In a Self-absorbed World, This is Why Personalization Matters

I had the opportunity recently to write an introduction for our company to share with a new-to-us networking group.

As a detail person, it’s quite a challenge to craft our elevator pitch. I get excited by the different kinds of lasers that we have, the materials suited to each one, the arduous process of dialing in the settings for each material—speed, power, lines per inch—that give the most beautiful and consistent results; 9,000 ways to mess up full color printing (I have at least 297 under my belt so far), and my pitter-pat favorite, gold leaf

(I learned an amazing thing about how thin gold leaf is, and shared it with you towards the end of this—you’re not gonna believe it!).

But distilling our who/what/why is one of those essential tasks. When you think about it, every business and profession does it. When’s the last time that a cardiologist, when asked what he does, responded by discussing the different kinds of tools he uses or the mechanics of the heart and everything that can go wrong? Ha—never! He’ll simply say that he’s a heart doctor or a cardiologist. Either way, he understands his big picture, and so does anyone who hears him say it.

The irony is not lost on me for a second that as a writer all my life, and having low-key coached many businesses over the years, that I struggle to string together a few coherent words to explain our own business. It's a huge challenge, but if you don’t do it well, things can go off the rails quickly. When we were Etown Laser, more than one person thought we were a spa of sorts. 😂

In the course of writing our business intro, I wrenched myself out of my professional voice, and wrote from the heart about the stuff I hold dear and have written about for the last 20 years. Writing usually brings clarity, doesn't it? (Note to self: write more.) So here’s the deal:

Names are everything.

Names form us and shape us. They tell us who we are, what we are about, and who we can be. People often grow up and into their names, whether that’s a high bar, or a low one.

Names are so significant that when God is doing a really big thing with someone, He’ll give them a new name. Simon became Peter, Saul became Paul, Robert became Leo. Names are everything.

Whether it’s your own name, the name of somebody else, your business name, your school name, the name of your parish, or even your puppy—names are how we relate to each other. Names are how we identify each other. It’s how I know you’re talking to me and not the person sitting next to me.

So when we talk about how we’re a personalization company, it might sound really shallow on the surface, but it isn't at all. It’s a privilege and it’s an honor to be entrusted with someone's name. We work very hard to make sure that our design and technical execution is sound and worthy of the names that come through our shop.

A personalized gift is so much more than just the item: it’s seeing the other, it’s connection, it’s joy, delight, blessing, and it's love; it's where we touch hearts.

And what a wonderful thing that is.