This month we’re focusing on Rachel & Warren from Love Loss Discoballs. I met Warren earlier in the year at a GCA Dragons Event and immediately loved their bright cards and unique outlook. Placing our first order this money at PG Live, I’m delighted to now be stocking these wonderful cards.
To get to know Rachel & Warren and their business a little bit more, here’s a little interview we did with them :
Tell me a little bit about yourselves.
We’re Rachel & Warren Hart-Phillips – a husband-and-wife team based in Liverpool although Warren is originally from Surrey. Warren is the designer and has worked in graphic design all his career after studying it at Uni. Rachel studied law but went into business development and account management – so we have a great range of skills and experience between us for running a card business! We got married in Ibiza (our favourite place!) last year and live with our five-year-old son Jonny, pet cat Bettie and fish, Finn.
How did you get into doing what you’re doing?
We’ve both suffered a lot of profound loss over the years and have received a lot of sympathy cards – which we didn’t think reflected us, or the people we’d lost at all. We’d dreamed of starting a meaningful business together and one day Rachel was drafting an Instagram post about a bright card her friend had got her after her first husband died, and how it really helped her. That was the spark of it – and with our backgrounds it was just such a great fit for us to design our own range of modern, uplifting sympathy and support cards.
What does a ‘normal’ day look like?
We have absolutely no idea! Haha! We only launched in January this year so we’re still finding our feet and establishing a routine now things are getting busier for us with customers and orders. We’ve had lots of pop-up shops and our first trade shows so every day looks very different at the moment! But we’re loving it all - especially building relationships with all of our lovely stockists like Chirpy!
Biggest achievement to date?
For the business the biggest thing so far was getting a last-minute spot on the ‘Dragons Speed Dating’ event, where you get to pitch your designs to retail buyers. We only found out with a day to spare, and we didn’t even have a business card, so it was like an episode of The Apprentice pulling an all-nighter to get our sample packs ready! But we managed and Warren absolutely smashed it and we even got some mentions in Progressive Greetings Magazine. It was such timely validation that we were doing something that the industry needed - and it gave us so much confidence.
Where can we find your cards?
We’re currently stocked in lots of amazing indies (like Chripy!) from the Highlands down to the South Coast and we’ll soon be in Postmark too and are talking to lots of other retailers. You can also shop on our website (loivelossdiscoballs.co.uk) or wholesale on Faire.
Favourite card you’ve designed / most popular card design?
I think our original ‘You’re not broken; You are a disco ball’ card will always be a personal favourite of ours as it was one of the first ideas we had for a card and encapsulates what we are doing and even our brand name. It’s also one of our top sellers. Our other favourite is ‘Here for you Mate’ with the sunset – and we love it when a man buys this card for his friend as we’re really trying to encourage this.
Have you seen any changing card trends over the last 12 months?
Yes, absolutely. One of the biggest shifts we’ve noticed is a growing demand for cards that acknowledge the tougher moments in life. There are so many more cards that reflect mental health awareness, grief, and real-life challenges - especially those that offer comfort without clichés. At the same time, bold colours, playful fonts and meaningful messages are taking centre stage. We feel that customers are looking for cards that stand out visually but still carry real emotional weight.
Why do you think sending cards is still so important?
Because there’s something so powerful about taking the time to put pen to paper. In a world where most messages disappear in a swipe, a card is for keeps and can be treasure forever.
Cards bring about so much connection - especially during life’s hardest or most uncertain moments. They’re small, tangible acts of care that don’t ask for anything in return. A card can carry words that are hard to say out loud and keep emotions safe inside something beautiful.
We believe the right card at the right time can change someone’s day, and sometimes, that really is everything.
Best thing about running your own business?
Definitely being able to build something that feels meaningful. We started LoveLossDiscoballs with a real personal ‘why’ - to create cards that speak to the big, emotional moments in life with honesty, colour and care. So to wake up each day and know we’re doing work that helps people feel seen, supported and less alone is pretty special.
Also, the creative freedom and being able to put our full personalities into what we do! Getting to combine writing, design, grief support and disco balls all under one roof is just magical!
Advice to someone looking to turn their hobby / talent into a business?
Start before you feel ready. You’ll never have all the answers, but momentum builds clarity. If something lights you up or helps people in a way that feels genuine – keep going with it.
Also, let it be yours. It’s easy to get distracted by what others are doing, but the magic is usually in the personal, messy, honest bits. The things that feel most ‘you’ are often what people connect with most.
And lastly, expect it to be hard sometimes, and keep going anyway. The best kind of business is one that means something to you and moves something in others.
Plans for the future?
Our focus right now is growing our card range and keep expanding into new categories - always with meaning at the heart of every design. We want to keep creating cards that help people feel understood in the moments that matter most, especially the ones that are often overlooked or hard to talk about.
We’re also working on building a community around what we do - opening up more conversations around grief, mental health and connection, while keeping things bright, bold and full of heart.
Long term? We'd love to see our cards stocked in even more brilliant independents, to keep collaborating with inspiring people, and to keep reminding the world that even the hardest times can still be colourful.
You can follow LoveLoveDiscoballs HERE to see all the good work they are doing to make difficult conversations easier. They are also proud supporters of Calmzone