Here’s a little (like 2.5 months) history of Sticky Rice Sisters. We’re so glad you are all part of our history now!

WHEN DID IT START?

It started mid-June, 2019.

One day, I asked Chin to buy some stickers for Cards of Hope program* because I’ve been writing birthday cards to kids in foster care and want to include some stickers with the cards to brighten their day. Stickers in Taiwan are cuter than the ones they have in the US, so I wanted her to buy some and send them to me.

*Cards of Hope is organized by Braid Mission where they collect birthday cards written by volunteers and send them to foster kids and social workers to celebrate their birthdays or cheer them up! Click HERE to learn more about the program.

AND WHAT HAPPENED?

While waiting for Chin to get the stickers, I was also searching for them on Etsy to see if I could find some nice ones. Then I came across a store that sells products from Taiwan and China- I instantly noticed the familiar designs. Then I thought I can do this, too!

I suddenly remembered the stickers we loved in high school and college. We would write them to our friends all the time, but as we graduated from school and the internet became the primary way of communication, we no longer have the need for cute stationery.

We used to always joke with our best friends in high school that one day we will open a store together so we can work and live together. But this time it wasn’t a joke - our little discussion became a reality very quickly.

WHY DID WE START?

I’ve actually never wanted to have my own business because I don’t want to take on all the responsibilities and it’s easier to get paid to work from 9 to 5, right? Not have to worry about managing anything or make sure the business can survive.

But I have been listening to and inspired by the podcast "How I Built This with Guy Raz" and a book by Gary V called "Crushing It!" Hearing other people’s success stories made me think maybe I should do something, too. Even just for fun! Because a lot of the founders are just regular people like me who one day had an idea and made it into a business.

And I’ve always liked browsing at shops like ban.do, Rifle Paper, Minted, and going to local gift shops to look at stationery created by local artists. How great would it be to sell things I like!

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

After I did some research and convinced Chin to do this with me (thankfully wasn’t that hard 😆), we got to work (and created a Google Sheet with 20+ tab). Found the right suppliers, website platform, logistics, design, as well as coming up with a name for our store… and research research research.

We set a timeline for ourselves and here it is! It’s definitely harder than I thought and takes much more effort and focus. But this is just the beginning 🙂