Answer:
There’s a lot of competition in this market, so you’ll need to discover some things that give you a competitive advantage.
Expertise
Are you already an expert in stationary lines and the printing business? If not, read up and learn as much as you can. A lot of businesses fail because the owners didn’t know enough about the industry.
Designs
How unique are your designs? Have you obtained copyrights for them? Try to get feedback from people other than friends and family who will be more objective to hone in on the big hits and retire those that don’t elicit positive responses.
Unique Selling Proposition
What are you doing that’s significantly different to the competition? Identify a significant pain point that customers experience in this industry. There are already an overwhelming number of designs, so could it be pricing, shipping, customer service or something else? How are you going to do things differently and stand out?
Define Your Market
Who is your ideal customer? For example, if you are designing wedding stationary, what’s the age, income level, and interests of your typical customer? Sometimes the customer ends up being the mother, friend or significant other rather than the ultimate user. Once you’ve narrowed this down, then think of ways to best reach your customer. Let’s say your ideal customer loves going to the dog park, then you could start by approaching people there and giving out samples.
Gain Testimonials
I’m running with the assumption you’re planning on selling stationary direct to consumer, in which case positive testimonials and reviews are even more important. People place much more trust in a brand and product if there are stories from real people (get pictures and video as much as possible) who love it. In the beginning, you may consider giving out your product or having a special discount in exchange for reviews.
Figure out Production
Are there printing companies you know of the specialize in producing stationary for designers? Get some quotes and compare to how much it would cost for you to buy the appropriate printing machines and produce them yourself. Don’t forget to include the time you’ll save not having to print it yourself, but make sure you get shipping times from these companies. Sometimes larger production companies have access to significant discounts on the bulk materials used to create the product than you will be able to obtain on your own. You may consider starting with a small set up of your own just to produce mock ups and samples even if you otherwise outsource your production.
