How Many People Can You Serve?

Bob had been making handmade greeting cards for years. He enjoyed choosing the paper, combining colors, and adding small details that made each card different. For birthdays and other special occasions, he often gave his cards to family and friends.

People regularly told him he should sell them. Bob appreciated the compliments, but he had never thought of his hobby as a business.

Before Christmas, he created a collection of cards with different designs and took them to work. Several colleagues asked if they could buy some, and by the end of the week, every card had been sold.

His wife suggested putting the remaining designs online. Together, they photographed the cards and created a small online shop.

At first, only a few orders came in. Bob made each card by hand, fitting the work around his job. As more people discovered the shop, the orders became more frequent. He began setting aside entire evenings to make cards and weekends to prepare packages.

One evening, he sat at the kitchen table surrounded by paper, envelopes, and finished cards. His wife opened the shop’s latest orders on her laptop.

“How many came in today?” he asked.

“Forty-three,” she replied.

Bob looked at the stack of unfinished cards beside him and pulled another sheet of paper toward him.

A Question to Explore
How might the number of people you reach shape the opportunities available to you?