GCA Workshop + Retreat 2024

What we see on social media often makes us think that our businesses should aspire to exponential growth and virality, without taking into consideration how that intersects with our day-to-day lives and mental health. But what if we can run our businesses from a perspective of seeking contentment by figuring out what it is that we actually want and what is enough?

In this presentation, Brigida Swanson of Yardia will share how she has shifted her mindset and company strategy to focusing on business contentment over business growth. This presentation will focus on four specific connections for defining and creating contentment-based entrepreneurship:

-Deciding what success looks like for you, specifically, by connecting with personal values;
-Breaking free from comparison by getting clear about your inner critic and inner mentor;
-Leaving social media and experimenting with alternate ways to share your products; and
-Centering your ambition around how you want your business to fit within your life, instead of chasing the changes and algorithms created by social media and marketplace platforms.

Using personal examples, reflection exercises, journaling prompts and further resources, Brigida will engage participants in learning how you can integrate contentment into your business using small and sustainable shifts.

A panel discussion to answer questions about licensing art. Vicky Barone from A Little Moxie, Carol Dierckes from Crown Point Graphics, and Zachariah Jones from Penny Lane Fine Art, will be discussing the various aspects of licensing from an artist, licensor, and artist licensing group perspective. Come learn about licensing from 3 different perspectives.

Thomas Day is the most recent appointee to the Postal Regulatory Commission. Before joining the commission, he held several senior executive positions with the United States Postal Service over a 35-year career. This experience provides him unique insight among his colleagues on the Commission into the challenges facing the USPS. In addition to his experience in the US Market, he also was the Chairman of the Standards Board at the Universal Postal Union and the Chief Commercial / Chief Financial Officer at the International Post Corporation. His experience extends to the Global Market where the impact of a dynamic market is just as extensive as in the U.S. Commissioner Day will discuss the current state of the USPS and how its operations compare to the way the Postal Service was run during his tenure. He will then discuss the challenges facing the Commission to be an effective regulator for this vital institution, the review process underway to review the rate-setting system, and how stakeholders can best participate in the process.

We spend a lot of time talking about acquiring new retailers but what about our current accounts? Join us in this session to chat with larger and smaller companies about how they nurture and maintain their wholesale accounts.

Don't be afraid of AI! Unlock the potential of ChatGPT to streamline your business operations and enhance customer engagement. This workshop will provide practical insights and real-world examples on integrating AI-driven solutions for efficient, innovative workflows.

As greeting card designers, we have the power to bring visual design and written messages together with causes we are passionate about to deepen the purpose and meaning behind our work. Artistic activism merges creativity, imagination, and cultural expression to raise awareness, inspire action, or provoke dialogue on critical issues. In this panel discussion, you’ll hear from makers about how they’ve created art that connects people through shared experiences, helps people express complicated feelings and ideas, and engages, enchants, and invites participation to advance causes. You’ll also hear about the responses they’ve received from customers, including how they found parallel audiences that elevated their brands. You’ll walk away with inspiration and understand how creativity, culture, and the arts are powerful forces that anyone can leverage.Using Artistic Activism to Deepen Purpose and Meaning Panel