Meet Ellie from Say It With Songs
We are not going to lie, we are huge fans of Ellie, the founder of, ‘Say It With Songs’. Even though she grew up in Leighton Buzzard, it wasn’t until mid 2020, after the first lockdown, that we met her. She came into the shop with her mum and told us all about her brand and that was it, we were hooked! Ellie is one of life’s absolute diamonds… she is an absolute powerhouse, a ruddy good laugh and such an inspiration and we cannot wait for you to find out more about her and her brand!
Please can you tell us a little bit about you and your brand?
I'm Ellie, founder of the brand 'Say it with Songs' - a brand launched during lockdown that harnesses the sentiment of a greeting card with the power of a song. The brand is very unique as on the front of the card is a song lyric i.e 'I will always love you' on the back is a code that when scanned with a smartphone camera streams the song instantly so you can listen to it from either YouTube, Spotify or Amazon Music - streaming Whitney to the lucky recipient !
We have 3 collections and around 50 best selling titles in each collection that we sell Worldwide from both a consumer website as well as a wholesale website.
Please can you tell us about your inspiration for your business?
My idea came when I was shopping for Valentines Day card for my husband. After 20 years together, I couldn't find one that really hit the spot. It was at that moment 'our' song was playing in store on the radio and I thought it would be amazing if I could send that song to him.
I have a strong background working in the music industry so knew how to curate, license and launch brands but knew nothing about the greeting card industry so its been a journey but a very enjoyable one.
What is the ethos behind your brand?
It's really all about bringing people joy through music - sending someone 'the' song that reminds them of their youth, their baby being born, their wedding day, or to get them through tough times. Music brings back a time, place, person in seconds - its magic.
What is the most enjoyable thing about your business?
I love new business and being able to be creative with campaigns and growing the business, I also love working with an all girl team in my office by the sea.
What are your top tips for anyone wanting to start their own creative business?
1. Understand your audience
2. Do / sell one thing really well and add from there
3. If you don't know 'ask' surround yourself with experts
4. Get a great numbers person on board -( I am a total creative so numbers is my weak spot)
How do you get yourself out of any creative slumps?
I use post it notes to plan pretty much everything and find its a great way to connect a project together. I also find that going for a long run helps my brain buzz with new ideas.
What songs feature most on your playlist for when you are working?
Its mainly low tempo chilled songs - there is a great playlist on Amazon - just say "Alexa play Neon Chill Radio' - perfect for creating a chilled background whilst we all work away.
What do you like doing in your downtime away from your business?
Walking my massive Dog by the sea, working out, running and eating at great restaurants.
What is next for your business?
We have really been focusing on export so we now distribute to over 20 countries. We stock around 350 independents in the UK so I am really keen to keep improving and evolving the range and so our High Street always has something wonderful from the range to showcase.
Please add in any other comments that you would like to about you and your brand.
Check us out in store at HappyDashery :) and follow us on instagram @sayitwithsongscards
If you are thinking about launching a creative business, I really recommend the book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert.
She says it so well ...“What else are you going to do with your time here on earth—not make things? Not do interesting stuff? Not follow your love and your curiosity?”
“Let people have their opinions. More than that--let people love their opinions, just as you and I are in love with ours. But never delude yourself into believing that you require someone else's blessing (or even their comprehension) in order to make your own creative work. And always remember that people's judgments about you are none of your business.” Go for it!
If you would like to see more of the Say It With Songs Collection we have in store then click this link to check it out.