Personalized stationery: how to turn it into a profitable business
If you want to start or grow in the personalized stationery, but feel you're not selling as well as you'd like, in this article I'm going to show you what really makes the difference.
I've been working for over 12 years and Mentoring people in this business I can say that the main reason for this is the lack of structuring of the 5 pillars of sales, which are:
- Persona,
- Portfolio,
- Offer and
In other words, what makes you money with personalized stationery is not the product but the way you sell it.
What personalized stationery is in practice
Personalized stationery is the branch of craftsmanship that encompasses the production of
- personalized souvenirs
- children's party kits
- decorated boxes
- invitations and tags
- Cake topper
- Corporate gifts
- Product customization
When did Personalized Stationery come about?
It's hard to pinpoint a precise date for the start of Personalized Stationery, but everything leads us to believe that the first jobs started around 2010. I say this because I started working with Personalized Stationery in 2012 and I knew very few people who did it and there was almost no information about this market.
At first it was called Personalized treats because there were hardly any boxes, the most common thing was to personalize the candies and sweets, which were the most requested:
- Cone
- Jujube squash
- Tube
- Mini soda
- Mineral water
- Marmitinha
- Bisnaga de brigadeiro
- Soap bubbles
- Mint-to-be can
- Encore
This was a kit of mine that came out a lot when I started in 2012.
CURIOSITY: the term Custom Stationery came about for commercial reasons, since advertising on Google with the keyword Personalized souvenirs was too expensive, the term Custom Stationery which had almost no search at the time and was therefore cheaper to advertise.
Why do personalized stationery shops make money?
The personalized stationery market is growing because it solves real problems and has a demand that grows and renews itself every year. According to data from Transparency Portal - civil registration, In 2025 alone, Brazil registered more than 2 million births and 954,382 marriages. (See infographic below)
This data already shows the demand that will come in the next few years:
- Baptisms
- Mesversary
- Christening
- 1st birthday parties
- Children's parties
- Tea party
In other words, it's a market where demand is constantly renewed and that's where the 5 pillars of personalized stationery sales come in. But I'll deal with that later...
Why invest in personalized stationery?
Because it's a business of:
- Low initial investment
- Good profit margin (up to 70%)
- Constantly growing market
Low Investment: With an inkjet printer and a cell phone, you can already make personalized products. If you're just starting out, i recommend my course, CREATIVE PARTY, where I I teach you how to create your own artwork and build your first portfolio with up to 10 products
It's a simple business model with a demand that is renewed every year, as we cater for families from weddings to children's parties. But don't confuse the fact that it's simple to start with the fact that it's easy to sell. Like any business, you need to train yourself and understand the 5 pillars of personalized stationery sales.
What to sell in personalized stationery?
As I've already mentioned, I've been working in this market since 2012 and I've done Hundreds of parties (see some of the my work on Pinterest) and from then until 2026 we had some changes. For example, in 2012 I sold a lot of personalized mini soft drinks and personalized water, something that nobody asks for today.
Another change is the personalized boxes. Before, it was only the milk box and the pyramid box that were successful. Today there are a variety of models of personalized boxes, mainly due to cutting machines, which have greatly increased the possibilities.
Best-selling products
In 2026, you can make incredible products, especially if you use a cutting machine, but even so, if you're building your portfolio for the first time, I advise you to focus on these 10 products:
1 - MIlk box
2 - Trunk box
3 - Surprise box
4 - Pyramid box
5 - Bonbon box
6 - Persnalized cone
7 - Kit Kat box
8 - Mint-to-be cans
9 - Bis with Totem
10 - Personalized bag
More profitable products
The secret in this market is not to sell separate products, such as just milk cartons or bags. What is most profitable in this market is to create packages to sell, because only then can you maximize your profit by selling more and delivering a complete solution to your customer.
Here in this article I explain how to calculate the number of souvenirs for a children's party, because it's something you need to know before creating your souvenir kits
A Souvenir Kit is calculated by the number of children and can be 30, 60 or 90 items and you can create it as follows:
Kit with 30 items
- 10 milk boxes
- 10 pyramid boxes
- 10 trunk boxes
Kit with 60 items
- 10 milk boxes
- 10 Pyramid boxes
- 10 Cones
- 10 Chest Boxes
- 20 Bis with totem
Kit with 90 items
- 10 boxes of milk
- 10 trunk boxes
- 10 Pyramid boxes
- 10 Bombom boxes
- 10 Kit Kat boxes
- 10 Personalized cones
- 10 Surprise boxes
- 20 small bags
Examples of kits
How to get started with personalized stationery
To start a Personalized Stationery business, the investment is very low and the materials and equipment are affordable:
Here in this article I detail the materials to start a Personalized Stationery Store at home
Equipment that accelerates
First of all, I want to make it clear that you don't need a cutting machine to get started. You can start by cutting everything out with scissors, just as I did for many years.
But if you have the money to invest and want to gain productivity, you can buy a plotter machine.
There are many brands of cutting machines on the market today, but the ones I would recommend for beginners are the Silhouette or the Off Cut. The latter is the one I currently have and am using, and it's very cost-effective. Here in this article I go into more detail about Off Cut
Mistakes that prevent you from selling
We were never taught how to be entrepreneurs, so I want you not to make these mistakes in your business.
Wrong price
This is the main mistake, and it happens because your lack of confidence makes you think that people won't buy from you because you're just starting out. (But they don't need to know that!)
But because of this, you'll look at the competitor's price and base your price on it. And worse, you'll put it below the competitor's price.
But let me tell you the truth: who says your competitor knows how to price? It's more likely that they don't and you'll end up pricing wrong too. (Learn how to price correctly)
Therefore, try to price using a pricing method such as Mark-up or Contribution Margin and never price by guesswork. This will save you from disappointment.
Lack of publicity
Spreading the word isn't just about posting photos on Instagram and waiting for people to call you to place an order. You have to sponsor your posts so that they reach more people, which just posting organically won't do. But not just any post, offer posts, which is the next mistake I'll talk about below.
Lack of supply
An offer is the way you draw people's attention on Instagram to what you're selling. It's the way you get people to take the action of calling you on direct or whatsapp.
But offers are not just discounts, is a set of benefits that makes the customer see value in what you are selling. Example of an offer:
Party Kit from 300.00 for 250.00 and get 10 coloring books and free delivery.
Pay 40 and get 50 souvenirs and 10 personalized bags
Lack of positioning
Having a defined positioning attracts the customer you want. For example, if you sell personalized stationery filled with candies and chocolates and you communicate this fact in your Instagram posts and in your offers. This will position you as a professional who works for an audience that prefers convenience over price. Got it?
Opportunities to sell personalized stationery
Personalized stationery is made for any event, whether it's a special date like birthday party or seasonal dates. Below are the seasonal dates that sells the most personalized stationery.
- Back to school (School labels)
- Women's Day (souvenirs for women's day)
- Easter
- Mother's Day
- Teachers' day
- Christmas
Free Craft Course for Beginners
If you want to take a course but don't have much to spend, I've put together a Free 100% Party Favor Course, where I teach everything from materials to pricing...
Conclusion
Working with Personalized Stationery is a way that many women have found to work from home near their children and earn their own income without depending on their husband. But like any business, it requires training and an understanding of pricing, supply and promotion. It's not enough just to know how to make personalized stationery, but to know how to sell it.
But if you already work and want to improve your sales, come and take part in my MENTORING ACCELERATES where I guide and accompany you in the best sales strategies.
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