Have you ever had a thought pop into your head and wondered, “Why hasn’t anyone thought of that before?” Maybe it’s a different way of doing something, or a quirky product you’ve never seen. We get ideas like that all the time — sometimes from our own kids, other times from social media, like Tik Tok, and occasionally from curious combinations of products ordered together by our customers.

Being around creativity all day helps a lot. Some ideas are fun but not very practical, while others make us stop and say, “Hang on… this could actually work.”

Once a week, we sit down for a proper brainstorming session. We bring all the week’s ideas to the table and whittle them down to five serious contenders. Then comes the deeper thinking:

• Are other companies already producing something similar?

• Can it be made affordably?

• Is UK production possible?

Sadly, manufacturing in the UK is often too expensive for our sector to stay competitive. But whenever possible — especially for paper or card-based products — we’ll pay a little extra to produce here. If the design is strong enough, the premium can be worth it.

Once we’ve settled on a winning idea, we turn to our global network of trusted suppliers. We look for the right manufacturing partner based on quality, cost, and experience with similar items. Designs are shared, mock-ups are created, and after a few tweaks and approvals, we’re ready for the next step.

Safety testing is carried out where required, and once everything’s good to go, we give the green light for production. At this stage, a deposit is usually paid to the factory, with the final balance due before shipping or delivery.

If the item is being produced overseas, we need to organise shipping. This can get a little tricky — especially if we don’t have other goods to ship at the same time.

The most cost-effective method is using full containers (20ft or 40ft), which we try to do whenever possible. When shipping from countries like China, the journey typically takes around 4–5 weeks.

Once the goods arrive in the UK and clear customs, they’re delivered to us. Then the fun begins: unpacking, photographing, writing product descriptions, and loading everything onto our website.

At that point, all we can do is cross our fingers and hope you love the product as much as we do — and give that glorious “Buy” button a click!