THE REGAL REBEL OF HUNT SEAT PAPER CO.
Learn from Amy Summer Ellison, the founder of Hunt Seat Paper Co., as she shares her insightful advice on what it takes to be an entrepreneur that reaches today's consumer. Her fine paper company has boldly entered the marketplace with an unprecedented style for the modern horseman that is specifically known for it's crisp aesthetics, clever humor, impeccable branding, detail driven quality and complete product line.
THE DOODLE ON THE POST-IT NOTE
I have always been a bit of a rebel, an independent thinker, a risk-taker and one hell of a go-getter. I come from a family of successful entrepreneurs, so I suppose it’s in my blood. I have owned a boutique branding studio for seven years now and am a partner and chief creative officer for a tech startup. I originally went into business for myself when I could not find a job out of college. I knew what I was worth and what I was capable of, so I gave up on trying to find other people to give me a chance and set off to prove myself. It was not easy, but I worked hard and made it happen. Seven years later I have worked with Fortune 500 companies and small business alike…and love every second of it.
About two years ago I doodled the “Hunt Life Vintage” graphic on a post-it while I was on a conference call. I generally don't keep doodles, but liked this one so I stuck it on the side of my iMac and there it sat for a few months before I decided to build the design in illustrator. I instantly fell in love with it and had it printed and framed in my office.
After that, I decided I’d set an hour every day to make equestrian graphics to exercise my skill and get my mind off client projects. I kept all of my little graphics to myself and saved them in a file on my computer. My little secret escape from the grind…for two years! One day I got this crazy idea to hop on a plane and fly to Santa Fe, NM all by myself. On that trip…I learned so much about myself and really started to reflect on what makes ME happy. That is when I formed the idea to turn my passion project into a REAL project.
IDEA, INSTAGRAM, BLAST OFF!
Shortly after Santa Fe, I was in Dallas,TX on a business trip where I met a social media manager who was also a world champion Arabian rider. We connected instantly (horse girls are always fast friends!) and started chatting about horses over beers. I began telling her my ideas and showing her my graphics from my phone. She was so excited by my work and it got me really pumped up. I told her I had been considering using them for stationary and wrapping paper, but that I was not sure it would take off. She looked at me and said, “Girl…are you serious? Go get that!” The week after my business trip (November 22, 2016), I started the Instagram account and had the products and website the following month. I do not know if she knows this or not, but she was the catalyst to the birth of Hunt Seat Paper Co.! Her enthusiasm was what I needed to pull the trigger…and she was right. I gained over 4,000 followers in just four months.
I started Hunt Seat Paper Co. on a doodle that turned into an obsession. While I love my day job, I love this more. In a perfect world, Hunt Seat Paper Co. will grow into my full-time job! I have great relationships with printers and deal with them daily, so finding my paper stocks and products that fit my budget was the easy part. However, the cost of my inventory was a very large expense and I had zero sales or name recognition. But I’m a big risk-taker and wanted to come out of left field with a bang! I was very quiet about my plans and then when everything was ready, I just went full-blast! I think that is how I gained a following so quickly. People found me and saw that I had an entire product line and that it is unique from any other equestrian brand…so it validated me as a serious business. Plus…I am ready to enter the industry in a big way; I have over 12,000 pieces of paper neatly packaged and ready to ship either to the individual consumer or to wholesalers.
GETTING BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM FRIENDS
Packaging those 12,000 pieces was my biggest challenge. From the printer, everything arrived flat in boxes. For the cards, I had to fold each one, cut the seal and place them in a cellophane sleeve with the envelope. For the gift tags, I had to count out 10 tags, cut 10 pieces of twine, package it in a cellophane sleeve, staple on the hangtag and punch the hole.
I packaged the first 3,000 cards myself…but soon realized there was no way I could do it alone and my budget was tapped. I had to bootstrap! So I used my creativity and invited all of my friends to come to my house for a “packing party” with pizza and beer! We had a blast and packaged all of the cards, art prints and gift tags. I am so thankful for them…a good 75% of my inventory was packaged by hand (with love) that day.
A SPECIALIZED NICHE AND A DISTINCT STYLE
I think it’s safe to say there is no one like me. There are a ton of stationary and gift wrap companies, but none specifically tailored to the equestrian. While I absolutely love vintage hunt scenes and I laugh out loud at the horse cartoons…I was looking for something more modern that fed my passion for horses. This concept simply did not exist, so I decided to make it myself. My personal design preference is clean white space and bold typography, which you’ll notice in my product line. I chose to do most of my products in black/white, grey and turquoise so that everything matches, no matter how you pair it. Also, the branding is easily recognizable.
I am also a very tactile person, so paper stock definitely matters. I chose a paper stock with a silky matte finish for all of my products. I balanced out that softness with a recycled grocery bag envelope to add contrast, texture and depth to the overall presentation. Each card comes with an envelope seal, so that the final presentation is elegant, but casual. All the cards are 4x6, so I’ve had a quite a few people buy multiple cards and frame them along with my art prints for collage walls…which I think is a fabulous idea! My wrapping papers are a thick 70 lb stock with a velvety texture, so that they are great for wrapping gifts, but also work as craft paper for photo matting, scrap books, decoupage projects. I even had a customer cut and laminate the wrapping paper into placemats in her kitchen!
I encourage creativity always, and get very excited when I hear about the projects people come up with using my paper!
VISUAL INSPIRATION
My biggest visual inspiration is southwestern art. I'm an English rider...but absolutely in love with western cowboy and Native American art.
My mom is always collecting this style so I just grew up with it. I love the desert, turquoise jewelry, Native American saddle blankets, cactus and succulents, and the fluffy white clouds in the paintings of Mark Maggiori and Logan Maxwell Hagege. They make me feel at home.
However, I am also a minimalist, so from a design standpoint I am inspired by clean white space and bold typography. I am also very heavily inspired by my friend and childhood trainer, Andy Scott Klug. She was a phenomenal rider and rode with the likes of George Morris, Hap Hansen, Susie Hutchinson and Jimmy Williams beginning in the late 1950’s through the 80’s. You want to talk about equestrian culture….she is a gold mine. Andy lent me many of her photos and treasures to use in my photoshoots and Instagram feed and I am forever thankful for her support.
My mom has been here for me through everything, and is the person I call when I am not sure what the best plan is. She has helped me immensely, and I am so lucky to have her.
A CULTURE OF COLLABORATION
I also have been working on partnerships with other equestrian brands. It is important to me to build relationships within the industry and I am all about working together! I’ve been in talks with several equestrian brands and will be rolling out cross marketing campaigns and package sales soon. Starting a small business is hard, but it gets easier when you have a network and lift each other up!
I am beyond excited to offer a special Mother’s Day collaboration with TKEQ The Shop! For a limited time, we are a offering a special kit with everything you need for a special equestrian-inspired Mother’s Day gift for your awesome horse show mom, including a TKEQ heather grey "RING LEADER" t-shirt, "Thanks Mom" greeting card, and D-Ring wrapping paper ($45). .
Please note, the cutoff for shipping is MAY 5. To order package, CLICK HERE or shop online at Hunt Seat Paper Co.
FROM MILLENIALS TO BABY BOOMERS
I think my design perspective and my age allows me to ride the line between edgy and traditional and appeal to a market of all ages and backgrounds. I am young enough to know what the millennials are talking about, but old enough to use a little sophistication in my work that appeals to older generations.
My customers range from young girls, to horse show dads and husbands, and riders/trainers from all backgrounds. My customers are mostly women, but I definitely get a lot of men who find me and know Hunt Seat Paper Co. products are perfect for the horse-crazy women in their lives. I am truly blessed to have such a following right out of the gate!
FINAL THOUGHTS ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP
OWNERSHIP IS...Freedom. I am in control of my own success, I choose what projects I take, and can pack up and travel if I feel like it. You definitely need to be a self-starter to make it happen, but if you want it bad enough, it’s yours. As cliché as it is to say, “Hard work ALWAYS pays off.”
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE RECEIVED... To adapt! You don’t know if something works until you try it. Take risks…be confident and go big or go home…but always be flexible so that you can adjust your strategy moving forward.
HUNT SEAT PAPER CO.
SHOP/CONNECT/MEET/ EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
ONLINE BOUTIQUE:
Featuring fine paper foods for the modern horseman including equestrian greeting cards, wrapping paper, gift tags, art prints, stationary and more.
SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS:
- Instagram: @huntseatpaperco
- Facebook: @huntseatpaperco
CONTACT:
- Best way to contact customer service amy@huntseatpaperco.com | 626.390.1937 | or contact me on social media!
EMPLOYMENT OPPPORTUNITY:
- I am actively looking for sales reps that are well-heeled in the equestrian retail community. I strongly believe I belong in tack stores and high-end equestrian retailers and I need help getting there. All equestrians want equestrian gifts…so why not wrap that gift accordingly? I frequent tack stores and have purchased plenty of equestrian gifts…but very rarely come across greeting cards or gift wrap that are modern and fun with an equestrian theme. If anyone in your community is looking for commission-based sales work…I’m interested!
POP-UP BOUTIQUE:
I have a darling little vendor’s booth I take to horse shows, which allows me to connect in person with my customers. Their feedback has been very valuable to me! Every horse show leaves me with a head full of ideas and demand for specific products, so my second collection is a direct response to the feedback I’ve heard from customers. Check our Facebook page for our next "pop-up!"
FACEBOOK CONTEST
Hunt Seat Paper Co. is providing one gift package that includes 3 gift cards (Fancy Ass, Love, Stiff Upper Lip), Hunt Life Vintage Art Print and 1 package of Kiss gift tags to a member of the Street to Stable Community. For details, visit the Contest Page at StreettoStable.com or the Street to Stable Facebook Fan Page.
AMY SUMMER ELLISON: THE REGAL REBEL
A HORSEWOMAN AT HEART
I have been blessed to have horses in my life since the age of 5. When I was in the 4th grade, my parents bought the most beautiful 5-acre plot of land in Bradbury, CA and built a five-star equestrian dreamland…I was lucky enough to call that place home. Those were my favorite years. I woke up every morning to the smell of horses in a bedroom full of horse show ribbons, Breyers, and Beezie Madden posters. I rode 5-days a week and competed in horse shows every weekend Horses were my entire life. I really looked up to all of the trainers at my barn. They were the classic hunters- all about horsemanship, bravery and impeccable equitation. I developed my style from them. I love the hunter ring for it’s simplistic sophistication…clean lines, classic style, beautiful uniformity and an emphasis on foundation. It is the only sport that gives points for skill and style. I’m a rebel at heart, but the hunter ring always grounded me. I would blast punk rock in my bedroom, then walk down to the barn with a hair net and perfectly shined boots. I respect the sport, and honor its tradition.
I rode competitively for 16 years and then dropped it all to go to college and grow up. My parents sold the ranch and moved out of state, I stayed in Los Angeles and focused on building my career. 10 years went by before I got the itch again. I posted on Facebook that I missed horses. One of my old barn friends responded that she still had her horse, but with three kids and a career, she didn’t have time for him. And just like that, the crazy horse girl was back in the saddle. I fell in love with Regal Rowdy the day I met him, and I have been feed leasing him for four years now.
Rowdy is a 28-year-old OTTB who I swear can speak to my soul. He was my biggest inspiration for starting Hunt Seat Paper Co. If you look at the footer of my website, it says “For Regal Rowdy”…and that’s the truth. He’s an old man with eyes as deep as the ocean…we just ride around and listen to the wind blow. He is my happy place and the best listener ever. I also get a lot of the sayings on my cards from conversations with Rowdy. (Yes I talk to horses, and no I don’t care!)
The show scene is part of my culture, so I keep up with it, but I probably won’t compete again for a few years. I’m having too much fun living the easy life with Rowdy.
A BUSINESS ENTREPRENEUR TO THE CORE
While I am a 31-year-old entrepreneur that was born and raised in Los Angeles, i have a very Orange County vibe. I started a boutique branding studio in Los Angeles seven years ago (amyellisoncreative.com) and I am a parter and Chief Creative Officer for a tech startup (CloudKeyz.com). I am a highly motivated designer and art director with a passion for making people care. My experience working on over 600 different projects (and counting) for many different industries gives me a unique perspective into how people think and consume information. I truly love what I do and that passion bleeds into every project I touch. I developed my skills by being an entrepreneur at heart. I am motivated to succeed and directed by the world around me. I am always watching, listening and learning...real life is the best classroom, the people around us are the best teachers. My favorite words of wisdom came from my journalism professor in college, "you don't have to re-invent the wheel, you just have to recognize all the different directions that wheel can go."
Besides Rowdy, the loves of my life are my two pitbulls Bentley and Kennedy, and I am an advocate for all animals. I love my country and often volunteer my services for veteran services and events, as well as equine rescue programs.