Jessica May Walker
In this digital age, it’s surprising to find greeting card aisles at every grocery store, drugstore, and big box retailer in the U.S. While mom-and-pop card and gift stores struggled during the pandemic, the market is on an upswing and projected to reach 13.4 billion by 2027. Cards tied to specific events surged as people craved connection and authentic messaging while social distancing, a clear indicator that digital can’t replace everything, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.
When Jessica May Walker took a part-time job at an NYC gift shop in 2017, little did she know that it would change the trajectory of her life. It was near her apartment, which enabled her to be near her husband, Tommy, who had been recently diagnosed with stage 3 esophageal cancer, a rare diagnosis with a 5% survival rate. Jessica, then 26, fell in love with paper cards but noticed that most get-well greetings were very serious and didn’t speak to a younger audience. That void sparked an idea.“I wanted to design funny, almost irreverent cancer cards because Tommy was very funny, and we used dark humor and laughter to get through challenging times,” she said.
Jessica didn’t have an art background and knew nothing about starting a business. Nor did it seem like she had the money to do it, as the newlyweds were drowning in medical debt. Still, she was on a mission to help people express their love and support to others when their own words failed them. “When someone is going through a tough time, it’s difficult to know the right thing to say. Often, nothing is said because of it. A tasteful joke on a card can transition into a meaningful conversation.”
Businesses are often born from a desire to solve a problem and to fill a gap in the market. Jessica “googled her heart out” and learned graphic design online using an iPad. She opened an Etsy shop and launched her business with $150 to purchase small batches of cardstock, ink, envelopes, and shipping materials. The first five designs she offered were printed on their home printer. One card had an illustration of gold stars with the caption, “Unfortunately for cancer, you’re a rockstar.” Another featured a pink bra and read, “Cancer messed with the wrong boobs.”
Five Dot Post Cards
The newlywed, who up until this point had been working actors, had no idea that her part-time passion project intended to offset the couple’s financial burden would turn into a full-fledged, prosperous business. In just one month, her Etsy shop was booming. “As sales began to snowball, I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes of building a business, strategizing, and KPIs, concepts I knew nothing about before starting my company.” She also joined a business mastermind, and in six months, she was able to quit her job at the gift shop to focus on her growing business.
By 2019, her card sales solely supported their household, and running her own company allowed Jessica to stay home and care for Tommy. She drew inspiration from him when deciding on a name for her new eCommerce site. “When Tommy had to get five tattoo dots on his chest for his first radiation procedure, I decided to get five tattoo dots on my arm. It was a daily reminder that while he was the one in treatment, this was our fight,” she said. Five Dot Post’s purpose was clear to her: to keep people connected to each other during the good, bad, and messy moments of life.
In a sea of 2.1 million sellers vying for the attention of 40 million buyers on Etsy, how did Jessica’s business defy the norm? She attributes it to being a quick study and learning through action and experience. Jessica also waited to scale her business until she had generated enough money in sales. And she’s scrappy. “I had no funding or support other than a small first run of the medical planner I designed, which my mom paid for.”
Trusting her instincts paid off. People still love handwritten cards and will spend the time and money to select ones with the perfect message, especially when someone they love is experiencing hardship.
On Thanksgiving of 2021, her husband lost his battle with cancer. As Jessica navigated grieving, she took time off work as the team she brought on processed and shipped orders. Support flooded in from friends, family, and strangers. The Today Show took interest in Five Dot Post after a video of Tommy’s surprise vow renewal for Jessica went viral on social media. “I love that people who liked and shared the video connect with not only my brand but also my story and Tommy’s heart.” Serial entrepreneur, CEO and founder of The Pink Ceiling Cindy Eckert dedicated her annual Pink Box to Five Dot Post, getting the company into the hands of dozens of celebrities and public figures.
Tommy and Jessica
Today, the company sells over 350 designs for birthdays, holidays, graduations, and the cancer cards that started it all. Over 200 retailers and hospital gift shops across the U.S., Canada, and the UK carry their cards. She is focused on expanding wholesale and is working with a distributor servicing 13 markets in Asia.
While her business journey has been bittersweet, Jessica is motivated daily by the ability to carry out Tommy’s legacy. “I am most inspired when people purchase my cards about beating cancer and being cancer-free. I feel like I’m spreading a bit of Tommy’s light with every order.”
