The Idiot’s Guide to Making Your Own Business Cards
Seeing as the entire point of my trip to Colorado for the TBEX conference was to network, it kind of sucked when I ran out of business cards on Friday night.
Actually, it really sucked. The conference hadn’t even started yet! And yet there I was, on the top of a mountain with nary a Staples in sight. To make matters worse, I hate networking. Most people think I’m a natural extrovert but the truth of the matter is, I’m painfully shy and there’s nothing that frightens me more than entering a room full of people I don’t know and having to introduce myself.
I realized I had two choices. I could be that lame-o who walks around ripping pages out of a notebook scribbling her info as she mutters her apologies. Or I could make a statement. And make my own cards.
I opted for the latter.
Unfortunately, as lovely as my room was at Vail Resorts, it wasn’t equipped with a craft room. And I hadn’t brought any scissors with me, let alone card stock or colored markers, so Saturday morning found me in the kitchen bent over the cutting board, scoring the hotel stationary with a steak knife. Fifteen minutes later, I had twenty almost-straight little rectangles ready to go.
Not wanting to waste an opportunity to display my dazzling wit, I wrote:
Translation: Kat Richter, MA
Freelance Writer
(and designer of bespoke business cards)
Then I rolled each sheet into a little scroll to hide the fact that my surgical procedures with the steak knife weren’t quite as surgical as I’d hoped and tied each scroll with a piece of yellow thread that I’d cut from the edge of a scarf.
Voila!
And the business scroll was born…
For the rest of the weekend, whenever anyone asked if I had a business card, I replied with mock seriousness, “No, even better. I have a business scroll.”
I felt like a bit of a moron (actually, I felt like a major moron— who flies all the way to Denver to attend a conference of 800 people with only a dozen business cards?) but then something wonderful happened.
People started saying, “Oh my God! This is too cute! I am totally going to remember you.”
And isn’t that the entire point of handing out business cards in the first place?
I may never go back.
Related articles
- How-to: Make Recycled Paper Business Cards Using Your Sewing Machine (craftingagreenworld.com)
- 39 Business Cards That Aren’t All… Business [PHOTOS] (coedmagazine.com)
- Simple DIY Business Cards (ecosalon.com)
Fieldwork in Stilettos 
11 Responses to “The Idiot’s Guide to Making Your Own Business Cards”
Only you… I love it! May the business scrolls bring you lots of luck!
Haha, I know! I was reminded of the time that CA was performing in Annapolis and I totally forgot my ballet slippers! (Thanks to copious amounts of whiskey consumed the night before but that’s another story…) I went shopping with a few of the elder statesmen and found a pair of ballet flats but they kept slipping off my heels whenever I did a relevé. Solution? Cut the hanger ribbons from the inside of my costume with a set of keys (literally… I sawed them off with a freakin’ set of keys!) for instant shoe laces! Luckily the ballet flats were made a lace/macrame sort of fabric so I was able to thread the ribbon right through and I think they looked pretty damn Jane Austenish if I do say say so myself!
Hmm, seeing as how I’m currently AT a conference, and I don’t even own business so I therefore couldn’t bring any – I think I may have to have you jet down here to help me make some of those! 🙂 And I am SO with you on the dislike of networking. It has to be done, but even though the people who know me think I’m really outgoing, I’m actually horrendously shy in a room full of strangers!
LOL! I can think of some really cute ideas given the field in which you work 🙂 As for being shy– you totally had me! I’m replying to your last email as we speak, btw.
PS: Enjoy your conference!
So proud you have taken the “creativity” mantle and are holding it high 😉
Hoping this comment will actually post…
You’re up! I talked to the WordPress folks and they seem to think there is nothing wrong with the comments feature but they offered to try to submit some test comments the next time its happens so let me know ASAP and I’ll email them. Thanks!
It only happens once in a while, so it will be hard to test, but I do fear it may have happened to others?
But you pulled it off exceedingly well. I’m rather shy and not so into networking either (I was exhausted after the first 30 minutes). Its hard for me to open up a conversation with an attractive woman so I’m so glad you spoke up and introduced yourself – of course then I was too nervous to say much more but…what the hell. You’re little rolled up cards rocked. You’re right, that is how it is supposed to work so you succeeded.
Thanks, Jim! And I’m sorry about the comment glitch… I spoke to the WordPress folks at TBEX and they’re working on it but no one knows what’s wrong yet 😦
But you pulled it off exceedingly well. I’m rather shy and not so into networking either (I was exhausted after the first 30 minutes). Its hard for me to open up a conversation with an attractive woman so I’m so glad you spoke up and introduced yourself – of course then I was too nervous to say much more but…what the hell. You’re little rolled up cards rocked. You’re right, that is how it is supposed to work so you succeeded. (BTW….this is the second time I’m submitting my comment. First one went poof….?)