Since Spring 2017, Samford alumna Eliza Bishop has been actively running her custom stationery shop. What started as a happy accident is now a stationery business specializing in personalized wall prints, business cards, invitations and wedding paper.
According to her website, Bishop said that as a little girl, she never dreamed of owning a stationery shop. She even dreaded the ritual of writing thank you notes to others.
However, after making stationery set for a friend, Bishop said she developed a passion for entrepreneurship.
“A friend asked me to make her stationery set for her summer at camp, and I had made connections and contacts at the wholesale printer, so I called them, set up a fulfillment account, and Paper Eliza was born — on a whim, for what I thought was a one-time stationery gig,” Bishop said. “Word spread that I was creating custom stationery sets, and I had so many friends begin to reach out for sets of their own.”
Bishop loves the opportunity to be creative and establish new friendships with her clients.
“I love building something from nothing, from the ground up. I have so many ideas about what it could be, how it could grow. I love crunching numbers and designing merchandise and the mundane tasks and challenges of running a business,” Bishop said. “The people aspect of my job is incredibly rewarding as well. I love creating a design from clients’ vision, translating their idea into a tangible product, and executing it through and through. I have made so many sweet friendships with people from all over through this business, and it has been the sweetest gift!”
While she enjoys helping her clients, Bishop said that the most challenging part of her job is time management, as she tries to balance all of the demands of running a small business and continues to work full time at Regions Bank corporate.
“The work-life balance is very hard right now, but I feel just so overwhelmingly thankful for all of the business I am blessed with. It is the biggest honor for brides to entrust me with something as special as creating their wedding paper for them,” Bishop said. “I wouldn’t trade it, but honestly, it can be so exhausting. There is a lot of pressure, a lot of dates and important details that I have to remember and stay on top of.”
Bishop provided advice for young adults who are planning on starting a business. Bishop encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to seek the opinions of others on their products. However, she cautioned young entrepreneurs to seek input in a way where their business ideas will not be stolen. Bishop also recommended being open to criticism and ideas on improvement.
For more information on her business and products, visit https://www.papereliza.com/ and follow her on Instagram @paperfromeliza.
Staff Writer
