Tiny Prints - Best Entrepreneur
Company: Tiny Prints, San Francisco, CA, USA
Entry Submitted By: Alison Brod Public Relations
Company Description: Tiny Prints, Inc. is comprised of Tiny Prints and Wedding Paper Divas, two thriving ecommerce brands offering stylish cards, invitations, personalized stationery and photo books to customers from around the world. Offerings range from photo cards to holiday party invitations, Christmas cards, business cards and beyond.
Nomination Category: Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Entrepreneur – Service Businesses – up to 2,500 Employees
Nomination Title: Laura Ching, Co-founder and Chief Merchandising Officer
Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated entrepreneur during the eligibility period (up to 500 words):
Laura Ching is the co-founder and Chief Merchandising Officer of Tiny Prints (www.tinyprints.com), comprised of Tiny Prints and Wedding Paper Divas, two thriving e-commerce brands offering stylish greeting cards, invitations, personalized stationery and photo books and more.
This past year, Tiny Prints was acquired by Shutterfly, Inc., the Internet- based photo-sharing and printing company, for $333 million.
In June 2011, Fast Company named Laura as one of the “Most Creative People in Business.” Because of Laura, Tiny Prints insists focus on a “white glove service” with exceptional customer service and design. The site reviews every order up to three times, touching up photos, examining for mistakes and etiquette, and double-checking all dates and spelling. Laura’s goal is that customers see a digital proof within hours instead of days, and the access to work with a dedicated designer. In addition to her profile in Fast Company, Laura has recently been featured in numerous top-tier publications including The Huffington Post (March 2011) and The New York Times (February 2011), discussing a plethora of topics such as Tiny Print’s company culture initiatives and Laura’s management style. Laura has also contributed to numerous outlets including Brides (August 2011), Inside Weddings (Fall 2011), offering expert advice about contemporary and classic stationery, and everything in between.
In addition to her enterprise in design, Laura was a key player bringing on celebrity talent such as Jennifer Aniston, Eva Longoria, Zoe Saldana, Bridget Moynahan and Catherine Bell to each design festive holiday cards for TinyPrints.com. In the spirit of the holiday season, this collection benefits the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation (EBMRF), an organization dedicated to preventing and helping children with the drastic skin condition of epidermolysis bullosa.
This October, Tiny Prints will unveil a limited-edition collection of greeting cards and thank you notes benefiting Christina Applegate’s charity, Right Action for Women (RAW). Laura was incredibly involved in the creation of this partnership and is committed to giving back. Applegate’s charity provides breast cancer education and encourages women to speak with their doctors about appropriate screening. Additionally, RAW provides financial assistance to qualified women to cover the high costs associated with breast screenings.
In addition to celebrity-designed cards, today, you can see Laura’s effortless style in many designs on the Tiny Prints site. The entrepreneurial mother of two is an accomplished, exceptional woman, dedicated to her business, who makes time to blog “Laura’s picks”, sharing her favorite seasonal cards and tips for upcoming family milestones.
The company launched in 2003 and quickly became a success. By 2005, the company surpassed $10 million in sales.
Tiny Prints, Inc. is comprised of Tiny Prints and Wedding Paper Divas, two thriving ecommerce brands offering stylish cards, invitations, personalized stationery and photo books to customers from around the world. The company's emphasis on fresh design, high quality products and a perfectly delightful customer experience have led to continued success in a variety of markets.
List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:
http://blog.tinyprints.com/holiday/lauras-picks-halloween-cards-for-kids/
Provide a brief biography of the nominated entrepreneur (up to 100 words):
Before Tiny Prints, Laura served in various merchandising and marketing roles at Walmart.com. Laura became a paper lover at an early age watching her mom write handwritten notes every time she received a gift or a nice gesture. It was inevitable that Laura would combine her business background with her love of stationery and design.
Laura studied economics at Stanford University and received a degree from Stanford Business School. At Stanford, she met her fellow co-founder Ed Han. When Han’s wife gave birth and they were unable to find modern, stylish baby announcements, Tiny Prints was born.