Top 10 Quotes by Mariam Naficy

Unlike Etsy, which is all handmade, we print and ship the products, not the designers. We relieve the designer from having to make and ship everything, package it, and provide customer service. All the designer has to do is submit art and keep doing what they love doing.

Minted.com is both a global design community and stationery retailer. Independent graphic designers from all over the world submit designs to our ongoing design competitions, and Minted's community votes to tell us what to sell.

Over the years, I observed that many talented graphic designers, including those in my own family, had difficulty getting their designs to market. I thought it would be possible to hold open stationery design competitions where all designers could participate.

At age 28, I had no retail experience, no consumer marketing experience and no real Internet experience. But I decided I wanted to work for myself. I felt starting a company would enable me to get the responsibility I deserved and that I couldn't do that within the confines of a bigger company.