National Stationery Show: Mixed Co.

Mixed Co. is good company. The booth presented the work of some very talented women: notably Joy Deangdeelert Cho of Nantaka Joy and one of my favourite blogs (Oh Joy) whom it was a pleasure to meet, Lisa Wong Jackson of Good on Paper, and Meg Mateo Ilasco, the creator of the Mixed Co. concept and author of the great book, Craft Inc. (I reordered the book just before I left for NY, so it should be in the shop next week: it's so good we keep selling out!) Meg also makes some beautiful products, such as the number clips seen above.

Meg is a talented business woman and the advice she offers in Craft Inc. is both excellent and inspiring. Mixed Co. is a great idea and makes tackling something as big and potentially expensive as presenting in the National Stationery Show more manageable for independent stationery artists:

Mixed Co. is a marketing agency for independent designers that's best described as a hybrid mix of public relations and sales representation. In other words, our goal is to assist companies in getting product placement in press and inventory placement in retail shops. Like a PR agent, we establish marketing programs to help raise a company's profile and brand awareness. And like a sales rep, we take companies to trade shows for both marketing and sales opportunities. However, unlike a sales rep, we do not collect a commission on sales.