Why it's okay to rethink your entire business (aka, big changes coming)

I think one of the big benefits of having an independent business is the ability to be able completely rewrite the script, whenever you want. When I started this business in 2018, I really didn't start out with a stationery brand in mind. To be totally honest, I wasn't really sure what I wanted it to be, and I certainly didn't have much of a plan. I knew at the time I enjoyed creating, but wanted to monetise it somehow. I was creating haphazardly, without too much direction, seeing what resonated. It was only by accident I saw a post about a competition to win part of a stand at a trade show, through the company I printed my cards with at the time. After winning that, and doing a trade show, I figured it was worth really trying to build this 'stationery thing'. So, even though I was playing around with ideas earlier than 2018, I really consider that the time when my business started, because that was the first time I had a clear idea of what it could be.

But it wasn't just about the product. I had worked for quite a few big fashion companies - we all know the reputation the industry has when it comes to how it treats the people in it, and the huge issue of burnout. I had worked with some incredibly talented people, most of whom left the industry because they simply weren't valued. In addition to building a business selling products that I loved, even if I just had 1 employee, I wanted to be able to give them a better environment than what I had experienced.

As you might know, I started this business in my spare bedroom. Of course, when you start out, you're the one packing, shipping, doing it all. It was a thing I enjoyed - packing a day's worth of orders can be like a really satisfying to do list, with a visible outcome at the end. I was always adamant it was something we would always keep in-house, partially because I have trust issues (who doesn't) but also because of the above; keeping packing in house meant I would always be able to create jobs for people and hopefully give them an environment they enjoyed.

But here's the thing - the packing always needs to be done, so it's always the priority. You can't just decide you're not going to do it. Over the last year, it's really hit me how much packing had us all in a stranglehold at times, and at those times, it meant everything else got put on hold. Add that up over 8 years, and you're looking at a lot of my time, as a founder, physically packing orders instead of doing things that are actually going to grow the business. And the staff thing? It's hard! More often than not, it's just not a match for whatever reason, and it's a really tricky, additional piece of the puzzle.

In addition to this, I'd spoken to a few fellow business owners who had made the switch to warehousing and fulfilment - one has a skate school on the side and travels when she wants, while her business ticks along. Another has gone to uni to do a Masters. 8 years of this and I was tired. I was burnt out. I had worked myself to my breaking point, and only then, at my lowest did I realise that actually, some balance sounded pretty good. Friends, it only took me 8 years, but I really did get sick of packing orders. And so, towards the end of last year, I decided to do the thing I swore I would never do, and outsource our order packing and fulfilment. Dear reader, you might be thinking 'duh, as if you grow a business this way' and yeah, you might be right, but this was a big deal for me. It's putting a lot of trust in someone else to be a pivotal, front facing part of your business, which is scary!

Making this decision, opened me up to rethinking everything - you know, once the floodgates open and all that. All of a sudden, it felt like everything was on the table. I took the last year off trade shows to a) give myself a break, to hopefully recover from the burnout, and b) take the time to really figure out the direction I wanted to take this business in. Did I even still like stationery? Yes and no. And here's the honest truth - this is a hard industry to be in. Selling low value items that have a relatively low margin (especially when producing as locally as possible) is hard. It's only getting harder. To bring this back to where I started - making the first big choice opened me up to rewriting the entire script. I began completely rethinking our space, what we sell, how we do things. It was exciting, and really liberating.

So, now we've moved the warehouse, let's get to the point - what's next? Well, as I said, we'll still be doing stationery. We are, after all, paper people at heart. What comes in addition to the paper product is something we have under wraps for now, but it's an extension of The Completist universe. What we can tell you, is the first transformation will be of our space. The little store you know is growing, and becoming something much bigger.

Firstly, our flagship will have a new name: Etc.Paper. It sits nicely alongside our sister store, Etc.Store, and really reinforces the connection. But why a new name? Well, we have our sights set on a bigger universe, and this is the first step in creating it. We're also adding more stationery brands. And they won't be your usual ones - we have our eye on some brands we've loved for a really long time, and we'll be so excited to share them with you. Here's what else we're doing:

Adding a small bookstore space. We'll be super excited to stock some independent publishers (you won't find airport books here - we want you to discover something new.)

Add a coffee bar. Because how perfect while you're looking through the books, right? Plus, a multibrand store with a coffee bar just feels right.

Introducing an events calendar - this is something we've wanted to do for ages but couldn't quite work out how. Weird crafts, talks, brand launches, book clubs, we have so much planned.

Our current space needs a bit of a glow-up for all this, and who better than yours truly to take it upon herself to DIY a whole new store? Just give me power tools and an idea. Over the next few months, we'll be adding more windows (don't worry, i'll be hiring professionals for this), tidying up the space (this includes neatening our ceiling and redoing the lighting - something i'll also hire professionals for!) and turning it all into something totally new. I'll be personally DIYing, building, and winging my way through it all, because we are on a BUDGET.

And here's where you come in: today marks the launch of our Crowdfunder (May 14, 2026 if you're reading this in the future). We need your help to get this over the line! We really believe we can make our little store into London's best kept secret, doing something really innovative in retail, bringing back the joy of discovery to shopping. And not just that, but being a place where our events can bring community creatives together as well. Being on a shoestring means we need as much help as we can get, and don't worry, we've got some great rewards for when we do relaunch (oh yeah, that's important - we're relaunching the space in mid-September). So, if you love what we do, we'd love your support. And if nothing else, South East London deserves its own stationery store - right? 

Find out more and pledge whatever you can here.