Member Spotlight, with Ryan Kissck, Head of Business Development at Good Juju Ink
A Card Talk Member Interview
What inspired you to get involved in cards?
My wife, Juliana (aka Juju) founded Good Juju Ink in 2014 and started crafting it into a dynamic stationery and gift company with products sold across the world. Luckily, she agreed that I could join her in growing the company—initially part-time, and now full-time. Since joining full-time in 2019, I’ve been overwhelmed at the generosity and kindness that infuses the greeting card industry. To call it a remarkable group of people would be an understatement.
Tell us about your company and/or your products.
Good Juju Ink’s greeting cards, desktop stationery, home goods, and gifts harken a storybook nostalgia, frequently highlighting intricate flora and fauna while tonally striking the delicate balance of funny but tender, silly but sweet. Only the highest quality of printing processes are utilized, including foil-stamping, letterpress, hand-stitch binding, and die-cutting. We strive to be eco-friendly across all of our products, and a portion of all our proceeds goes to our partner charities.
What’s your role at your company?
My official title is co-founder and head of business development. Except for creating new products (I’m a horrible artist), I do a bit of everything at Good Juju Ink, from sales to operations to finance to marketing. That seems to be par for the course at a small business!
Why did you become a GCA member?
We wanted to immerse ourselves in a community of thoughtful, like-minded businesses. The GCA is filled with wonderful businesses led by incredible people, and it’s great to be a part of such a tight-knit community.
What inspired you to start the 18 Million Thanks campaign?
In the early days of the Covid-19 crisis, I sought ways to channel my anxiety into positive action, especially if it could assist some of the populations that I knew to be especially at-risk, including small businesses and healthcare workers. After a few mediocre ideas, I pitched the idea for 18 Million Thanks to the Good Juju Ink team, and they seemed really excited about it. I started reaching out to other stationery companies to see if they would be interested in joining this type of multi-company campaign, and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive. So, with the help of a wonderful web design company called Wunderdogs, we launched the campaign!
How can people get involved with the campaign?
I’ll start with something everybody can do, which is write a thank you note to a healthcare worker. If you have someone in mind, write to that person. Otherwise, the campaign has a list of hospitals that would be thrilled to receive your thank you notes!
If you own a stationery company (publisher or retailer), we’d love for you to “join” the campaign, which means helping us spread the word, collecting testimonials, and celebrating our healthcare professionals (it’s SUPER easy to participate, I promise!) You’ll be joining an incredible community of more than 50 other stationery companies that have inspired thousands of thank you notes for our healthcare heroes!!
How have healthcare workers responded to the campaign? Do you have any anecdotes you’d like to share?
We’ve heard from so many healthcare workers that are grateful for what we’re doing. It’s especially powerful when we hear from someone working in a hospital with a high amount of Covid-19 cases, as it reminds us firsthand that our efforts are bringing joy to those who deserve as much joy and gratitude as we can muster!
What do you hope people will take away from the campaign?
A seemingly small gesture (writing a thank you note) can make a BIG difference, especially in a time of crisis. When you put some joy into the world, it’s amazing how that small piece of positivity can grow into something much bigger.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Thank you for helping us spread so much positivity! It’s made a huge difference to a lot of people during these uncertain times!
Thank you for taking the time to share your story with us, Ryan!