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Jessica Walker founded Better and Company, an online maker and retailer, in 2018 after her husband received a cancer diagnosis. “I noticed there were not a lot of great options for cancer specific cards, and I wanted to create a line that used ‘laughter as medicine,’ which is how we have combat every hurdle so far,” she explained.

One of Walker’s first designs was a planner that she utilized during her husband’s cancer treatment. “It was quickly evident that staying organized was a challenge I needed to overcome if I was going to support him in the way I wanted,” Walker noted on the Better and Company’s website. “After using the planner for a few months, I knew that this was a tool that could help others through their treatment and recovery. I decided to self publish it and bought 100 copies. They sold out almost instantly, and I realized this could be an opportunity to serve the community we were now a part of.”

Better and Company has grown since its inception and so has its offerings. Today it offers wholesale opportunities as well as online retail sales. Merchandise ranges from apparel, bags and mugs, to planners and cards.

MOST REQUESTED ITEM

Better and Company’s most requested item is My Cancer Messed with the Wrong Boobs Card, which was designed for individuals fighting breast cancer.

Walker has also created bundled gift solution. She even designed a “wellness planner to help cancer patients stay organized, connected and healthy,” which is sold as a care package set.

BETTER AND COMPANY TIPS

“Utilize the online space! I made sure to double down on my Pinterest and Facebook marketing and I have doubled my business this year despite the pandemic environment,” she noted.

Another tip she offered: “Keep going! If I’ve learned anything from fighter cancer alongside my husband, it’s that tough times don’t last, tough people do.”