Kirstie Rickert, the founder of AmourPrints, remembers when she realized she wanted to break free of the ropes that her painful shyness bound her with. “I was standing in front of a restaurant table, about to make balloon animals for the kids, and my hands were shaking,” she says. “I wanted to be energetic and friendly so that I wouldn’t get fired, but my old fears were weighing me down. Then I just opened my mouth and started talking. The more I talked, the more relaxed I felt, and I realized that I was smiling. My shyness just vanished. I won’t go so far as to say that I ran out and joined the Drama Club, but that first night on the job gave me a lot to think about. I realized that I didn’t have to be shy. What else had I been limiting myself with?”
Kirstie had stumbled onto a secret that eludes so many people: there is a lot more that people can do than they think. “It sent me on a totally different life path,” she says. “My confidence grew enough that when I eventually decided to start a business despite not having the typical education or any money, I didn’t hesitate. I was ready to get going even though there wasn’t an easy path forward.”
Kirstie’s first business idea, AmourPrints, started in 2012. “It centered on unique, custom-canvas wall decor,” she states. “As exciting as that was, it was nothing compared to starting my Etsy shop in 2013. The only thing that could top that was my first sale. That put me on cloud nine, let me tell you. I dropped out of college to do this full time, and so did my fiance because it became our dream to run our own successful business. It was a real adventure for both of us.”
Etsy became troublesome, taking down their shop multiple times without basis following their first successful year. “After trying to contact Etsy about my shop takedown and getting nowhere, we decided to move to a different platform,” Kirstie says.
Shopify offered more potential for growth and was a lot less limiting. “We began automating each process and worked to understand what we were doing. It was not easy, but we finally felt that we were getting the hang of things. Shopify certainly was not easy like Etsy because you had to do everything from the ground up. While Etsy did most of the work for you as a seller, Shopify was simply your template. I had to learn web design dev, SEO, staff management, ads, and much more. Despite these obstacles, during our first year, we were able to make $50K. My fiance focused on the designs and production while I did everything from A to Z. Our second year, we brought in $100K,” Kirstie states.
Despite the hard work and sales, Kirstie and her fiance were still battling the opposing opinions and comments from those in their inner circle regarding their business endeavors. “Our families would often express their concern for our decision to drop out of college. They feared we were making a terrible choice and suggested many alternate occupations, which we refused to do,” she explained. Shortly after the two got married, they had a sign of good faith when their business had its first big month and they could miraculously live on their own. During their first months as a married couple, they put even more into their business. By the next year, they were able to buy their first home, and Kirstie and her husband had their daughter, who is now 4 years old.
During 2019, AmourPrints faced a do-or-die moment, and Kirstie and her husband were forced to make a life-changing decision. “We were losing thousands of dollars each month, but something was telling me not to give up, to instead push through. This later turned out to be one of our wisest decisions regarding our business,” Kirstie tearfully explained.
2020 dealt AmourPrints another blow when COVID hit, and businesses all around the world faced uncertainty. Kirstie and her husband didn’t know if their business would survive, but Kirstie determinedly pushed through once again. She began researching how to increase store visibility and implemented more effective business strategies. “I upgraded to Shopify Plus and took a risk and invested all of our money. Last year, in 2020, we somehow miraculously made $3.6 million, and this year we are on track to double our earnings,” Kirstie says, beaming. “I have worked so hard, and I give God the credit for helping me through this. Our families are proud of us and now understand why we didn’t give up.”
That tenacity resulted in AmourPrints reaching $4 million in sales in only four years. The profits and how to steward them weigh on Kirstie’s mind. “My husband and I want to put them to good use because let’s face it, how much money does anyone really need? That’s why we donate a percentage of our sales to World Vision. In doing so, we can help to fight global homelessness, an issue that really weighs on our hearts.”
Today, Kirstie and her husband are happy with their lives and with AmourPrints. “It’s been a labor of love, truth be told,” Kirstie says. “Anytime you can do what you enjoy, find success with it, and use it to benefit other people, you are fortunate indeed.”
0
0
