In this article by Joy Gendusa, she discusses how she turned a mistake into a successful opportunity, drawing a parallel with the invention of the Post-it note. Gendusa’s company, PostcardMania, operated on a strict weekly postcard promotion rule, which started with 1000 postcards per week and reached 205,000 by 2023. However, in 2024, Gendusa noticed a slowdown in top-line revenue growth from new clients. Upon investigation, she found that their weekly postcard distribution had decreased to 195,000.
Correcting this error, they increased the weekly postcard distribution to 260,000, which led to a significant bounce-back in growth within a month. The company’s revenue from new clients in 2025 exceeded the previous year’s by over $1 million.
Gendusa shared three lessons learned from this experience. First, she emphasized the importance of staying faithful to proven marketing strategies, in her case, direct mail. Second, she realized the necessity of practicing what she preaches to maintain success. Lastly, she warned against getting carried away by the latest marketing trends, advising not to forget the basics.