Nothing says hello to a new neighbor like sending a greeting card or an invitation. And cards can mean so much in times of grief or illness. Those special little messages to pull the heart strings have to come from somewhere, right? Louisa Wimberger, founder of Weehah Greeting Cards and Invitations has built a business around these special messages. From greeting cards to invitations, she makes some of the best cards available.
Can you explain what you do for a living?
I design and create greeting cards and invitations. I sell them through my website, at retail shows and festivals, and also wholesale them to stores.
When do you use basic math in your job?
I use math all the time! For example: I use QuickBooks to invoice customers. I have to determine the cost of my supplies and my time in order to come up with a reasonable retail price ($3.95 per card or 10 for $35) and wholesale price ($2.25 per card).
I keep a budget, make purchases with credit cards, and pay that off monthly. On occasion, I hire someone to do mindless or repetitive tasks for me such as packaging cards. I learned that I have to pay someone per piece, and not by the hour!
I have to order cardstock and envelopes almost every week. My cardstock sheets come in 8.5 x 11 or 11 x 17 usually. So, when a customer wants 100 flat cards that measure 4.25 x 5.5 each, how many can I get per sheet? The list goes on.
Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math? Why or why not?
I use QuickBooks (for invoicing and budget/bookkeeping) and occasionally a calculator (to figure out measurements for things, mostly).
How do you think math helps you do your job better?
If it weren’t for math, I wouldn’t be able to actually make any money doing what I do!
How comfortable with math do you feel? Does this math feel different to you ?
I haven’t usually liked math in the past, but I have learned to appreciate (and even sometimes enjoy) it in the context of my business.
What kind of math did you take in high school? Did you like it/feel like you were good at it?
I think I took Algebra and Geometry but not Calculus. I never, ever felt like I was good at it. I glazed over a lot. I excelled in English, and that came naturally. Math was a push for me almost all the time. (And yet, I did pretty well on the math section of my SATs, oddly enough!)
Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? Or was it something that you could pickup using the skills you learned in school?
I did not learn new skills. I more had to learn the theories people have behind how to price things, which doesn’t seem exactly like math to me.
Do you have a question for Louisa? Would you like to check out her cards? You can find out more about her at her website.