| Paul Leonard's paid greeting card service offers | | | | cards?Paul Leonard: We decided early on that we |
| convenience when you're rushing to send birthday | | | | should offer something different from the rest. After |
| wishes. While nothing can beat a personalized poem | | | | getting samples from what seemed like hundreds of |
| to add that extra touch of thoughtfulness, we can all | | | | wholesalers we still hadn't found anything worth |
| agree that in this busy world, any connection we can | | | | getting excited about. My brother-in-law knew of |
| make with each other, even just to say "Thinking of | | | | Paper Avenue and suggested we give them a try. |
| you," is worthwhile.Plus, when you consider the cost | | | | We were so impressed by their designs that we |
| of gas, driving to the store, buying the cards, and | | | | took the plunge and haven't looked back!Kristin: |
| buying the stamps, you can't beat the price of $3.16 | | | | Sounds like a perfect partnership. How have |
| and up including postage for handmade greeting cards | | | | customers responded to your cards?Paul Leonard: As |
| that can be personalized. Poems for You founder | | | | with any web site, a lot of people look before one |
| Kristin Johnson sat down with Paul Leonard, founder | | | | buys! It can be a challenge trying to show the quality |
| of BirthdayCards2Go.com,for an exclusive | | | | of your product on a web site -- after all your |
| interview.Kristin: Paul, how did you develop this unique | | | | potential customers can't pick things up and touch |
| service?Paul Leonard: Well, I guess the idea first | | | | them, they have to rely purely on images. Many |
| came to me a couple of years back while sitting in a | | | | people that have ordered cards from us are |
| traffic jam! I'd just been to the store to get a | | | | absolutely blown away by the look and feel of the |
| birthday card for my sister at the last minute -- I | | | | cards and envelopes. Most are subconsciously |
| always forget people's birthdays -- and was trying to | | | | expecting the type of thin, nasty cards that you get |
| fill in the address with the envelope balanced on the | | | | at your local 7-11 store, but we prefer to spend a |
| steering wheel. I remember thinking that there must | | | | few cents more and have our cards printed on one |
| be a better way! A couple of months went by and, | | | | of the best quality Dutch Ivory boards available. This |
| on my birthday, I got a birthday card from my sister. | | | | makes for a much more expensive and upmarket |
| It obviously hadn't been sent by her but by a | | | | impression, and delighted customers!Kristin: I would be |
| computer via the web -- my name and address was | | | | delighted to receive a card that doesn't look like 99 |
| laser printed on the back and it arrived in a window | | | | percent of the cards out there. In addition, you offer |
| envelope. The message inside was laser printed in | | | | value-added services, such as the delivery system in |
| rather soulless black monotype. I can only say that I | | | | which customers can receive their cards at home to |
| felt a bit offended, considering the trouble I had gone | | | | send out later. Talk about that.Paul Leonard: Some |
| to 2 months earlier, but then I realised how much | | | | people may want to give their cards in person, or |
| time and energy I would have saved by using a | | | | maybe get everyone at work to sign it -- you never |
| service like this.The only thing that put me off was | | | | know. It's mainly a case of covering all the bases. If |
| the impersonal 'junk mail' appearance of the card, so | | | | someone orders 10 or more cards like this in one go, |
| I began to search the web for a service that would | | | | we pass on the savings in postage and transaction |
| allow me to send a card that would look like I sent it. | | | | costs by giving the customer a 40% discount on the |
| After a couple of hours I gave up because I couldn't | | | | total.Kristin: What a deal! Talk about the convenience |
| find what I was looking for. That's when it clicked -- | | | | of selecting the date to send cards for birthdays. It |
| there was a gap in the market that I could fill. As an | | | | seems that we all have endless to-do lists, and |
| IT professional specializing in Intranet systems | | | | sometimes calendar dates just slip by. It must be a |
| myself, I soon had the website built and my | | | | relief for your customers to have their own |
| brother-in-law, who is a graphic designer, came on | | | | secretarial service for greeting cards.Paul Leonard: I |
| board to help with the creative side. Through his | | | | have got to be the worst person in the world for |
| contacts he also helped to source the cards that we | | | | forgetting my relative's birthdays and anniversaries, |
| use. After that, a lot of fine tuning and acting on | | | | and I'm sure I'm not alone! It's certainly a weight off |
| feedback from our customers has got us to where | | | | your mind when you can schedule a card to be sent |
| we are now..Kristin: Most of us do leave things to the | | | | when you're thinking about it and have the time, |
| last minute. That's why there's a proliferation of free | | | | instead of having to remember to do it some day in |
| e-card businesses out there. Blue Mountain Arts, | | | | the future. A lot of our customers seem to do all |
| which published two of my award-winning poems on | | | | their cards for the whole year in one hit! And no, I |
| its Web site, was the pioneer for this model, but | | | | don't forget about sending out our customer's cards |
| changed to a login and fee-based service. You are | | | | -- our system (and mailing people) takes care of |
| also doing a fee-based service. But yours is not an | | | | them for me. I must confess, though, I DO put all |
| e-card business, it's a unique greeting card business. | | | | the cards I have to send to MY friends and family |
| Do you operate on the principle "you get what you | | | | through the system too!Kristin: Sounds like a great |
| pay for?"Paul Leonard: I think the bottom line here is | | | | way to energize/organize your life and help other |
| that you can't put an e-card on your mantelpiece! | | | | people in the process! Is there anything else you |
| E-cards are definitely great fun and have their place, | | | | would like potential clients to know about you?Paul |
| but you still can't beat a real card arriving in the post | | | | Leonard: Keep an eye on our site -- we have a shed |
| to tell you that someone is thinking of you.Kristin: | | | | load of new cards to be added over the coming |
| True! Can you describe the other benefits of sending | | | | months, covering many specialist themes that would |
| a BirthdayCards2Go card?Paul Leonard: I think our | | | | be hard to find elsewhere. We are also working on |
| main objective is to make the cards we send out | | | | some free reminder software to help customers |
| look and feel like the customer has sent them | | | | keep track of their friends and family's special |
| personally. We allow the customer to select a style | | | | occasions -- this will be like nothing ever created |
| of handwriting, which is used to complete the | | | | before and it will be available for download from our |
| address on the envelope and message inside the | | | | web site when it's finished!Kristin: Paul, I will definitely |
| card, and a normal postage stamp is used for | | | | recommend your service.Kristin Johnson is co-author |
| postage. Making the process of sending a card as | | | | of the "enthusiastically recommended" Midwest Book |
| quick and painless as possible for our customers is | | | | Review pick, Christmas Cookies Are For Giving: |
| also important, and a lot of thought has been put in | | | | Stories, Recipes and Tips for Making Heartwarming |
| to ways of reducing the amount of effort needed to | | | | Gifts (ISBN: 0-9723473-9-9). A downloadablemedia kit |
| do this.Kristin: The effort and care you have taken | | | | is available at our Web site, or e-mail the publisher () |
| show in the cards you see on your Web site! The | | | | to receive a printed media kit and sample copy of |
| designs from Paper Avenue look terrific. How did you | | | | the book. |
| select Paper Avenue as the designer of your | | | | |