AmourPrints: Proving We Are All Capable of More Than We May Realize
What would you do if you stopped getting in your own way? If you stopped listening to the little voice that says you can’t do something? Kirstie Rickert, the founder of AmourPrints, found out at the age of 17 that contrary to what she had always believed, she wasn’t shy after all. “I had one of those ‘aha’ moments, I suppose,” she says, “when I was making this dog-shaped balloon animal for some kids at a restaurant. My fingers were fumbling, I couldn’t think of much to say, yet when I gave it to the children, they were so happy that my anxiety vanished. I smiled back and just started talking. If you ask my husband, he may tell you I am still talking nonstop.”
Kirstie jokes, but she is serious about what she learned that night. “I had been boxing myself in with what I could and could not do. When I realized that talking to people wasn’t so scary after all, it really got me thinking about how else I was limiting myself. What was the point in doing that? I wanted to live my life and see what I really could accomplish.”
That different mentality led Kirstie to eventually start her own business, AmourPrints, in 2012. “That was quite a step,” she states. “I took that leap of faith even though I didn’t have any money or the usual business education. I just knew what I wanted to do, so I got going.”
AmourPrints centered on unique, custom-canvas wall decor. Kirstie reached two milestones when she started her Etsy shop in 2013 and then made her first sale. “Both were incredible,” says Kirstie. “I eventually dropped out of college to do this full time, and so did my fiance because it became our dream to run our own successful business. It was a real adventure for both of us.”
Etsy became troublesome, taking down their shop multiple times without basis following their first successful year. “After trying to contact Etsy about my shop takedown and getting nowhere, we decided to move to a different platform,” Kirstie says.
Shopify offered more potential for growth and was a lot less limiting. “We began automating each process and worked to understand what we were doing. It was not easy, but we finally felt that we were getting the hang of things. Shopify certainly was not easy like Etsy because you had to do everything from the ground up. While Etsy did most of the work for you as a seller, Shopify was simply your template. I had to learn web design dev, SEO, staff management, ads, and much more. Despite these obstacles, during our first year, we were able to make $50K. My fiance focused on the designs and production while I did everything from A to Z. Our second year, we brought in $100K,” Kirstie states.
Despite the hard work and sales, Kirstie and her fiance were still battling the opposing opinions and comments from those in their inner circle regarding their business endeavors. “Our families would often express their concern for our decision to drop out of college. They feared we were making a terrible choice and suggested many alternate occupations, which we refused to do,” she explained. Shortly after the two got married, they had a sign of good faith when their business had its first big month and they could miraculously live on their own. During their first months as a married couple, they put even more into their business. By the next year, they were able to buy their first home, and Kirstie and her husband had their daughter, who is now 4 years old.
During 2019, AmourPrints faced a do-or-die moment, and Kirstie and her husband were forced to make a life-changing decision. “We were losing thousands of dollars each month, but something was telling me not to give up, to instead push through. This later turned out to be one of our wisest decisions regarding our business,” Kirstie tearfully explained.
2020 dealt AmourPrints another blow when COVID hit, and businesses all around the world faced uncertainty. Kirstie and her husband didn’t know if their business would survive, but Kirstie determinedly pushed through once again. She began researching how to increase store visibility and implemented more effective business strategies. “I upgraded to Shopify Plus and took a risk and invested all of our money. Last year, in 2020, we somehow miraculously made $3.6 million, and this year we are on track to double our earnings,” Kirstie says, beaming. “I have worked so hard, and I give God the credit for helping me through this. Our families are proud of us and now understand why we didn’t give up.”
Staying the course would allow AmourPrints to reach $4 million in sales in only four years. “That has given us the ability to help other people,” Kirstie says. “My husband and I believe that as Christians, we must be good stewards of the money God gives us. After praying over how to use it, we decided to donate a percentage of our sales to World Vision. Global homelessness really weighs on our hearts, so by donating to World Vision, we can help to fight it.”
The success of AmourPrints continues today. “I am beyond blessed,” says Kirstie. “Every day, I get to do a job that I love and that impacts lives around the world. To me, that makes me extremely fortunate.”