When it Rains Paper Co. launch + Giveaway!

As promised, Kat and I have some big life updates. They have been in the making for quite some time and I’m thrilled that our hard work has finally paid off. Shall I just rip off the Band-Aid? Kat and I quit our day jobs! For 3 years, we’ve been working full-time during the day and full-time at night. Kat tells the story of creating our Etsy shop here, but the story didn’t end there.

About a year into creating our Etsy shop, we quickly realized it could be a full-time job but it was far from being a full-time job for 2 people. So we made a pact that neither of us would quit our jobs until both of us could. It was the only path that seemed fair for both of us. With this in mind, we knew everything would get much worse before it got better. This meant finding time to grow our business while maintaining our day jobs. I won’t lie to you – there were plenty of tears, plenty of arguments, and plenty of 20+ hour days. For those of you who think we are crazy millennials, let me assure you this decision wasn’t taken lightly. We struggled to come to this conclusion after months and I mean MONTHS of prayer. Would our family be supportive? Would we be able to pay our bills? Was I crazy for leaving my cushy corporate job? I probably went over what this meant for our budget 50 times. I come from a family of successful teachers, lawyers, and doctors so we were terrified of taking this leap of faith. We both knew we would always regret it if we didn’t see where we could take our business if we focused on it full-time.

In the end, a peace came over me that only He could provide. It’s been a little over a month since reporting to my 9 to 5 and I have no regrets! I have a hustle spirit that just wasn’t there before. I’m excited to get up in the morning, talk with my customers and create personalized goods for their weddings, birthdays, and other milestones. Kat said it before and I’ll say it again – hard work truly pays off! What are you waiting for? Go after your dreams people! It’s the most thrilling, exhilarating, and rewarding feeling!

As excited as I was to share that with you, I’m even more exited to announce the launch of the When it Rains Paper Co. website! While Etsy is still our primary money-maker, we knew the first step in growing our business was to establish our own e-commerce site. If we ever wanted to reach out to retailers about carrying our products, we needed our very own platform that we could control. We can tell our story, show off our brand, and expand our products in a way that we can’t do on Etsy. Nobody can create the look and feel we want better than us. So ladies and gents, I present to you When it Rains Paper Co! Take a look around, read the When it Rains Paper story, and let us know what you think! This was a bigger undertaking than we thought it would be so keep checking back. We are constantly adding new products!

To celebrate this exciting news, we are giving away a $100 When it Rains Paper gift card! Instagram is the only way to enter so be sure you are following @sitwithusblog!

[ THE RULES ] 1. Must follow @sitwithusblog 2. Must follow @whenitrainspaper 3. Repost the image below (you can also repost the image from @sitwithusblog Instagram) 4. Use hashtag #WIRpapergiveaway to enter. Winner will be chosen and announced September 3rd!

Thank you for following along on our journey! Happy Monday!

[ photos by Audra Starr Photography! ]