May didn’t venture into the world of stationery with a business plan, but with a childhood scrapbook. Growing up obsessed with kawaii culture and cute Sanrio characters, she spent her younger years dreaming up character ideas and sketching layouts of her dream brick-and-mortar shop.
Born into an Asian immigrant family in Australia, May’s path to creative entrepreneurship wasn’t a straight line.
“As a daughter of immigrant parents, I always felt an unspoken pressure to make them proud and pursue a career in one of the trifecta: medicine, law or engineering,” she shared in an Instagram post. Her interest in math and science led her to enrol in an engineering degree. “I quickly realised though, that it was not something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.” “Not wanting to be a disappointment, I aimed to at least finish the degree so they could proudly watch me walk across the stage and graduate,” she added. “But through it all, I felt like I no longer had a sense of direction – what was I going to do next?”
Finding a Purpose
It was during those university years that May stumbled upon the world of ring-bound planners and the planner community. She was overjoyed. “I had finally found my tribe and realised that no, I’m not the only one that is obsessed with stationery and planning!”
Her hobby soon evolved into something more. Never fully satisfied with the paper quality or layouts available on the market, May started designing her own products. They helped her “achieve the elusive planner peace” and stay on top of her engineering assignments. After she posted her planner spreads on Instagram, the influx of positive feedbacks came in. That gave her the confidence to launch May Paper Co. in 2018. “I had finally found my purpose,” May said.
Typography Arts On Paper
May Paper Co. blends minimalist, magazine-style design with typography details to create notebooks that are both elegant and functional. The brand’s signature products include:
- Refillable planner inserts: The brand’s bestseller, featuring modular layouts, monthly overviews, goal-setting and quarterly inserts.
- Fully customisable planner system: Designed to grow with you rather than be discarded. You can choose, swap, and rebuild pages anytime.
- Multi-size compatibility: Created for flexibility across sizes (A5, A6, Personal, Pocket), with both discbound and ring systems
- High-quality, fountain-pen-friendly paper: Made with 120 gsm bright white paper with minimal bleed-through, catering to serious planner users.
Dream Big, Start Small
As the brand grows, May stays close to the community that shaped it. One of her most meaningful milestones came in early 2020, when she launched a charity sticker pack to support firefighters during Australia’s bushfire crisis.
The initiative raised over $1,000, with 100% of proceeds donated to the NSW Rural Fire Service. “This was so incredible. I couldn’t have done it without being in the position I was, with having my small business, as well as the support from everyone in the planner community,” May said.
In stepping away from a conventional career path, May represents a new generation of Asian-Australian female entrepreneurs finding success on their own terms. “Try not to compare your day one with someone else’s day 500,” May said. “Everyone starts somewhere!”
The young founder starts small but dreams big. “I’d love to see May Paper Co. eventually stocked in physical stores. There’s something nice about going into a physical store to see and touch a product before you buy it! Maybe even have a store in the States? A girl can dream!”
Contact
Website: https://www.maypaperco.com/
Photos: May Paper Co.
Words by: Nina Nguyen
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