Much as we live by our iPhones, we simply can't give up on our good old paper diaries. Our planners come everywhere with us, and in truth are often more accurate, up to date and insightful than our digital devices. If like us, you love nothing more than the new diary feeling, then you are going to love our latest brand find, Hello Day. This week we caught up with founder Kirsten Wilson, to learn more about her fabulous products and vision.
Hello Dayproduces high-end stationery aimed at modern women who want to live an organised life in style. Our flagship product is the Daily Planner, which helps women to set goals, stay organised & focused, as well as promoting both a healthy lifestyle and positive mind set. Our product range has since widened to include both daily and weekly planners, as well as a range of accompanying stationery accessories.
What gave you the idea?
I’ve always been obsessed with planning since I was a young girl. Every year I would shop for my school planner and my mum would roll her eyes at the effort I put in to finding just the right one. My whole life would go into those planners and this continued through school, college and in to my working life.
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As I moved abroad, finding the right planner became more or a challenge. Every year I would shop for days trying to find the right one, taking note of interesting designs and features from shops in Spain and Japan. This constant search and variety of planners through the years fed a desire to one day make my own planner, until I found myself in the position to actually give it a go.
Was this always your main career or did you make a change/start over?
No, this is actually a new challenge for me. My main career and focus has always been Interior Design. I still haven’t let go of it yet even though far more of my time is now dedicated to Hello Day. I found myself with the time and opportunity that I hadn’t previously had, and I just had to take the leap to make this a reality.
What are you most proud of about your brand?
The thing I am most proud of is the number of happy and faithful customers who have bought planners and sent me such lovely personal messages. It truly is heart-warming, reading reviews from customers who say the planner has changed the way they plan and live their days for the better, or has helped them to achieve a goal, or start on a new path.
I’ve also been really proud of the planner designs so far. I love that this work allows me to use my creativity.
What are the biggest challenges you face as a female founder/woman in business?
As I started Hello Day on my own, I haven’t really faced many of the challenges that other women regularly face in business. I have been lucky in my career that I have mostly worked in the creative, design-led field surrounded by strong female characters.
On a personal level, my biggest challenge as a woman starting out on my own is that I have missed the level of social interaction that my personality craves. Many women, like myself, tend to thrive more off social interactions with colleagues and starting a business on your own can be both stressful and lonely at times – and I’d say this has been my biggest challenge recently. Some of my best friends in life are female colleagues I formed a strong bond with when working in Interior Design in Washington DC.
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And what is the best thing about being a working woman.
That’s a difficult one. Generally speaking women have more opportunity now than ever to work in any field we like. Technology opens up so much to us and allows us to start and run businesses right from home, whatever our circumstances, which is wonderful. For me, technology has allowed me to connect with so many other wonderful working-women from all around the world. Building relationships and networks with other women and tapping into all of the great, inspiring content out there is something that I would encourage all women to do.
Are their any women, in business, history, or your personal life, who inspire you, and if so who and why?
Four people come to mind:
Firstly my Mum. She moved from Peru to the USA when she was just 16 - a huge step for any girl of that age. She turned into a true trailblazer for her family and a real matriarch. Her dedication to hard work and strong family bonds has always inspired me.
Antonia Taylor(PR) – Antonia is a friend I have made through Hello Day, a customer who has become a friend and inspiration. She is a mother of two, yet manages to achieve so much it never ceases to amaze me. I don’t know how she manages to do everything whilst always have a smile on her face. Her energy is an inspiration.
Iris Apfel – A truly inspiring and unique character. She is not afraid to stand out in a crowd, rather embracing her unique style, expressing herself daily and living her life to her own beat. Her relationship with her husband is strong and endearing.
Ellen Degeneres – One of the world’s most loved personalities. She has got where she is by being a loving, generous person, and standing tall for what she believes in. Her messages are so positive and inclusive, we could all learn a lesson from her.
What’s next for your brand?
We have just released our first range of mid-year/school-year planners, which run from August to July rather than January to December. These are aimed at Mums who need to plan their own lives around their children’s, at students and teachers, or those out there who just always kept thinking of the year in terms of school years. Also, we can’t let the cat out of the bag yet, but we have been approached by some exciting retailers to stock our planners from next year.
Apart from that we are always thinking of new ideas for products or services that our customers would appreciate and enjoy.