Category: Networking

SKIP SMALL TALK, HAVE BETTER CONVERSATIONS: DR. CHERINI GHOBRIAL’S CARD STORY

SKIP SMALL TALK, HAVE BETTER CONVERSATIONS

Small talk sucks! The unCURATED card game conquers chitchat once and for all!

unCURATED is a memento to late nights on the porch, where an exchange of meaningful stories forged better conversations, deep-rooted relationships, and stronger connections.

Its founder and creator, Dr. Cherini Ghobrial, hopes that each card pulled moves you closer to a solidified emotional foundation and further away from surface-level interactions.

About Dr. Cherini Ghobrial, Creator & Founder of unCURATED

After graduating from pharmacy school, where she earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, Dr. Ghobrial wanted to pursue health beyond physical wellness. Her current journey tackles the small-talk crisis.

The unCURATED card game is three rounds of creative questions designed to spark meaningful conversations, cultivate connection, and tend to all things essential to our emotional wellness.

My hope for unCURATED is that by creating spaces to ask better questions, together, we can create spaces where we can be seen, where we can see others, and where we can see ourselves more deeply. Where we can realize our shared belonging to each other, and remind each other that we’re not alone. –Dr. Cherini Ghobrial

At the beginning of the creative process, Dr. Ghobrial was unsure how impactful or far-reaching unCURATED would be. But her vision became crystal clear once she realized how much humans resent small talk. Conquering unpleasant pleasantries with more thought-provoking questions, unCURATED allows a genuine interconnection to enter the chat.

Our Small World Moment

There’s no better feeling than seeing a client’s card game being played and enjoyed. –Shuffled Ink Staff

By chance, hundreds of miles away from Shuffled Ink‘s Orlando manufacturing facility, one of our employees spotted Dr. Ghobrial’s unCURATED decks at Valor Coffee in Downtown Alpharetta, Georgia.

The wonderful humans at this brick-and-mortar shop think the world of unCURATED’s mission and have happily offered the game for several years now.

“I remember packing and shipping those cards,” our team member said. “So, it was really cool to see her game out in the real world.”

Say Hello! Find unCURATED At These Locations

Since launching in 2019 and winning the Plywood Presents: Idea Competition in Atlanta, the unCURATED card game has shipped across the globe to countless individuals and businesses.

So, whether you spot the deck by coincidence or pop into one of its East Coast vendors, be sure to grab a deck, join a group, and start connecting!

If we manufactured your card project and you would like us to share your Card Story on our blog, feel free to connect with our Marketing Team here.

ACE THE BRANDING PROCESS WITH CUSTOM PLAYING CARDS, TAROT, & MORE

Branded Playing Cards for This Dream House Ohio Radio Show

SHUFFLEDINK Guests on THIS DREAM HOUSE Ohio Radio Show

We do everything to help (our clients) create what they see in their minds. Charles Levin, Shuffled Ink Founder & President

Get To Know Us Better!

Shuffled Ink is a multigenerational family business with an unwavering, decades-old mission: to provide an unparalleled experience in customer service and product quality to ensure that all clients’ card visions meet reality.See what our clients are saying about the services, product quality and pricing we offer: Shuffled Ink Google Reviews.

FAMILY ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND FOUNDING SHUFFLED INK: CHARLES LEVIN’S CARD STORY

FAMILY ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND FOUNDING SHUFFLED INK

(top row, left to right) Charles, Matthew, Jonathan; (bottom row, left to right) Lori, Lisa, Melissa

In December 1999, Charles Levin, Founder & President of Shuffled Ink (formerly known as QPC Games), was raising three girls and two boys, ranging in age from one to 12. As a marketer living in the top U.S. travel destination (Orlando, Florida), he wanted to create an alternative to brochures and discount books.

He believed that custom-printed playing cards could deliver impactful marketing and branding applications, educational usefulness, and of course, fun-filled family game nights.

This thought, matched with an eager, entrepreneurial mindset, kickstarted Charles’ very first custom card project: advertisement playing cards, or Super Deck.

Charles’ Card Story: From Concept to Reality

The purpose of Super Deck was to promote and elevate tourist hotspots and establishments in the Orlando area. The original pack consisted of a map and cards with discounts and coupons for local attractions, dinner shows, restaurants, shopping, golf, and recreation. Soon after pitching the concept to prospective vendors, Charles had secured the marketing deck in 90 percent of Orlando hotel rooms.

Throughout the early 2000s, Shuffled Ink’s first employees were his 5 children: Melissa, Lori, Matthew, Lisa and Jonathan. The Levin family would regularly clear off the dining room table and use the space to create playing card prototypes and other related personalized products.

As sales blossomed and new opportunities arose, Charles moved the business into his three-car garage. For several years, this is where all marketing, sales, administration, and shipping took place.

For the past 9 years, Charles and his team of production facilitators, project managers and graphic designers have operated in an 8,000 square-foot office and production facility in Orlando, Florida. By Summer 2022, we are expanding into a 35,800 square-foot manufacturing and office space in Winter Garden, Florida.

Charles’ business model has changed quite a bit since Super Deck. Today, Shuffled Ink specializes in printing custom playing cardstarot and flash cardspackaging, and more for businesses and individuals worldwide.

Family Entrepreneurship: The Shuffled Ink Team

Three of Charles’ kids are still involved at Shuffled Ink today.

Matthew, his oldest son, moved back to Orlando from New York City in 2016 to help him run the business as Chief Executive Officer. His daughter Lisa worked at the company part-time for many years but now oversees all customer services as Vice President of Sales. And youngest son, Jonathan, assists behind-the-scenes in the manufacturing facility.

“Throughout the past 22+ years, my kids’ incredible contributions and influence have added to the existence, growth, and success of Shuffled Ink.”  –Charles Levin, Shuffled Ink Founder & President
The Levin Family (left to right): Charles, Lisa, Matthew and Jonathan Levin

Get To Know Us Better!

Shuffled Ink is a multigenerational family business with an unwavering, decades-old mission: to provide an unparalleled experience in customer service and product quality to ensure that all clients’ card visions meet reality.

See what our clients are saying about the services, product quality and pricing we offer: Shuffled Ink Google Reviews.

To receive complimentary samples of our card products, include your delivery address and phone number on your custom quote request form.

If we manufactured your card project and you would like us to share your Card Story on our blog, feel free to connect with our Marketing Team here.

HOW TO MAKE A GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION WHEN NETWORKING

HOW TO MAKE A GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION WHEN NETWORKING

Networking can be difficult and, sometimes, very awkward. You don’t want to be too forward, and you can’t be too passive. Networking is a paradox. You have to thread the needle between arrogance and insecurity. 

How do you make a great first impression when networking? Easier said than done. You never have a second chance at a first impression. But don’t worry, Shuffled Ink is here to make sure that the first impression is the right one.

WHY DO FIRST IMPRESSIONS MATTER?

You can’t overestimate the importance of first impressions. People make snap judgments about you, judgments that are tough to change. But those who you’ve met are more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt if you start off strong with them. And, of course, it is always nice to have some goodwill “cash in the bank” so to speak for when you do, inevitably, make a mistake. This is true both personally and professionally. “A strong first impression,” says Dorie Clark (the author of Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future) “gives you more latitude to be human.”

STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD WITH BRANDED COLLATERAL

Everyone hands out business cards and pens. There’s nothing new there. But, on the other hand, what about offering people something unique? Something they can actually use? We specialize in creating customized playing cards that can be made to include your company’s logo and other information. Custom playing cards offer a creative alternative to boring old business cards which is sure to stand out in people’s minds. Not only that but they also pay some serious dividends because every time anyone uses them they will think of you and your business.

DON’T BE LATE

This one is an oldie but a goodie. If you’re meeting someone new, they probably aren’t interested in hearing your excuse for being late, regardless of how good. Leave early and give yourself some wiggle room to account for traffic jams and other possible delays.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

If you’re meeting someone new, it is essential to do your homework. Know who you’re meeting and what they care about. If you’re going in for an interview, focus on demonstrating both your knowledge of the problem (i.e., the one you’re being hired to fix) and how your particular skill set puts you in the perfect position to solve it. Two or three talking points are usually enough. Any more and you might dilute the conversation. No one is ever going to remember everything that you said so it is better to make a few major points rather than a number of minor ones. These talking points will vary, obviously depending on the situation but a good rule of thumb is to focus on your strategic planning abilities, your business-knowledge and your general grasp of the situation at hand.

FIND A COMMONALITY

Find something in common. It may feel a bit Machiavellian to research the interests of the person who you’re going to be speaking to beforehand. But it isn’t. Especially if you can find something – on Facebook, LinkedIn or elsewhere – that you both share. Authenticity here is key. You don’t want to say “I love golf” only because you know your interviewer is a golfer. If they ask you about the specifics, you are likely to end up looking either silly or like a liar.

MASTER YOUR BODY LANGUAGE

If you’re not usually a very confident person that’s okay, there are some steps you can take to help yourself out and tamp down anxiety. Try, for example, the power of posing method to help calm yourself down before a big meeting. The key is to appear both confident and comfortable.

For more new and creative ways to network better and make a great first impression, hit the button below! 

● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk

● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk

● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInk