Aside from an early quarantine baking habit and living in a constant state of fear, another fun hobby I’ve picked up during 2020 has been watching how businesses are responding to current events. Like a car accident or an episode of “Selling Sunset,” it’s so bad I can’t look away. I watched—popcorn at the ready—as one trendy brand after the next fell subject to cancel culture. I became fascinated by it. How did we get to a place where basic level human decency and common-sense aren’t built into business practices? And what does it say about us as consumers that we so easily believed the external image these brands were projecting without asking more questions about their how and why.

Here’s an epiphany I wasn’t expecting to have six years into business ownership: everything you need to succeed in business you probably learned in elementary school. Let’s run through some basic kindergarten rules that apply to business: be kind to others, don’t leave anyone out, always use your manners, stand up for yourself, and don’t stay up past your bedtime (yep, still applies). Essentially, lead with humanity first and everything else will fall into place.

I’ll back up for a quick minute. Hi. I’m Carly, an illustrator, stationery designer, and founder of Clementine Studio. A few months ago, I launched my new companion site: Clementine To Go (C2G), a self-serve wedding invitation shop that offers my signature watercolor designs at an affordable price point. Of equal importance to the actual stationery though are four principles I rooted this new company in community, inclusivity, small business support, and sustainability.

These are core values that can be (and are) implemented now but are meant to be grown and improved upon over time. Much like what we’ve learned about being an anti-racist: it’s a constant evaluation of self, rather than a label. I believe these principles are basic things we should all be striving for in our businesses moving forward. Part of said epiphany was realizing that these seemingly common-sense values were being largely ignored by the businesses, including my own, where we spend our discretionary dollars every day. This stopped me in my tracks.

Rewinding a bit more, for years I struggled with how to incorporate a social mission into my small illustration and wedding stationery business. I thought it had to be perfectly aligned with my “brand,” something that was directly connected to what I do, or had to wait until I could make a “real” impact with significant funding. I volunteered at various places trying to find a perfect fit and I donated print sales to organizations fighting for equality and women’s rights. But the giving back was circumstantial and I felt detached from it.

Then, this March when COVID-19 began to wreak havoc around the world, waiting for a perfect solution simply wasn’t an option anymore. There was an urgent cause to attend to and I felt more useless than ever sitting around designing for weddings that were soon going to be canceled or postponed. So I started offering free digital save-the-new-date cards to my clients. They were frantically looking for a way to get in touch with their guests to debrief them on their upended wedding details, so this proved to be helpful. I was keeping myself busy as the world was falling apart and managing to ease a little bit of stress for these couples in the process. I then extended this complimentary offer to non-clients and asked my network to help spread the word. By the end of April, I had designed over 120 save-the-new-date cards for couples around the country. 

I was well aware that this service was superfluous considering the fact that lives were being lost and my family in NYC was living in the worst hot spot in the country. It felt like a nice thing—the right thing—to do, but I didn't think it would have much impact in the grand scheme of things. Yet, I was blown away by how deeply grateful everyone was to be on the receiving end of this small gesture. I ended up hearing from couples who were nurses and doctors working overtime in COVID-19 units, couples with a partner in the military separated overseas and unable to take a leave-of-absence for their own wedding, couples who had family members with severe auto-immune diseases whose lives couldn’t be risked in a large gathering. I heard all of their stories and it was far and away the most meaningful experience I’ve had in my six years in the wedding industry. 

This led me to question why it was the first time I was doing something in my business that felt like I was making an actual difference. I’m not an essential worker, I couldn’t save lives (other than wearing a mask, of course!), so I was forced to evaluate the only thing in front of me that I was responsible for: my own company. How had it been falling short and what changes could I make immediately and then set up in the long term to do better?

Thus, Clementine To Go was kicked into action. Curating a set of design templates isn't a brand-new idea to the industry, but for a while, I had been wanting to be able to offer a more affordable option to potential clients as an alternative to my time-consuming and pricey custom invitations. And here was an opportunity that I could run with. When brainstorming what creating a new company should look like in 2020, I kept coming back to those elementary school rules. If only those companies that were being “canceled” (an ethical dilemma for another time) lead with humanity first, they couldn’t possibly be in the position they find themselves in now. 

So I looked closely at what “humanity” means to me at this moment and how it could be applied to the foundation of C2G. Thinking globally was too intimidating, so I focused on the local community I had already been cultivating a relationship with over my last five years in Chicago, and more immediately within the last few months of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. There were issues I was already invested in, like the racial divide of Chicago neighborhoods and the underserved youth it affects, to a housing institution moving into my neighborhood that provides safety, healthcare, and opportunities for the homeless, specifically those who identify as LGBTQ+.

So it made sense to double down and become more involved with what I was already passionate about. Brown Books & Paintbrushes, run by Candice Washington, is an incredible organization that provides free Black children’s libraries and public programming to kids throughout these underserved neighborhoods. The Night Ministry is the shelter I mentioned that recently moved into my neighborhood. These became the anchors of my “Community” principle. It holds me accountable for building up their organizations as I build up my own business. With promotion, quarterly donations, activations at their events, however, I can serve them now and grow with them in the future.

Below are a few actionable suggestions to incorporate leading with humanity into your business (and lives!).

Start with your inner circle.

Are there causes that you or your family already support? Annual fundraising walks, charities you donate to, a friend’s non-profit organization you feel aligned with? Make a list and see if you feel passionate enough about any of them to commit yourself to. It’s ok if you don’t! Just a starting point.

Expand to your community.

We all want to feel proud of and connected to where we live. You usually don’t need to go far from home to find things that need to be improved upon. Is there a food pantry nearby you can help support? Maybe the last remaining independent bookstore in your neighborhood is at risk of closing and you want to raise awareness and funds to keep it open. Get to know what your community needs and who in it is being ignored and you’re bound to find a way to help out.

Start where you can.

I’m still a one-woman, self-funded show. I can’t offer much to my community partners in the way of financing just yet, but I can understand my margins and where there’s wiggle room. And I can use my time and voice to help them fundraise, find locations for their next event, teach an art lesson for their programming. There is no small way to help. 

We are only as good as the community we support. Businesses are meant to serve people, so let’s start with that basic need as the foundation. Serve your employees, your local community, the causes that are important to you and your loved ones. Then build on top of that. And because Joey Tribbiani wisely taught us that there are no selfless good deeds, the first question we should be asking is: how can we help others, while helping ourselves? Providing a service is one thing, but what can you provide that people won’t have to pay for?

This year has taught us that there is no more room for brands that don’t stand for anything, no matter what you’re selling. Decide what you stand for in life, and root that into your business. How does that Maren Morris song go? “The house don't fall when the bones are good.” To build off that metaphor, think of a Jenga tower. Those canceled businesses had a ton of holes near the bottom of the tower and the Black Lives Matter movement was the exposed tile that made it collapse. Lesson learned? Let’s hope so.

About the Author: Carly Martin is the artist and owner of Clementine Studio, an illustration studio and online print shop, and companion site Clementine To Go, her new self-serve wedding invitation website. Known for her playful style, Carly specializes in custom watercolor illustrations, wedding invitations, textiles, and stationery. Sought after by brands such as Architectural Digest, Birchbox, Maybelline, and more, Clementine Studio has the unique ability to blend whimsical illustration with classic elegance. 

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