8 Niche Greeting Cards Business Success Stories [2023]
Here are some real life success stories of starting a niche greeting cards business:
1. Joker Greeting ($1.2M/year)
Travis Peterson, a former investment banker, came up with the idea for Joker Greeting after he and his brother found a musical greeting card at their mom's house and thought it would be hilarious if it didn't stop playing. They launched the hilarious non-stop looping musical card on Kickstarter and raised an impressive $92,073 in just 30 days, propelling Joker Greeting to success.
How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 0
Joker Greeting sells unique prank gifts, including a non-stop musical birthday card, an idea raised by the founders visiting their mom's house, having no website or marketing and yet raising $92,073 on Kickstarter in 30 days due to being picked up by media, enabling them to sell 15,000 units in the first year, owned SEO for their niche, selling almost 40,000 units in 2017 and expected to reach 50,000 to 60,000 in 2018 with a small team, using Shopify and various social media channels with lots of organic traffic.
2. Jordyn Alison Designs ($48K/year)
Jordyn came up with the idea for her business after making hand-lettered greeting cards during her boyfriend's boot camp. With a background in graphic design, she started Jordyn Alison Designs in 2016, but it wasn't until three years later that she saw significant growth and began expanding her product offerings. Now averaging $3,000 a month, Jordyn focuses on wholesale and the digital side of her business, with plans to get her products into over 100 stores nationwide and start licensing her artwork.
How much they make: $48K/year
Current team size: 0
Jordyn Alison Designs owner Jordyn, has grown her hand-lettered stationary business to average $3,000 a month by expanding her product line to include greeting cards, vinyl stickers, notepads, apparel and more, while also using social media to promote her launches and gauging customer interest.
So... can you actually make money with a niche greeting cards business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
3. EcardForest Ltd ($180K/year)
Driven by the pandemic and the need for digital greeting cards during remote work, Dayana Doncheva founded EcardForest. Frustrated by the lack of European-focused options, she assembled a team and launched the company with a viable product. EcardForest now generates over $15K in monthly revenue and prioritizes environmental sustainability and user privacy.
How much they make: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $30K
Current team size: 3
EcardForest, a digital greeting card company that allows multiple people to sign and send ecards, generated over $15K in monthly revenue by prioritizing environmental protection and privacy, optimizing their website for speed and user experience, and investing in quality and advertising, while remaining agile and efficient.
4. Thankbox ($420K/year)
Val, the founder of Thankbox, came up with the idea while working as a contractor and noticed the challenges of organizing a card and cash collection for team occasions. After realizing there was no existing solution that covered both aspects, Val launched Thankbox in May 2020. Through strategic marketing and design improvements, Thankbox experienced rapid growth and generated over $2 million worth of gift cards since its launch.
How much they make: $420K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2.5K
Current team size: 3
30-year-old Val shares how she founded Thankbox, an online group card and gift collection service in Scotland that has been used to send over 40,000 cards, issued over $2 million worth of gift cards, and now pulls around $25k in revenue per month, with plans to expand and offer physical versions of cards.
So... can you actually make money with a niche greeting cards business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. Periwinkle Greetings, LLC ($12K/year)
Candace McGinn, the founder of Periwinkle Greetings, came up with the idea after surviving cancer and embracing her passion for photography. Inspired by the beauty of a full moon reflecting over the ocean, Candace used a unique printing technology to create stunning metal greeting cards. With a focus on artistry and sustainability, Periwinkle Greetings aims to revolutionize the greeting card industry.
How much they make: $12K/year
How much did it cost to start: $15K
Current team size: 1
Periwinkle Greetings uses Dye-sublimation to create unique metal greeting cards that can be displayed as art, with an average monthly revenue of $1000, and plans to pivot to B2B sales in 2023.
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
"An amazing network of founders that truly want to help each other grow their business."
