One of the necessities for a new year is to have a new planner! I’m sure most of us already have planners that we can use. I always think of planners as a way to see the personality of a person, and I admire those who can actually decorate it well and write on it legibly. Today, I interviewed someone whose business is help you decorate and fix your planners! How cool is that! 🙂

About Ferry of Ferrywrites

Hi there! I’m Ferry, a blogger mom with a penchant for crafts. I am married to Raymond Ko for 6 years and counting, and we’re blessed with three (one on the way, yes I am 5 months pregnant now) children. I own a small online shop for planner needs, named Ferrywrites.

I started crafting at the tender age of seven. I started with creating scrapbooks, diaries, collecting stationeries and notepads until I discovered Filofax when I turned thirteen. From then on, I started using planners as if they were an extension of myself. Decorating planners and getting organized the way I like things to be makes me more productive and aware of the things I should prioritize and thing that I need to brush off. It goes hand in hand with my other passion, writing. I don’t see this as a hobby. I consider this as my life’s focal point.

Before I became a momtrepreneur, I was working in the corporate world at the age of eighteen. I would also do sideline jobs as a freelancer that involves writing, listing, calling clients to name a few, all while I was studying in College. Now, I am a full-time mom for almost four years and entrepreneur for a year.

My advocacy is simple, spread kindness. I was raised by a single father who taught me that whenever one can help, one should help. And living with his mantra, we (my husband and I) came up with the idea that part of our monthly sales, whether it’s coming from our partner merchant or online, will automatically go to our chosen charity of the year (World Vision Philippines).

Interview with Ferry:

Ginger: What is your Startup/brand/business? What is it about? How long have you been in business?

Ferry: I own a shop named Ferrywrites. It caters to planner needs such as weekly sticker kits, icons stickers, planner inserts, charms clips etc. I have been doing this for a year now.

Ginger: Who is your target market? Why did you choose this market? Can you give us the insight behind this market?

Ferry: Mainly, the Planner Community. Funny because only a few people really know that our community exists. We take planning and crafts seriously. It’s a very creative community where you will find girls who are willing to help the girls how to start up or hone their planning and all.

Ginger: Oh, I think I better join that community! I have a planning addiction! haha! So, how did you come up with this idea? What made you decide to start this kind of business?

Ferry: Making planner sticker kits is common in the community. I turned my passion into a small business, not only to gain profit, but to reach out to people too. Since I can doodle and I have a keen eye for what works, I’ve decided to give it a try.

Ginger: Were there any obstacles that you faced when you decided to pursue becoming an
Entrepreneur? What are these?

Ferry: Definitely! I used to get depressed whenever I cannot come up with cute or functional or unique design for my stickers. I would always compare my work to others who are doing this way longer than me. The profit was never an issue to me. It was more of how can I level up or get them to know my brand.

Ginger: What are the greatest challenges in putting up and maintaining a business in your country?

Ferry: Looking for materials. It’s been a challenge since day one to find a quality and affordable materials for the business. Of course, all business owners want good provisions at a low price that your clients will appreciate.

Ginger: What are three traits that you think an Entrepreneur/Startup Founder should have when
starting their own business?

Ferry: Vision, Resilience, and Faith.

Ginger: Unforgettable moments or lessons that you learned as an Entrepreneur/Startup Founder

Ferry: Love what you do, have fun and do not compare with your competitors.

Ginger: What advice can you give to other Entrepreneurs?

Ferry: You change the path never the goal. If the process of what you are doing right now is not working that much, think of another way to achieve your goal.

Ginger: Do you believe that everyone should become entrepreneurs?

Ferry: YES! because I strongly agree with what Guy Kawasaki, the author of The Art of Start said: “Entrepreneur is not a job title, it’s a state of mind of people who want to alter the future.” After all, entrepreneurship doesn’t equate to just having a business.

Ginger: What are ways that you can do to raise capital?

Ferry: Stay alert of the new things in the market and always look for ways to improve your products.

Ginger: How do you market your products? Growth strategy?

Ferry: I network as much as possible and I do sponsor craft events. By doing these, they get to know my brand, what I do and my advocacy.

Ginger: What are tech tools that you use for your business?

Ferry: Intuos Art, Procreate of Ipad Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator and Silhouette Software.

Ginger: Other things that you want to mention which you think are important

Ferry: Be observant but do not copy. Do not believe in the saying that imitation is the highest form of flattery. I think that is disrespectful. Observe the hype and the new things in your field then come up with your own twist to it.

Ginger: Thank you so much for your insights and for sharing your experiences, Ferry! More power to you!

Contact information about your business:

Website – www.ferrywrites.com
Email address – ferrywrites@gmail.com
Mobile Number – 0916-622- 2812
Facebook Page – Ferrywrites
Twitter account – @ferrywrites
Instagram account – @ferrywrites and @ferrywrites.shop
Pinterest – ferrywrites