My Journey to Launching Copper Bottom Design Co.
Let’s be honest: “Planner Designer” isn’t exactly a listed course of study at most schools and universities.
But over the years, I’ve been fortunate to work with some hugely iconic brands over the years — including Tiffany’s, Barney’s, Brooks Brothers, and more.
So how am I celebrating my 19th year as a planner design specialist and stationery product designer this year?
And how did I even get started in the first place?
I get this question often . . . and I’m sharing all the details of this unique and rewarding career journey below.
1999
As a freshman in college, I had my heart set on becoming a graphic designer. So, I went to the only state school that listed graphic design as a major: Oswego State University in New York. (And truthfully, I believe the Fashion Institute of Technology listed graphic design as a major, as well, but my mom didn’t want me living in NYC at 18 years old.)
I graduated from Oswego in 1999 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts with a concentration in Graphic Design and the world in front of me.
My dream of working as a graphic designer was finally about to come true.
And it’s important to note: back then, web design wasn’t really a thing. The program introduced web courses just as I was graduating, so I’ve pretty much been a devoted print girl from day one.
After graduating, I secured a few design jobs that were decent, but not exactly the dream just yet.
First, I worked at a start-up in Boston making area guide books for college campuses around the city. From there, I moved to NYC and worked as a graphic designer for a pharmaceutical company; this was a great, cushy, corporate job. I got to wear a suit to work every day and LOVED working in NYC. But, it was at a tough time in the city’s history.
I was in my office on 53rd Street and 3rd Avenue on September 11, 2001 and had to walk 10 miles into Queens, over the 59th Street Bridge, to meet a friend for a ride home to my apartment on Long Island. By the time I got home, I was sunburned and had blisters from my brand new loafers. It was a horrible day for so many, especially for those of us who were in the city that day. But I was unscathed compared to others. I still get teary-eyed thinking about those who were closer to the tragedy than I.
Then in 2003, the Northeast Blackout happened, and I was once again trapped in the city — this time overnight, crashing on the couch of one of my sister’s friends, who happened to be a guy I’ve never met!
At this point in my career journey, I decided to move away from the city and seek a job in the quiet suburbs of Long Island instead.
2004
THIS is where the magic happens.
In 2004, I started working at Graphic Image, which makes some of the most luxurious day planners you’ll ever see. I was a designer there, and together with the Art Director, we created planners for the Graphic Image line, but also for their high end clients — enter Tiffany’s, Barney’s, and Brooks Brothers.
Through this role, I was also introduced to the world of overseas manufacturing. I shared an office with the production manager, and he was graciously willing to answer all of my questions about the process.
I was so in love with this job that I wanted to learn everything I could about creating a planner line.
But alongside my love of this work, I was also homesick for my family in Boston. Originally from Massachusetts, I moved to New York when at age 13 and completed high school and college there, but always considered Massachusetts my home.
So with all that I’ve learned thus far on my journey and an optimistic view for all that was ahead, I decided to leave Graphic Image and move to Boston. This was way prior to the norm we have today of working from home, so staying with the company wasn’t an option.
As a parting gift, Tom, the president of Graphic Image, gave me one of his clients, momAgenda.
And THAT gracious gesture became the first step toward owning my own design agency.
I’ll be forever grateful to Tom — I still see him from time to time at stationery trade shows — and momAgenda is still a client of mine to this day. It really was a life changing gift.
2005-2012
Here I was, 5-6 years postgrad, fresh into freelancing for momAgenda. Since I had designed the planners for momAgenda while at Graphic Image, we were able to pick up right where we left off. And I was able to handle all design and overseas manufacturing for their product line with what I had learned the year before.
This was the motivation I needed to get my design agency underway.
But transitioning into self-employment without a safety net was super scary. So I got a day job in the production department of Candlewick Press, a children’s book publisher. This introduced me to the wider world of overseas manufacturing. There I worked on the production of graphic novels and picture books, learning all I could along the way.
All the insight I gathered working in different realms of design and overseas production helped me build the credibility I needed to launch my agency.
2013–2015
As time went on, I started investing more in myself and my business.
I was completely self-employed at this point and knew I needed to grow my business past one freelance client, but didn’t know which direction I wanted to go in.
For a brief period, I considered starting my own product line of greeting cards. With this goal in mind, I attended Paper Camp, hosted by Katie Hunt of Proof to Product, where I learned the ins and outs of creating a stationery product line and selling products wholesale.
I left Paper Camp feeling completely inspired and armed with so much knowledge. But when it came to creating my own product line, I had shiny object syndrome and found it really difficult to design for myself. Nevertheless, I plugged away and leaned on the Proof to Product community for support.
2016
Then in 2016, a fellow member in the private Paper Camp Facebook group asked a question about manufacturing products overseas. I was so excited to answer their question. It was finally my turn to give back to the community that had given me so much!
Well, that opened the floodgates of questions about the overseas production process, and planner companies like Emily Ley started calling.
This was the validation I needed to make things official.
From then on, I focused on what I knew and loved — planner design and overseas manufacturing. I completely abandoned the greeting card idea and started to foster my planner design and production agency.
Copper Bottom Design Co. was born.
The design and production agency is where I am today. I prefer a boutique setting, so I intentionally work with a small amount of agency clients, managing the design and production of their entire product lines.
It’s incredibly fun and inspiring to brainstorm and expand their product lines into new categories each year. We’ll create custom pens, notebooks, page markers, and anything we can think of that complements their planners. Helping these businesses grow and realize their vision for their product line is my greatest joy.
I also take on a handful of special projects each year for custom planner design and overseas production. Check out my full scope of services here.
So there you have it. Even through this journey of almost 20 years, my passion for planner design keeps getting stronger, as does my passion for helping fellow entrepreneurs like you.
And because I truly want your business succeed, here are my top three pieces of advice for starting your own business:
01. Don’t be afraid to grow slow.
You see how long it’s taken me to get here. It all happened organically and the pieces just fell into place because the timing was right. I didn’t force anything . . . and when I tried to force it – like when I dabbled in creating greeting cards — it didn’t work out. I got stuck, despite having the support of a strong community, and I believe that’s because it wasn’t the right fit.
02. Trust your gut.
Ever have that feeling . . . where your Spidey-Sense is telling you something is not right? Yeah. Listen to that. It’s always right.
03. Be bold.
Fortune favors the bold, right? I want to encourage you to push through your fears. The magic happens when you’re outside of your comfort zone.
For me, starting a YouTube channel was . . . terrifying! But I get so much joy from helping other business owners, that even this new addition to my brand makes my heart happy. And this was the best way I can think of to share my knowledge with you in a way that is easy for you to access.
Click here to watch my first video — and while you’re there, hit the subscribe and like buttons to send some encouragement my way.
As a thank you, I’ll be back each week sharing all the ins and outs of planner design and overseas manufacturing.
Stay in the loop for exciting videos you don’t want to miss where I share my best kept secrets for what can truly elevate your products and take you from dream to day planner.
Have you been feeling inspired and ready to kick off the design process for your own custom planner?
I created a guide featuring 5 things your day planner MUST include . . . and it’s available now at the link below.