Life Instyle sat down with Lauren Sissons Studio, founded by Queensland based, mother of two, Lauren Sissons Studio offers a range of colourful, diverse and thoughtfully designed greeting cards, art, children's games and stationery. Created with the aim of sprinkling a little joy & sharing through all of the occasions life can bring, we are passionate about the importance of everyone being able to see themselves represented in the products they buy and share. All of our cards are proudly produced in small batches in Australia. We value sustainability, and all of our cards and their packaging materials are 100% recycled and biodegradable.

What inspired the idea for your business? 

Our first collection of greeting cards were created with the aim of sprinkling a little joy & sharing through all of the occasions life can bring.  We are passionate about the importance of everyone being able to see themselves represented in the products they buy and share, and this has continued to be one of the main inspirations behind the business.

Where is the business now? And where is it headed? 

We been been overwhelmed by the support and incredible feedback from both stockists and customers over the past 18 months. Our products are now carried in over 180 wonderful stockists globally! We’ve been busy expanding our collections with new designs and more recently expanding into new product categories with our art prints and children’s Alphabet flashcards. 

How does your brand differentiate itself in the market? 

Born from a desire to see more representation and diversity within the greeting card industry in particular, we are proud to be creating designs that offer exactly that. We have been told often over the past 18 months that our designs feel refreshing and unique within the market - the ultimate compliment!

Can you share the challenges you've encountered and how you've navigated them? 

On of the challenges we have experienced is the ever-increasing production costs, whilst keeping almost all of our products made here in Australia and 100% recycled. We value sustainability, and have had to navigate ways to keep all of our greeting cards and their packaging materials 100% recycled and biodegradable. 

What have been your key strengths and weaknesses, and what have you learned from them? 

Key strengths would be managing time as a small business owner with two small children at home with me each day. It takes a lot of planning and the work hours often go well into the night, but it has been so very rewarding! I would say that a weakness has been wanting to launch new product ideas as quickly as possible, and feeling stressed by the slow pace of those development stages of every new product. It really requires slowing down to ensure everything stays at the highest quality, which is more important that potentially rushing new ideas. 

What are the core values and principles that shape your brand's decision-making process 

Hopefully it shows that there is consideration and love put into each and every product that we launch. The values behind Lauren Sissons Studio will always be that we are designing and putting out into the World products that we’re truly proud of and feel people will love. With every decision that is made, the question has to be asked - will this design or new product spark a little joy? If the answer is yes, then it aligns with our core values and this is usually a good indicator that an idea is worth pursuing!

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to start their own business? 

To anyone considering the start of their own small business journey, I would have to say “Good things take time”… It takes believing in the end vision and trusting in yourself to get through all of the highs and lows that being a business owner will bring! 

What achievement are you most proud of in your business journey? 

Seeing what only 18 months has brought Lauren Sissons Studio feels like a huge achievement! It is easy to get caught up in the fast day-to-day pace of running a business, but it was when my 4 year old daughter told me “I’m so proud of you”, that I stopped to really take in some of the milestones that this business journey has brought so far…