20 Questions with… Honest Paper
Is anyone else obsessed with stationery? I literally walk around stationery shops just grabbing the prettiest pens, papers, folders, journals - its a problem. If these guys were in my state I would be visiting weekly and broke. The girls from Honest Paper were nominated by another side hustler (Laura from LaLa Social) and I agree they are an inspirational duo who have created an amazing business by identifying a gap in the market and then going for it. Five years later and they have just announced that they are moving into a brand new premises in the Eastend Newcastle development! If you’re in the area go check them out, if not you can always shop online! (woop woop)
Learn about their journey below:
WHAT IS THE NAME OF YOUR SIDE HUSTLE BUSINESS AND WHAT INDUSTRY ARE YOU IN?
Honest Paper, Retail & Online - Specialty Stationery
HOW LONG HAS YOUR SIDE HUSTLE BEEN RUNNING?
5 years!
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
We saw a need in an industry we loved annnnnd wanted to work on our own thing and do what we loved.
DO YOU STILL WORK FULL TIME ANYWHERE ELSE?
No, we both quit within 2 years of starting our business.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST FINANCIAL INVESTMENT YOU'VE MADE IN YOUR BUSINESS?
Um so many, 1 is US, paying ourselves has been amazing. 2 is our shipping label printer, total lifesaver and 3, our bookkeeper is the BEST.
DID YOU INVEST IN BRANDING WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED YOUR BUSINESS?:
We are both graphic designers, so yes... but not monetary investment, just time :)
IS THERE SOMETHING YOU REGRET OR WISH YOU HAD DONE DIFFERENTLY IN YOUR BUSINESS?
Absolutely, we started with almost no stock & we didn't have a budget which was a massive detriment.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST PART OF RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
Our greatest achievement is that we actually started a retail (bricks & mortar) specialty stationery shop and are still here 5 years later. Both of us are paid and we have the most amazing customers!
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
In the early years, money juggling was really hard, prioritising was so important to get through that season. Learning that you need to spend money to make money but knowing when to spend it!
WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU WERE STARTING OUT?
if you don't have any financial goals, you won't make any money!! Set a budget, higher than what you think you can make and go for it! Also, read your retail leases properly, reallllly get a lawyer to help you understand it!!!
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR SELLING YOUR PRODUCT SERVICE?
hmmmm... this is tough, social media helps a lot. I think jumping onto trends, so when Instagram or FB release a new product, jump on and try! But really, our team is everything. We have an amazing team who sell our products everyday. They know their stuff and are genuinely helpful to our customers.
IS THERE SOMEONE WHO ORIGINALLY INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR SIDE HUSTLE?
not really, we both inspired each other! It was also the lack of what we wanted that made us want to do it!
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE ELSE STARTING A SIDE HUSTLE?
If you really want to do it, you will. Determination is half of it in my opinion. Do it properly, invest in your brand, invest in your idea and then don't stop until it works. If you truly believe it in, it'll happen.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
Both of us have completely different lives, Bella has kids so her days are filled with feeding small humans and changing nappies before getting to the shop to work. Gabi spends her mornings scooting to her favourite coffee shop to spend time writing in her diary before starting her day at Honest Paper. When we start the day we pack online orders, serve customers, order stock, work on social media and work on the business!
HOW HAS LIFE CHANGED NOW THAT YOUR PURSUING YOUR PASSION AND LIVING YOUR DREAM?
We enjoy what we do SO much, we are obsessed though, we spend 24/7 thinking about the business and basically never stop because it's so addictive. We text each other more than we text our husbands hah!
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR BUSINESS IN 5 YEARS?
gosh, huge question! You'll have to follow @honestpaper to find out!
BEST TIP FOR BUILDING/GROWING A COMMUNITY/FOLLOWING ONLINE?:
Be yourself, include people on your journey!
ANY OTHER ADVICE YOU WOULD LIKE READERS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU, YOUR BUSINESS, OR BEING A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER IN GENERAL?:
We are about to undertake a massive new project, so find our more on our instagram :) and if you want to be your own boss, you can... just do it!
HOW DO YOU REST, RECHARGE?:
Family days, for Bella it's about going on adventures with her fam and for Gabi, the same with her husband. We actually sometimes do it all together... we're mad obviously!
ONCE COVID IS ALL OVER WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRAVEL TO?:
Anywhere in Europe... or the whole world! We were hoping to move to London at some point but I think that's off the cards now!
insta: @HONESTPAPER http://www.honestpaper.com.au
