Small Business feature: The story of me design

Lets meet the face behind the business:

I am Sadhna Baskali. I am a Foundation Phase Educator as well as a Qualified Graphic Designer, although I am currently taking a sabbatical from teaching to raise my 2 sons. It’s through their birth that The Story of Me was born too. As babies, I struggled to find suitable Journals to record their milestones. I found that most were only inclusive of their first year of life and asked for lots of irrelevant information to be recorded. (I mean, I really wasn’t interested in remembering the exact date that each of their 20 milk teeth popped out!)

So during my free time… (Just kidding! I had 2 boys under 2! I had no free time!) What I mean is, once everyone was asleep, I slowly began to design a Journal suitable for my own requirements and then had it printed.

Many of my friends who saw my books asked if I would print them copies and eventually, after a few nudges (read shoves) from family and friends, I decided to share my little love project with other Moms too!

From there, my little baby Journal grew and evolved and I poured my love for being organized into new creations. I now currently have a Weekly Life Planner, Pregnancy Journal, 0-5 year Journal and a Primary School Journal available.

I have also recently added Party Designs, Milestone Boards, Business Logos and Ad Design to my list of options.

  • The wonderful thing about the internet is that anything we want can be accessible to us. My Journals, once ordered, are personalized with your/your child’s name and can be delivered to you anywhere in South Africa. And if you really want them to, they can travel anywhere in the world. I have been so humbled to have my Journals sent all the way to Australia and England.

All Digital Files are emailed in High resolution Jpeg format.

You can view all my products via the following options:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thestoryofmejournals

Instagram: @the_story_of_me_journals

Website: https://sadz22.wixsite.com/thestoryofme

Here are a few random facts about me that will allow you to get to know me a bit better:

I live in a little beach town on the South Coast of KZN and love starting my day with a long road run or at my local Crossfit Box.

I’ve always loved being creative, painting and crafting. I am a huge Harry Potter fan and reread the series every year! (Don’t tell me you don’t do the same, you Muggle?!)

Seafood pasta is my favourite meal and I loved a chilled glass of Prosecco. I live for holidays and adventures and being barefoot outdoors keeps me grounded and energized.

I used to teach Grade 3 before giving it up and I hope to get back to it once my boys start school. In the meantime I have been playing with Photoshop and creating magical, whimsical photos for my kids.

You can follow me, my family and all our adventures on Instagram @champagne_and_chaos

How had Covid affected my business?

  • In the midst of me launching My Perfect Planner, we went into Lockdown in March 2020. This meant that printers were closed and many people had pre-ordered Planners. It most definitely impacted the effectiveness and success of my launch.

Fortunately though, being a completely online store, ordering and liaising is convenient and safe as we communicate online.

Having products delivered straight to your door means that you don’t have to leave home either.