Stickers, stationery and good luck with the sticky rice sisters

This is part of our #SmileABCs series highlighting and in-depth with small business and e-commerce brands. View the full series here.

Sticky Rice Sisters was also featured as one of our amazing vendors in our newsletter Talking shop. If you want to hear more small business stories and advice from their founders, be sure to subscribe to Talking Shop.

What do you get when you combine culture, stationery and two sisters with the determination to make things happen? You get Sticky Rice Sisters. This adorable sticker brand was born from sisters Koyun and Cochin Fan’s love for beautiful stickers inspired by their Taiwanese roots.

“Growing up in Taiwan, I always had easy access to cute stickers and stationery, so I thought I should bring them to the US and share Taiwanese culture with others.” co-founder Koyun tells us: Growing up, the pair received stickers from their parents or teachers as rewards. They fell in love with collecting stickers, making sticker books, and eventually started buying them for their friends in the US when they moved to school there. Sisters years later almost forgot their love for stickers until one day they were reminded.

Koyun was looking for stickers and cards to write to children for the Cards of Hope program she volunteers for. “I came across Etsy shops selling products I was familiar with and noticed that a lot of them were from Asia,” Koyun shares. Being a marketing professional himself, Koyun thought this would be a fun opportunity to work outside of work. From there, she teamed up with her sister Cochin and the Sticky Rice Sisters brand was born, now offering stickers, washi tape and tons of stationery.

Staying together from all over the world

If you are a small business owner or know that running one is hard work. For the Sticky Rice sisters, Koyun and Cochin, this was no different. They each balance managing the store while maintaining full-time jobs. And did we mention that they do it from opposite sides of the world?

Koyun runs the e-commerce store in San Francisco, California, in partnership with her sister Cochin, who lives in Taiwan and helps with sourcing and inventory. The pair must not only coordinate communication with each other, but also communicate with their brand community.

Koyun and Cochin often interact with their customers through Instagram Live, sharing new products, answering questions, and just taking time to connect with their fans. They are also active on Facebook, Tik Tok and Pinterest, allowing customers to reach them wherever they are.

Koyun and Kochin began sharing their passion and culture with others, but somewhere along the way, they were also inspired by their customers. “There’s no right or wrong way to use stickers or stationery, and we love seeing how others use them. We don’t see ourselves as the most creative or crafty people, so our customers are constantly inspiring us with their creations.”

Despite being separated by the Pacific Ocean, the two sisters have managed to create a thriving online community with customers all over the world.

Sticky points

Sticky Rice Sisters launched their loyalty program Sticky Points in January 2022 to reward repeat customers. Customers earn 10 sticker points for every dollar they spend, and can also earn points for signing up, following on Instagram and celebrating birthdays.

Customers can also receive discounts through the brand’s referral program. Both referring and referred customers earn a $5 reward Sticky Rice Sisters took advantage of the referral program.

How to Build the Best Referral Program in 2023

Implementing a world-class referral rewards program gives your customers the incentive they need to start recommending your store to their friends.

Advice for business owners

The Sticky Rice Sisters celebrated their third working birthday in July 2022, and it’s safe to say they’ve learned a few things along the way. “It’s crazy to think that we started the store with less than 20 products and now have over 2,000 different stickers, washi tape and stationery!” From maintaining work-life balance to celebrating your wins, Koyun shares some of the most important lessons she’s learned.

“Simply reach out through social media, email, or any other way to let customers know you’re there so they can support you. There are definitely times when we want to give up, but we keep pushing forward and trying different things because you never know what’s going to happen next,” Koyun tells us.

After starting a new full-time job in 2021, Koyun had to learn how to prioritize the store outside of her job. Her biggest piece of advice to other small business owners who may be balancing other jobs is to have clear processes. “Fortunately, we had a process in place for new releases, content creation and inventory, so we were able to run the store efficiently.”

We know starting a business can be intimidating. But Koyun challenges you to just start and learn as you go. “You’ll never be 100% ready, so just start now and learn and improve as you go. If you keep waiting for ‘the right moment’ or waiting for ‘you’ll be ready,’ you’ve already lost time that could have been used to learn on the job or make mistakes.” After all, the best ideas are often born out of ‘failure’.

“Not many people will know you at first, so it doesn’t matter what you do, you can try anything you want and find out what works and what doesn’t. As you have more customers or followers, you will start to get better and they will also help you, encourage you and support you. Just start and learn as you go.”

Sticky Rice Sisters was also featured as one of our amazing vendors in our newsletter Talking shop. If you want to hear more small business stories and advice from their founders, be sure to subscribe to Talking Shop.