Today we’d like to introduce you to April Chen.
April, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
During my sophomore year of college, I witnessed a lot of grieving on my campus. That summer, I also experienced a loss of a close friend. I became more aware of how there is a need for greater compassion and community, especially during those times. As an artist and designer, I started to think about how I could create something beautiful and humanizing from a dark and broken experience.
To begin, I decided to make cards. I noticed how a lot of the sympathy cards did not communicate the depth that was necessary for connection. So, I joined together with my best friend, who goes to Wellesley College and we dived into the process of crafting a set of five cards based on the themes of perseverance, hope, resilience, patience, and peace.
At the end of my sophomore year, we decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign to fully bring our ideas to life.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, it has definitely been a process. One of my personal struggles (and still is, sometimes!) was gaining enough courage and confidence to start a business with a strong brand message – that being gentle is a strength, not a weakness.
I came to a point when I realized I could not depend on any external motivator to keep me going in it, but I would have to be the one who truly believed in why I was doing what I was doing, and embody that belief in my action and priorities.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Gentle – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Gentle bridges empathy with action by providing a meaningful way for people to connect with others—starting with cards.
Our original card line is called “The Power of Giving,” with the themes of perseverance, hope, resilience, patience, and peace. Each card has a colorable cover and a unique exercise inside. The covers are also perforated for the receiver to give their own act of creativity to someone else, creating a cycle of giving.
Our next card line is called “Stories of Overcoming,” featuring five people’s stories on what it meant to them to “overcome” a particular life challenge, to inspire others to embrace their own story-in-the-making.
We also custom design empathy cards with company culture teams for various purposes, from cross- team appreciation to growth testimonials.
I am most proud of how we go beyond our cards to embrace our core message as a brand – that being gentle is a strength, not a weakness.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I like how vibrant the startup ecosystem is, and how open people are to connecting with and learning from each other.
Pricing:
- $6.99 for an empathy card (The Power of Giving)
- $30.99 for a five card deck (The Power of Giving)
Contact Info:
- Website: http://gentle.cards
- Email: info@gentle.cards
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gentlecards/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gentlecards/
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
