Why I’ve Decided to Close My Business

This post has been a long time coming. For over a year I’ve been quietly wrestling with a big decision behind the scenes, one that’s felt like a tug-of-war between identity, values, and growth. And now, finally, I feel ready to share it.

After more than a decade of running my greeting card business, I’ve made the decision to close it down.(Sorry for the clickbait title, Simpl Living Co isn't going anywhere!)

It’s bittersweet. The greeting card business was my life for a long time. It shaped who I am, and it helped me find my feet in the creative world. But ultimately, it no longer aligns with the person I’ve become, and the life I’m building through Simpl Living Co.

Where It All Began

I started my first business when I was 21, freshly out of university after deciding to leave my fashion design course. I’d lost the creative spark that had once drawn me in, but once I left, I craved creativity again.

So I started sewing. I’d find fabric in charity shops, stitch things together, and before long I had a growing pile of handmade pieces. On a bit of a whim, I booked a stall at a local market to see if anyone would buy them. That was the beginning.

Over time, what started as a general gift business slowly evolved into a greeting card business. In 2018, I did my first trade show, and within three years, I was stocked in over 200 retailers around the world. I was VAT registered, shipping over 50 wholesale orders a week, running a pop-up shop, and selling online too.

I’d spent years scraping by, trying everything to make it work with no formal business training and no mentor, just a lot of persistence. Finally, I had momentum. From the outside, it looked like everything was working.

But Something Wasn’t Right

During what should’ve been a high point in the business, things were starting to feel off, both personally and professionally.

At the time, I was in the middle of trying to buy my first home. My landlord had unexpectedly passed away, and complications in the chain nearly caused the sale to fall through at the last moment. I was living in a tiny studio flat, just one room and a bathroom, the only place that would allow dogs. The estate agent had warned me it might feel too small, but it was perfect. I’d simplified my life so much by that point that it felt calm, manageable, and just right.

I was running the business from a separate office space then, and although things were busy, I had a clear boundary between work and home. But everything changed once I finally got the keys to my house and moved in. All my personal belongings and the entire business, stock, packaging, supplies, equipment, were under one roof.

And that’s when the overwhelm really hit.

As a minimalist, I’ve always valued space and calm. But suddenly, my home was filled with stuff. Every room seemed to hold something related to the business, and instead of feeling proud or excited, I felt suffocated. It was the opposite of how I wanted to live.

Around the same time, I started to feel disconnected from the business itself. I was spending most of my time alone, managing everything behind the scenes, packing endless orders, replying to emails. I’d always believed that more growth and more income would bring more happiness. But the more I achieved, the less fulfilled I felt.

Something needed to shift.

Following My Passion for Minimalism

Minimalism had quietly become a huge part of my life. I’d spend evenings watching decluttering videos on YouTube or searching for documentaries on the impacts of overconsumption, both on our wellbeing and the environment. It lit something up in me.

I remember thinking, what if I could build something around this instead? A few days later, I saw an Instagram post about a six-week professional organiser course. It felt like the perfect first step. A bridge from the product-based business I’d outgrown to the service-based business I was starting to envision.

After completing the course and finally moving into my new home, I launched Simpl Living Co in January 2023.

Since then, I’ve helped clients transform their homes, but more importantly, I’ve seen people change their relationship with their space, their things, and even themselves. It’s been fulfilling in a way I never expected. And it quickly became clear: this is the work I’m meant to be doing.

The Pull to Let Go

As Simpl Living Co grew, my card business began to suffer. I was running two websites, two newsletters, two sets of emails, and trying to give 100% to both, but doing neither particularly well. If you’ve ever tried to grow a new business from scratch, you’ll know how much time and energy it takes.

It became clear I couldn’t keep doing both. But closing down a business I’d spent so long building? That was hard. It's taken me at least a year of battling with the idea, and even at the start of 2025, I still wasn’t ready.

But eventually, the decision made itself.

Why It No Longer Feels Aligned

There were two big reasons that helped me finally let go:

1. The physical clutter in my home was becoming too much. As a minimalist, I value calm and clarity in my space. It gives me brain space to think, create, and relax. But having shelves of stock, equipment, and packaging was starting to feel like a contradiction to the life I’m building. My home felt heavy. And I’ve learned to pay attention to that feeling.

2. My mindset around consumption has shifted. I worked hard to make my greeting card business as sustainable as possible, from wildflower seed paper and post-consumer waste stock to compostable packaging made from corn starch. But even with those efforts, I was still selling physical products.

These days, I deeply believe in gifting experiences over things, and that belief has made the "gifting" side of the business harder to stand behind. I still love a beautiful, thoughtful birthday card (and I still send them!), but I also know that my heart isn’t in product-based selling anymore.

Minimalism has played a huge role in shaping who I am today. And I’ve come to see this decision not as a loss, but as a natural part of that evolution.

What’s Next

As I close this chapter, I feel excited. Simpl Living Co is where I want to be, fully. I finally have the headspace to focus, to grow, and to pour my energy into supporting wonderful clients, giving more talks, and helping others simplify their homes and lives in the same way I simplified mine.

To those of you who are just discovering Simpl Living Co or have been following along from the start, I’m so grateful you’re here. I can’t wait to keep growing with you.

With love,Shannon x