” and dealing with not-so-fun things as accounting. It’s never been my strengths dealing with numbers, but with the help of some helpful online apps I can be a better business manager (and still learning to be one).

If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently?

If I were to start my business all over again, I should have worked with a business coach, financial advisor, The Simple Plan or all of them! I don’t have a business degree, so it would have helped a great deal. I did extensive research, but I think if I had something like the Simple Plan it would have help me write a more detailed business plan including a sales plan.

Thanks Cathe!

Want more great reads?  Check out our book list!

Is there someone that you think is AWESOME in the wedding industry?  Tell us about’m!