Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Tang.
Hi Annie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Creating paper flowers is really a passion project that turned into a business. My day job is an Emmy-awarding winning TV Producer. But for my daughter’s 1st birthday party, I wanted to create a photo backdrop and thought I could make a flower wall. It got so many compliments and all of a sudden I’m being asked to make flower walls for people. That’s how PaperMint Lamb was created and named after paper minted memories of my little lamb (daughter was born in the Year of the Ram). Now five years later, I’m still making paper flowers and have been able to hone in my craft, try new things, and be really creative! I still love my day job and with two little kids wrecking havoc around the house daily, my paper flower-making time is really between the hours of 4 am to 7 am. It’s my personal quiet creative time.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The toughest part about this business is pricing and finding that sweet spot where your hard work and man-hours are valued but is still within a reasonable range for people. A lot of times, people balk at the prices, but everything I do is custom. Everything is handmade, literally cutting about 99% of each flower petal by hand. So when you think about the hundreds of hours that I pour into it, I always joke that I’m making less than minimum wage! Fortunately for me, I’m not relying on this as my bread and butter, so every project I DO take on, it’s truly because I want to and feel connected to it. It brings me so much joy when people see the final product and realize that it was worth every penny!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I custom create flowers out of all types of paper for events, storefronts, and home decor. Before I begin, I always have a consultation with the client to discuss their ideas, color palette, and vision. If I can try to do something that’s never been done before, I’ll strive for that. But most of the time, people already have a pretty good idea of that they want from seeing previous pictures of something I’ve done before. I take great pride in what I do and always hope to exceed expectations.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Running a small business is HARD! I’ve learned to not take it personally when people balk at prices or try to negotiate. I’m such a pleaser by nature that it’s difficult to say No. But I’ve learned that my time is valuable, my skills are valuable, and not to let anyone make it feel any less. I’m very fortunate to have built a great network of clients that keep coming back and each time, they challenge me to doing something different. I love creating art from just a pair of scissors, paper, and a hot glue gun. It really makes you feel like you can do anything!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/papermintlamb/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaperMintLamb/
