Meet Monica Fallone | Card Concierge

Starting my business began with a major life change: moving back to my hometown of San Diego. With that life change in the spring of 2020, I began to think about how I wanted to use my time and talents in a way that filled me with joy while allowing me the flexibility to start a family.

The key was pursuing something that I thoroughly enjoy doing to tackle a new challenge. Helping others has always been a value of mine, so I figured I would stay within the nonprofit sector. I candidly did not intend on starting my own business. Then, I had a conversation with a dear friend as I contemplated my next career move.

Amanda was dreading writing her wedding thank you cards. I tried to empathize, since I had not gone through the wedding process myself and personally enjoyed sending greeting cards to my loved ones. We laughed in the moment as we realized that I am one of very few people who actually enjoy sending greeting cards. The first glimmer of becoming a Card Concierge flickered. It takes countless hours to physically handwrite every note, to keep track of each guest’s gift, to double check the accurate mailing address, to stuff, to stamp and to mail hundreds of cards. Now having gone through the highs and lows of wedding planning, it’s a luxury to outsource this process and go on a honeymoon vacation knowing that all of the wedding duties are complete. I now wholeheartedly understood Amanda’s sentiment. I wish I could have become a Card Concierge in time to put her at ease.

Unfortunately, it would take a little longer for me to be ready to start my business. For the next six months, the Card Concierge business grew as an idea. In the fall of 2020, I was lucky enough to have a one month sabbatical from my nonprofit job after six years, and returned to my thoughts about what brought me joy. By the end of that reflection month, it was clear… greeting cards. The opportunity to help busy people hand write, assemble, and deliver cards on their behalf, so they can spend time doing the things they love excited me. It’s a fun process that clients can outsource to me during the most important moments of their lives. I knew I had to take a leap of faith and invest in myself. I first invested in learning a new skill that I have admired for a long time. I signed up for an eight week online course to learn the beautiful art of calligraphy.

I have always loved sending cards the old fashioned way, and the many hours sitting at our kitchen table practicing calligraphy has only enhanced that love. After that, I formed an LLC, bought beautiful thank you cards and envelopes, and knew I was on the right path to a joy-filled career.

I am truly grateful for starting Heartfelt Handwriting. I realize now how lucky I am to spend my days doing something that is part passion, part business and a whole lot of love

My goal with Heartfelt is to keep handwritten notes alive. There’s something about receiving a surprise, tangible card in the mail that brings joy into people’s lives, and we all need a little joy right now.

Before last year, I had not considered myself an artistic person (you should see my drawings… stick figures only!) Now that I have learned calligraphy, I recognize that beautiful handwriting is an art, even if it takes many hours to learn. I still practice almost every day as I strive to “perfect” this art. I have even found artistic pleasure in addressing an envelope, with centering the address by eye and finding the accurate spacing that looks aesthetically pleasing. Did you know that it takes calligraphers on average 10 minutes to hand write one envelope? That’s an average time, depending on how many names are included and how long the city, street or states are. Calligraphy is painfully slow. Sometimes, ink can be tricky to get the right consistency needed and the preparation takes time before starting to write. Unlike cursive where a person writes a word continuously, calligraphy breaks each letter down to single strokes, and the artist applies soft or hard pressure depending on a downstroke or upstroke, which adds to the uniqueness and beauty of the art. It also contributes to the cost associated with calligraphy services.

I have thoroughly enjoyed learning calligraphy, as it has been an unexpected means of relaxation for me. Through sharing my calligraphy journey on Instagram, I had so many friends and family who have loved watching my practice and warm up calligraphy videos, stating that it was soothing for them as well. You never know where you might find a way to bring happiness to others.

Whether a customer wants to be involved with the design decisions, or to simply let Heartfelt choose, I aim to make the ordering experience seamless and easy.  Heartfelt offers various handwriting styles to meet people’s aesthetic requests and budget. My goal is to partner with customers to learn about their desired look and to hear how much they want to be involved with the process. Truly anything can be complicated once you dig into the details, and a guiding hand can be helpful. Heartfelt offers various envelope colors, card designs, calligraphy ink colors, stamps, and even heart confetti to add a little something special inside of their card. Often individuals or businesses want to use a personalized or branded card, and can hire handwriting and delivery services A La Carte. Those who want ultimate convenience and to outsource the whole process can purchase a package that includes beautiful stationery. I have partnered with local San Diego card designers and created custom sized 5×7 thank you cards, as most thank you cards that are purchased in a box at the store are often a small 4×5 size. There’s something about having a substantial thank you card size that adds to the beauty and importance of the delivery. It also creates an excitement to open and see what’s inside!

As a do-it-for-you service, Heartfelt differentiates itself from other calligraphers by offering full service options – hence the “concierge” aspect of Card Concierge.
My full suite of services also include addressing the envelope, handwriting the card message, stuffing the envelope, adding a postal stamp, and delivering to the post office. People are so busy, that the idea of someone else taking care of this long process is appealing. A huge perk offered with this full service is that each customer receives a personalized view where they will see a picture of every single card mailed!

With Heartfelt, I’m most excited to help others through this daunting and time consuming task. This service is perfect for engaged or pregnant couples who will need to write hundreds of thank you cards, or for nonprofits that host fundraising galas and want to send a beautiful card of gratitude to their generous donors. This is also tremendously helpful for busy business owners who want to enhance their customer experience by mailing a birthday card, thank you card or welcome card, anything to show their clients some love. At the end of the day, I appreciate helping others show how important a personal relationship or professional contact is through a thoughtful and timely gesture.

A key lesson that I have learned along the way is that gratitude permeates all parts of our lives, even in the most tragic moments. While I lived in the Bay Area, I was a volunteer with the non-profit called CHEER San Francisco. One of my teammates referred me to their best friend, who had just lost her mother and as a busy business owner, was delayed on writing the thank you cards for her mother’s Celebration of Life event. She and her sister hired me to write thank you cards to extend their deepest gratitude to their loved ones. At first, I was so honored that my friend randomly referred my services to support this grieving family. When I connected with the sisters and learned more, I was even more touched that they had asked guests to donate in their mom’s honor to St. Jude’s. It opened my eyes to the untapped need of supporting grieving families at a time of loss, while also helping a family send their generous loved ones joy in the mail through a heartfelt thank you. This was a proud and touching moment for me, and I look forward to helping more people through all of life’s occasions.

Although I’ve coined myself as the Card Concierge and personally mail cards for all occasions, my business primarily focuses on gratitude. I think there’s something so special about showing appreciation to those who have been kind and generous. Whether it’s a wedding thank you, a note to express employee or volunteer appreciation, or a thank you to generous donors who have supported a nonprofit organization, it is important to send a prompt and heartfelt thank you. With my services, I believe I can help others not only express gratitude, but also enhance their gratitude. With Heartfelt Handwriting, my customers can send the perfect message without impairing that experience with the natural aversion to the tedious work that I happen to love. It has been shown that expressing gratitude leads to a happier life, and I am thankful to have found a way to be part of that process. When someone hires Heartfelt, they’re hiring a human who cares about community and spreading joy to others.