Write To Me
Q&A WITH NICOLETTA & ANNA CONSTANTI
Tell us the story of your business – was there a particular moment, person, or need that inspired it?
The inspiration to create our products came from two places. We both left home within four weeks of each other, and our mother gifted us with our baby journals and family recipe books that she had put together for us. A box of handwritten letters is one of the most precious items my husband has of his mother after losing both parents when he has 12 years old. This made us very sentimental and really brought home the importance of handwriting and documenting our lives.
How did you come up with your business name?
We thought that it was pretty suited to the 'why'!
What first steps did you take to turn your business idea into a reality?
We spent $400 on paper and started designing. We had a long term vision and just worked towards it with baby steps.
Tell us three things that make your product stand out.
Classic, simple, linen colours.
Describe how you felt when you started to get your first customers. How has your relationship with your customers changed since then?
It will forever be a compliment for customers to purchase our products. Our feelings towards this have not really changed even though we have grown. It has been really nice to have some stockists who've supported us from the beginning. It has been a long time!
Describe the kind of person who buys your products. Why do you think they love your business? How do they benefit from your products?
Mothers, mothers to be and friends of people having babies purchase our product. We think they love it because everyone is sentimental around babies and documenting their moments as we are all aware of how quickly time goes and how they grow so fast.
Tell us three things that excite you about doing what you do.
Working on new concepts, creating products and bringing them to market, working on the strategy of our business and the goals we set yearly.
How do you keep your business fresh and exciting? Do you have any new, upcoming products in the works that you can tell us about?
We are constantly product developing and are driven by the direction of our customers and listening to what they want. We have new journals coming out for this year and our 2020 My Organised Chaos range. We have collaborated on two of our planners with Bridget Bodenham and it has been so nice to work on a project with a dear friend! It's not really work!
What energises and inspires you, generally?
We have created a life that means we work hard but we are happy. That inspires us daily. We feel lucky but gosh we have worked for it.
Who is your biggest inspiration, and why?
We are most inspired by each other and the different skills we bring to the table. We are inspired by life itself when we are creating a new title.
What kind of role have retailers played in the success of your business?
Having support from the community and our retailers gave us constant encouragement to keep going. Having people buy a product you have created is the highest compliment.
Where do you think your area of design is headed in 2020? Are there any trends that you’ve identified? Have they affected the direction of your business?
We feel in our community of customers that people are very in tune to how quick life goes, how things can change, how important it is to document life so memories don’t go forgotten. As far as our planner brand goes we know that mothers have so much on their plate and they welcome our theory of when you put pen to paper you have the ability to calm the chaos in your life. Everyone feels how busy life is. We are all searching for simplicity.
What advice would you give to someone who has a creative business idea?
You are the only person standing in the way of it not happening or it not being successful, so go for it. Follow your truth, your 'why', your direction, and you will always end up where you are meant to be.
