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A graphic designer, she began designing custom invites before expanding the business to sell a range of cards, wrapping paper and stationery supplies. “In the last year and a half I took the decision to move away from a service offering to a product offering,” she said. “I felt that was where there was more potential for growth in this case.”

Powell’s self-funded business has tripled its stockists in the past year, and is now available in more than 100 stores in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US.

“We do wholesale and sell direct online, but I find even the customers who buy the product in external stockists have a real connection to us as a brand,” she said. “We do focus on the end user and our customers are very engaged with us on social media. We get a real kick out of that.

“This year we have a huge focus on the consumer side of the business, with a more strategic marketing plan as to how we further target those customers.”

Powell said sales had doubled in the past 18 months and she was busy preparing her second exhibit at the New York stationery show, a four-day event which she hopes will further her range of overseas stockists.

“Last year when I went I didn’t have all that much product and I got a bit of a shock, it was so huge and a totally different playing field,” she said.

“This year we’re going full force, and we’re already in discussions with some other big players who are considering stocking our product.”

Article originally posted on The Courier Mail‘s website.