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Hello Readers!!!
It has been quite a while since we've had a vendor feature so I'm really excited to introduce you to Ata, the founder of InkHearts! InkHearts specializes in couture invitations and stationary. When I came across InkHearts I immediately fell in love with the beautiful color combinations and the various paper textures she uses to make her invitations stand out amongst the rest. Read on for the interview I had with her! Thanks Ata for taking time out of your schedule and chatting with us!
BCG: Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into the stationary business?
Ata: As a teenager, I always found myself dabbling into things that involved using my hands. My interests spanned from sewing, baking, hairstyling and the like, until I found my niche with creating invitations. In 2008, I designed a masked theme invitation for my 30th Birthday Party and the feedback and inquiries I received from folks gave me the extra push I needed to start off the business officially.
BCG: What is behind the name "Ink Hearts"?
Ata: The way the name, "Ink Hearts" came about is sort of off the wall. My siblings and I were hanging out one day and I brought up the topic of wanting to register my stationery company but could not come up with a name. They went to work and within thirty minutes,the name Ink Hearts was borne. In simplest terms, the name Ink hearts signifies putting pen to paper to create designs borne out of love.
BCG: What motivates you every day? As a female entrepreneur I am sure you are busy with so many things and have a lot on your plate, what keeps you going?
Ata: I am pretty sure that we all have several things going on in our daily lives and the truth is sometimes, we all need that extra push to keep going. That is where my family comes into play. I am motivated every day by my family, particularly my children. They make me want to do better, strive for more in life.
BCG: Where do you seek inspiration for your designs?
Ata: Inspiration could pretty much come from anywhere. Sometimes, it could be my clients, functions I have attended or more recently, I was absolutely inspired by a recent trip I took with my girlfriends to Marbella, Spain. There were streams of complementary patterns and bright colors everywhere. It got my mind working overtime so much so that I could not wait to get back and put it all together!
BCG: How do you manage to stay competitive? In an industry like the wedding industry there are sooo many people doing EXACTLY what you do? How does Ink Hearts stand out?
Ata: There is so much talent out there, it' ridiculous and I mean that in a very good way.However, I still think that there is always room for improvement and innovation. We (Inkhearts) pride ourselves on excellent customer service and that personal touch. Which ill not only make us have repeat clients but also rope in referrals. Without advertising that much, I' say 90% of our clients have been through referrals. In fact, we have worked with several clients indifferent parts of the world without meeting them face-to-face. I think that says a lot about what we do and what we are about.
BCG: What kind of couple is an "Ink Heart" couple?? How would you describe the market you cater to?
Ata: Our clientele, typically are generation x and millennial folks, who want to do away with cookie cutter stationery and are ready for something new and different. We also create event stationery as well and do not limit our work to just wedding stationery.
BCG: What do you love the MOST about what you do?
Ata: I feel blessed to be able to do what I do, sometimes putting in long hours but still loving every minute of it. A week ago, we received rave reviews from a ouple that were so overjoyed with their invitation suites. That always puts aWIDE smile on my face.
BCG: Do you have a piece that is your favorite? If so what is it and why?
Ata: You know, I havent really identified one as my favorite but lately, the gate card and pocket card designs are becoming client faves.
BCG: Who is your dream client? Who would you loveee to work with? Could be celebrity, public figure, friend or family, whoever! And why?
Ata: We strive to treat all our clients the same and provide that personalized experience. However, I will know I am going places when we serve our first celebrity client.
BCG: Where do you see Ink Hearts in the next 5 years? 10 years?
Ata: I am so optimistic about the future of Inkhearts and God willing, our dreams shall come to pass. In the next few months, we will be opening our studio/paperie store in Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria, which I am overly happy about. To be honest, it is a bit scary but like the saying goes, you never know til you try? We are taking that leap to see where the road leads us.
A 10% discount will be offered to anyone who places an order of 200 or more invitation suites by JANUARY 31st
A 15% discount will be offered to anyone who places their order of 200 or more invitation suites by DECEMBER 31th
A 15% discount will be offered to anyone who places their order of 200 or more invitation suites by DECEMBER 31th
To get your hands on some InkHeart invitations you can contact them thru:
p: +234 807.478.3309 (Nigeria)
p: +1 678.467.1911 (USA)
3 comments:
This is quite nice Memi, is that $400 or 400 invitations ; because 400 is a lot of invitations. LOL!!! There must be 800 people coming to that wedding.
Oh sorry! LOl! It was originally for her Nigerian clients, where it is completely normal to have 800 guests at a wedding, lol! Thanks for commenting :-)
It has been updated for our Western audience :-)
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