The Road to Delight
With a degree in English Literature, a hand-crafted accessories design company and a lifetime of working with my family of entrepreneurs, I have woven myself the life of an artist by writing, photographing and creating entrepreneurial ventures dedicated to delight.
My company, ANA, is based on the principle of “looking at what you love.” A line in my bio says that “I knit, sew, glue, tape, plant, bake, try, think, feel and live like I am starring in my own movie.” I have a long list of things that I love and my company is based on bringing those things to my customer, whether visually in a photograph on a ANA Delight magazine cover or emotionally through surprising a friend with a bit of delight or physically when they simply want to have a bracelet with a Private Tour of Paris on it. I design what makes sense to me and I am grateful that people respond so strongly to it.
I actually started my business in 2003 when women were seriously asking to buy my cigar box purses. They noticed me carrying one, saw how I had lined the inside with fabric and wanted one of their own. They simply needed me to make it happen.
I had seen a cigar box purse on display as a prop – it was not for sale, but I had to have it. So I got myself a few cigar boxes and made purses to take on vacation. Then one day my Mom and I went to the mall in Palm Beach and no less than 10 people in 2 hours asked me how they could get one of my purses. My favorite questions were: “Do you take Visa?” and “What’s your website?” I mean it, the glue was barely dry and I had people clamoring for my handbags. I thought that making & selling purses would be fun.
I had no idea how “the enthusiasm of strangers” would affect me – I loved making people happy and interacting with women – that is what propels my business. I have stories a mile long that I hope to someday turn into a book about starting a craft & design business.
An important of starting a business was to establish a brand identity for ANA. I designed ceramic logo hangtag for my purses, chose signature colors (hot pink, white & black) for my correspondence, designed a customs stamp for my business cards “Passed As Super Cute”, and launched a website complete with e-commerce. I wanted to start strong so that people knew I meant business.
Being organized and completely committed to your brand/company impresses people. I want my customers to be proud of me and feel good about owning something that I made, photographed or wrote.
I have written 3 books, Moments of Delight, Paris: Delight in the City of Light and Finding Delight. I enjoy speaking to groups about finding delight in everyday life.
