I Was Always “That Person” Who Sent the Card

I was someone who never missed a birthday.

Not friends. Not family. Not anyone. If there was a holiday, a milestone, or even a small reason to say I’m thinking of you, I sent a card. Christmas cards by the hundreds. Thank-you cards. Valentine’s cards. Mother’s Day cards — not just to my own mother, but to all the mothers in my life. And long before it was my job, I was often making the cards myself.

There was nothing that made me feel better than putting real effort into a card — something clever, funny, or handmade — and getting it into someone’s hands on time. It was my way of showing up. Of saying, you matter to me, and I went out of my way for you.

That feeling mattered so much to me that it eventually became my career.

Which Is Exactly Why I Started My Own Greeting Card Company

I went on to build an independent greeting card company, designing over 700 paper cards, producing them, printing and warehousing them, and selling more than two million cards into thousands of stores nationwide under my brand, Quiplip.

Cards weren’t just something I liked.
They were how I expressed care, humor, appreciation, and connection. They genuinely gave me a giddy sense of joy when I sent them.

That’s why what happened next surprised me.

Sending Paper Cards Became Weirdly Laborious

Nothing was ever wrong with paper cards.

I didn’t stop believing in them. I didn’t stop caring. And I didn’t stop wanting to send them.

But at some point, sending them became weirdly labor-intensive in a world that was otherwise getting faster.

Addresses constantly changed. People moved more. Mail somehow got slower. Cards arrived early, late, or not at all. And timing — which is the whole point of a card — became unreliable.

Even sitting on hundreds of thousands of my own cards, I found myself thinking, Why is this so hard now? And if someone who owns a greeting card company can’t keep up, surely others were feeling it too.

It wasn’t that sending cards stopped making sense.
It was that the system around them stopped keeping up.

Why I Hated Most eCards

At the same time, the digital alternatives weren’t helping.

eCards had been around forever — and honestly, I hated most of them.

They felt outdated. Cheesy. Impersonal. Embarrassing to send. They didn’t reflect my taste, my humor, or the way I actually talk to my friends.

And if I wouldn’t feel proud sending something, I just wouldn’t send anything at all.

That gap — between wanting to show up for someone and having something worth sending — is where everything broke down.

I Didn’t Want Fewer Cards — I Wanted Better Ones

I didn’t want to replace cards.
I wanted better cards.

Cards that were easy to send, modern and well-designed, genuinely funny or thoughtful, personalized in a real way, and worthy of someone’s taste and friendship.

And because the world had gone digital, I wanted things paper could never do.

I wanted cards people could save in their photos or share with friends.
Replay when they needed a lift.
Respond to and start a conversation with.
Come back to later — not just once.

Cards that didn’t disappear after a moment, but actually lived with someone.

Why Video, Sound, and Motion Finally Made Sense

I didn’t set out to make video cards.

But once I started thinking about how people actually receive things now — on their phones, in moments, in real time — video, sound, animation, and timing just made sense.

A card could catch someone off guard.
Make them laugh.
Feel alive.

And because it was digital, it could do something paper never really could: invite a response.

That back-and-forth matters.
It turns a card into a moment — not just an object.

That experimentation eventually became Greetigram.

Timing Still Matters More Than Anything

One thing I never stopped believing: timing is everything.

A birthday card that arrives early feels off.
Late feels worse.
On the right day — that’s where the magic is.

So we built tools to send cards instantly, schedule them ahead, and make sure they land exactly when they’re meant to.

The Gap No One Fixed: Cards and Gifts Were Never in Sync

Here’s something that always bothered me — especially as e-commerce took over gifting.

You send a gift.
It arrives.
And the recipient has no idea who it’s from… or the card arrives days early… or days late… or not at all.

That gap has been absurd for years.

Now that most gifts are ordered online, the card should be part of the delivery moment — not a separate afterthought that may or may not land correctly.

So we built a way to sync a digital video card to arrive exactly when a gift hits someone’s door.

Not before.
Not after.
Right on time.

That kind of timing is harder than it sounds — but when it works, the moment feels complete. The recipient knows who sent the gift, why it matters, and that real thought went into it.

This is just as powerful for businesses as it is for individuals — whether it’s a customer gift, an employee moment, or a brand trying to create a real human connection instead of a forgettable unboxing.

This Was Never About Replacing Paper Cards

I still love great paper cards. Always will.

But the world changed.

People move more.
Mail is slower.
Independent card shops are rarer.
And communication lives on our phones — whether we like it or not.

This wasn’t about abandoning what worked.

It was about building a version of a card that fits the way people actually live now — easier, smarter, more fun, more human, and finally in sync with how gifts are sent and how the world actually works.

Final Thought

Cards didn’t stop mattering.
The way we sent them just stopped working.

So I built the kind of card I was proud to send again — one that shows up on time, matches someone’s taste, invites a response, and actually feels good to give.

Whether you’re sending one card to someone you love, or hundreds of gifts on behalf of a brand, the goal is the same:

Keep sending cards.