Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Jones.
Hi Kelsey, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have always been a trinket girl, but I started my career in marketing and journalism. That evolved to online content as digital marketing for businesses started booming around 2008-2010. Since then, I have worked at agencies and in-house on SEO, digital content, content strategy, and some website design. As the online landscape continues to evolve, I decided to finally launch a product-based business that I’ve been thinking about for a while– a “collage-inspired” brand that offers stationery, bag charms, keychains, stickers and more.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When you’re bootstrapping a company (not taking any outside investment) while also doing a lot of the work yourself, it can be challenging to not only get the tasks done, but also ensure that it’s done correctly. I have kept up with my online marketing work to be able to fund my business. A few of the challenges I’ve encountered so far are broken inventory coming in, notepads I had made not being glued correctly (or not having cardboard backs at all!), and having to argue with the manufacturer to get refunded for the items I can’t sell. It can feel like a David & Goliath situation when you are a small business, but when you have passion for what you’re doing, you are determined to see it through.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Why Begin started with an idea to create collage-style notepads in a variety of different themes. Stationery provides a valuable service to all of us daily, but it is often overlooked when deciding what to use each day. But before I fully launched Why Begin, I acquired a small daily planner company called OneBook (onebook.me) that existed entirely online. I have always wanted to design my own planner, and the OneBook layout is the closest I’ve ever found to what I would have created myself. From there, I decided to expand my paper goods offerings to the notepads. That then expanded to other “collage” style items– such as embroidered patches, enamel pins, keychains & bag charms, and stickers. That way, your bag, water bottle, laptop, or kindle case can be collaged with fun and colorful things!
I am inspired by 80s, 90s, and Y2K trends and color, so it has been so fun to find products to stock in the store. I think that trinkets and colorful things help make our every day just a lot more fun, which in turn can put us in a better mood (which THEN makes us more productive).
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I used to go to and speak at a lot of marketing conferences, and that really helped me grow my network. Local networking events and training are great opportunities to find people who are working on the same things you are or who are interested in the same things, so it becomes so much easier to become friends and help each other out professionally. One thing I have learned when starting this business is the power of just ASKING. I have spent so much of my life not asking questions or for things because I didn’t want to be a bother. But since I started Why Begin, I have been much less afraid of asking for things because that is the only way I’ll help my business grow. So many doors have opened for me just because I asked to sell at a specific pop-up, or be featured in business spotlight, or be sold at local stores. Even when you are doubting yourself, just ask!
Pricing:
- Notepads: $11.99
- Bag charms & Keychains: $2.99-4.99
- Stickers: $3.99 for 10
- Pins: $3.99 for 5
- Bookmarks: $2.99 for 3
Contact Info:
- Website: https://whybegin.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/shopwhybegin
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-begin/
- Twitter: https://x.com/shopwhybegin
- Other: https://tiktok.com/shopwhybegin
