#foilblock

Before I get started however I should mention that I’m taking a slightly different approach to my blog this time round. I’m not going to be sharing this on social media. Instead it will be a space of solitude — if a public blog can ever be such a thing.

A warm welcome to those of you that have accidentally stumbled upon my blog. My name is Dan, I’m now 30 and for over 12 years I’ve lived with an undiagnosed health condition. 

The last time I wrote on here I wasn’t sure where my career was heading. I needed a job where I could work flexibly around my condition, but those kind of jobs aren’t easy to come by. That’s when, cutting a very long story short, Becks and I decided to create one!

Jot Paper Co. is a design and print studio specialising in hot-foil, letterpress & Risograph stationery. We knew whatever business we started had to be product-led. That way work wouldn’t come to grinding halt whenever I have a relapse. 

With a restored hot-foil machine we started designing and printing greetings cards and in a few short years Beck and I have moved Jot from our one-bed London flat, to my parent’s garden shed, to a humble studio space in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle. We now supply our products to stores across the world and despite there being a long way to go until Jot is fulfilling its creative and financial potential, I’m incredibly proud to call myself co-founder and director of Jot.

There’s a lot more to this story, most of which focuses around the sacrifices Becks has made to allow Jot to exist. But for now I really should crack on with some work so I want to leave you with a couple reasons I couldn’t be happier with our decision to start a business: 

I no longer have to rely on disability benefits.