Table of Contents
One young artist-entrepreneur put her love for calligraphy into a business. Louise Willoughby started her business, The Bird House Calligraphy, in 2017 from her kitchen table. In this increasingly computerized world, handwritten letter appears to be on a decline. Many school districts have even stopped teaching young kids how to write in cursive. Why write when you can type?
Yet amidst all these technologies, it is refreshing to see renewed interest in the art of calligraphy. According to German type designer Hermann Zapf, “Calligraphy is the most intimate, personal, spontaneous form of expression. Like a fingerprint or a voice, it is unique for each person.” In fact, on Instagram alone, there are about 16 million posts with the hashtag #calligraphy.
Read how Louise started her calligraphy business:
What is The Bird House Calligraphy?
Louise Willoughby: The Bird House Calligraphy offers hand-lettered, handmade modern calligraphy greetings cards, home decor, gifts, and simple, elegant wedding stationery.
What inspired you to start this business?
Louise Willoughby: The Bird House was founded in 2017, from my dining room table when I decided to turn my little hobby into a huge dream! I am an actress primarily, and acting jobs can be few and far between so finding work in between those acting jobs that is really flexible for time off for auditions is really tough. I taught myself modern calligraphy as a new hobby from following some great books, after sharing some of my doodles on Instagram, friends and family would ask me to design cards for them. My wonderful Husband said “Why don’t you start selling your designs on Etsy?” I didn’t think anyone would want to buy them… but copious amounts of pens, paper and cups of tea later, The Bird House has grown and grown and I now hand letter products that ship all over the world and had over 5000 sales.
How are you marketing your business so far?
Louise Willoughby: I started off sharing my designs on Instagram, then opened up my Etsy store – it’s such a great platform for small businesses. I also have a business Facebook page that I share and do a lot of networking on. I started my own website last year alongside Etsy. I’ve spent hours and hours working up a following on both Instagram and Facebook and still do spend a lot of time networking and sharing my products on these platforms.
What are the biggest challenges you faced in starting the business?
Louise Willoughby: The biggest challenge I have found is how to keep up in busy times. There are a lot of companies out there that print their products – a lot easier right! Everything at The Bird House Calligraphy is completely hand-lettered and can be personalized. When an order comes in, I sit down with a big cup of tea with my calligraphy nib and ink and get started on it. In busy times such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day etc I do get a little stressed as everything is done by hand; I do wonder sometimes if I should purchase a printer and start digitizing my products – but what makes The Bird House Calligraphy so unique, is that everything is hand-lettered so no two pieces are the same and there’s not many companies around like that so I love how bespoke we are.
How are you balancing your business with your personal life?
Louise Willoughby: I work from home in my little office, upgraded from my dining room table, and do love that I can manage my own time. If I have social plans or other work booked in, I plan my work around it – this is one of my favourite things about running my own business.
What are the top lessons you have learned so far as an entrepreneur?
Louise Willoughby: The things I’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur are research and planning are key. I always plan months and months in advance of what products I’m going to upload and when. For example – I’ll start designing new Father’s Day cards in March or April so they’re ready to go in enough time for June. Surround yourself with positive people as positive thoughts breed positivity – I don’t like to have negativity around.
How do you envision the business five years from now?
Louise Willoughby: In 5 years’ time, I’d love The Bird House Calligraphy to still be thriving and I’d love to have a little team of staff for things like admin and packaging up orders. However, I’m a bit of a control freak and like to make sure I know everything that’s happening, so I’d probably still want to do everything myself! My business is my baby!
What advice can you give other entrepreneurs?
Louise Willoughby: Advice I would give to future entrepreneurs is have the confidence in what you’re selling. If you don’t believe in your products, no one else will and you need to be passionate about what you do – it can’t just be a money maker. I LOVE my job.
