Star McMurtry
Taylor Design & Stationery, in Franklin
This 31-year-old Milwaukee native didn’t start out wanting to own her own business; in 2016, she was just a bride who wanted her wedding stationery designed just so — and quickly realized she wasn’t alone.
Six of McMurtry’s friends became brides in the same year and they asked her to design their wedding stationery.
Their trust and positive feedback led McMurtry to start a business.
In the beginning, McMurtry had to pay for all of her materials out of pocket and go through the ups and downs of branding and promotion.
Now the self-described perfectionist works from home, has a website and has made a name for herself incorporating color and style trends into her designs.
McMurtry specializes in wedding merchandise — invitations, save the date cards and acrylic signs — as well as personal stationery, journals, planners, notebooks and notepads.
She said she gets the most compliments on her intricate designs, quality binding and ability to empathize with the pressures of being a bride.
Her advice?
“If you want to start a business, I would definitely tell you to just start it. Don’t allow the fact that you don’t have the funding deter you from starting,” she said. “(Be) patient. (Be) content with where you are. (Be) open with making mistakes. You won’t always get it right, but the key is to learn from those mistakes.”
Contact Talis Shelbourne at (414) 223-5261 or tshelbourn@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @talisseer and Facebook at @talisseer.