We had the good fortune of connecting with Lesley Peterson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lesley, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The single most important decision I made to help Inclosed grow was to focus on one product instead of multiple items. At one point I was offering Wedding Invitations, Greeting Cards, and Desk Accessories. It was way too much energy and resources to sustain let alone grow. Concentrating on our most popular product, Charmpad, we were able to increase our margins by keeping everything in house and narrowing in on marketing just one thing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Inclosed is a feminine brand who helps busy women, including myself, stay on top of life’s to do’s so we don’t go cuckoo! Our overall design is fun, purposeful, and simple. At 41, I feel like I finally found my girl gang of like minded women who want to be part of our story. Whether it’s a busy mom, a lady boss, or even a tween who wants to add cute notes to her planner, we offer tools to help them get through their day and it’s personalized to them which makes our Charmpads even more special.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Omaha is a hidden gem! We have an amazing art community filled with diverse backgrounds and Omaha rallies behind our artists and makers. The first place we would go to is the Cottonwood Hotel in the Blackstone District- which is an area of Omaha that is all local bars, restaraunts and businesses. I would then travel to Ashland, Nebraska which has the sweetest small town with darling local shops, a winery, bakery – it’s the cutest.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Without my family support, Inclosed would not be producing happy paper goods, at all. I grew up in the printing industry so I already knew a little about process and systems, but I also saw the dedication it took to start a business. My mom and dad started their printing business in our garage, my mom also had a full time nursing job and worked the night shift which meant I either watched my baby sister or helped my dad ship orders. I always chose to help ship orders. lol. Now my dad prints our Charmpads and my mom helps me with fulfillment – it’s funny how life comes full circle.

Website: https://inclosedco.com/

Instagram: @inclosed

Other: We have a sister gift box brand – Charmlet. a personalized gift to send to all your friends who also love making lists! Website here: https://charmlet.co/

Image Credits
All Images are by local Omaha photographer and friend Daniel Muller.

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