Rifle Paper Company started with a wedding invitation, a college dropout, and a garage.

Today, they are a multi-million dollar company with hundreds of staff and millions of customers.

The founders of Rifle Paper Company, Nathan and Anna Bond, are in their mid-30s, have three children under the age of four, and started their company after her design of their wedding invitation was in high demand by other couples.

But well before they even met, Nathan wanted to be a songwriter for a living. He started playing guitar in middle school and at the age of 17, he started a band with his best friend. They didn’t even have a name for their band, but on the way to their first gig, they heard a commercial on the radio featuring Dan Marino. Nathan was a Miami Dolphins fan anyway, so they spontaneously decided to name themselves Band Marino.

Growing up in Orlando, Nathan chose to attend the University of Central Florida. But as he was working his way through college, Band Marino was gaining steam and started opening regionally for larger acts and building a following. So, Nathan decided to drop out of college and tour. 

While Nathan’s music was taking off, Anna’s design skills were as well. She was working on a magazine, moved to Orlando for a job, and eventually met Nathan through mutual friends. She was doing freelance design, including for Band Marino and other bands around town.

When they got married in 2009, Anna designed a really unique wedding invitation, that looked kind of like a band poster. She painted Nathan and herself into a scene. 

“I don’t know if anyone had quite done a [a wedding invitation] quite that way before,” said Nathan. “It got picked up by a lot of blogs. Kind of got passed around the internet a lot.”

Anna started getting more requests from friends and clients asking her to do their wedding invitations. Nathan started helping her. They realized they could turn this style into a full-on brand and not just be limited to wedding invitations.

On a whim, Anna flew to New York for a national stationery show. 

“She walked around, came back and said: ‘yea I think we can be really successful in this world. There’s nothing really like us. I think everyone will respond really well … I think we can succeed in this world.’”

Nathan decided to hang up the band. Within 6 months, Rifle Paper Company launched their brand, full website, and greeting cards. They were working out of his parent’s garage during the run-up. (Don’t get rid of your garage if you want your kids to be an entrepreneur!) Then they opened a tiny little office in Winter Park.

Over the next few years, the business boomed. They then opened what is their current office (with a store) in Winter Park, Florida. A few years later, as the growth continued, they opened a warehouse in nearby Maitland, to help move even more product.

In 2015, Vanity Fair called them “the most popular stationer on the internet.” That same year, Forbes named Nathan a “top 30 under 30” in retail. They have been featured in Fast Company, Garden & Gun, Inc. 5000, and many other media sources.

Rifle Paper Company started with stationery, but they expanded into many other products. Their design work is now featured on everything from iPhone cases, rugs, home goods, and have become one of the largest lifestyle brands on and off the web.

They are getting more into home and more into licensing and are expanding Rifle to be more of a lifestyle brand. While they certainly have male customers, the end user of the Rifle Paper Company brand is almost entirely female. Their talent and skills spurred an organic rise of a multi-million dollar company with hundreds of staff and millions of customers. 

They didn’t wait for a college degree to put their talent into action. They saw an opportunity. They started with one product and organically scaled up.

The story of Rifle Paper Company demonstrates one doesn’t necessarily need a college degree to be successful– but that doesn’t mean learning doesn’t still need to come in other forms.

“I think it’s good to read and engage your mind in serious and interesting questions about life, not just reading books about how to make more money or be a better business person or be a better manager and all those things. Those things are good, I think,” said Nathan. “I think it’s important to engage your mind on more interesting things as well. I think it gives you a broader perspective on what you’re up to because it’s important you know why you’re a business person, what value you’re bringing by being one … it helps you make sense of your own life so that you can then do a better job at it.”

How can we help you build a broader perspective? The Fearless Journeys community brings people together through books and travel, but also by connecting you with innovative entrepreneurs who serve as mentors and guides. Start that journey today by joining the Fearless Journeys community. Or, drop me a line and let’s find a way to put you on the path towards bringing the world your creative pursuits.