The American dream is alive and well, and living in Winter Park, Florida. Through hard work and an unwavering belief in what they were doing, the married duo of Anna and Nathan Bond created a successful global business – Rifle Paper Co.
In 2009, the Bonds launched Rifle Paper Co.com out of their garage apartment. Today, this stationery and lifestyle business has grown into an international brand with products in more than 5,000 retail stores around the world.
In 2014 and 2015, Rifle Paper Co. was named to the Inc. 5,000 list of fastest growing companies in the country. How did the Bond's do it? By focusing on the elements needed for any successful start-up to succeed.
- Customers – Rifle Paper Co. has always believed that even in the digital age, life’s moments are best shared through a handwritten card or note. Making things personal will always get people’s attention.
- Product – From their roots in stationery to their partnership with French illustrator Garance Doré, the Bond's have continually innovated their product line. They make the effort to create what their customers envision as their perfect medium for interpersonal communication.
- Team – Although it started as a two-person company, almost from its inception Rifle Paper Co. sought out team players that possessed an intimate understanding of the nuances of the unique customers for which it was designing products.
For any business quick growth invariably brings new challenges. Imagine being a two-person startup that quickly finds itself going international – there are bound to be bumps along the way. For Rifle Paper Co., the growing pains included a need to unify disparate systems used to manage areas like inventory and shipping. There was also an excessive lag time between order entry and inventory updates, a situation that often created a delay in order fulfillment.
The rapidly growing company determined that it needed a solution with customizable enterprise resource planning to manage financials, inventory, customer and supplier accounts, planning, production, and purchasing. The company also knew it needed a user-friendly interface for its employees; a nimble solution that was simple to use.
After some serious due diligence and a lot of comparison shopping, Rifle Paper Co. found what it was looking for in its quest to streamline disparate processes. The company deployed the SAP Business One application and integrated add-ons for e-commerce, credit card processing, and shipping. In the future, Rifle Paper Co. intends on expanding its use of SAP Business One, with plans to leverage functionality like manufacturing requirements planning.
"We see SAP Business One as an ally at Rifle Paper Coompany," said Bobby Morrison, Director of Enterprise Systems and Services, Rifle Paper Company. "Not only does the software keep everyone on the same page, it also gives us valuable information that we can use to grow the business and meet our goals".
As founders and co-owners of a successful international brand, Ann and Nathan Bond have enjoyed a synergy that reminds us all that the American Dream is indeed alive and well. They found success by combining Anna’s passion for illustration and design with Nathan’s knack for creating relationships and business development. It’s no surprise, then, that Rifle Paper Co.’s loyal customers include major media powerhouses as well as thousands of everyday people around the world.
Undoubtedly what they’ve created will continue to inspire even more people to share special moments with others – the old-fashioned, handwritten way.
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