Today we’d like to introduce you to Danica Fleming.
Hi Danica, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I was born and raised in Michigan. One of my earliest memories is of my sister and I creating potpourri boxes out of old wallpaper. We would get the sample books that a local wallpaper store would throw out, and dried flowers from various neighborhood gardens. Then we’d sprinkle them with scented oil from the local hobby shop and sell the boxes door to door for $1 each.
Later in life, I moved to Colorado to study mass communications. But when I moved to Nashville, TN in 2003 is when I embraced the entrepreneurial spirit. My mother is also an entrepreneur. As a single mom, she took business classes at night and worked at GM for years. She had an uncle that had a wholesale forms, labels, and print business primarily selling to Manufacturers, that he began in the 60’s with his best friend. In 1987, my mother decided to take a risk and bought Ardon Business Forms Inc. from her uncle.
Meanwhile, I had built up years of experience working across multiple industries as an owner and a manager. Fast forward to 2014, when Mom was ready to retire, I finally agreed to take the reigns on the family business. I moved it to Nashville in 2021 and created a fun brand spin-off, specifically for small and micro-businesses called Bopidoo. We still offer blank labels, forms, and business print, but we start in smaller quantities and use local printers and vendors whenever possible. You can grow with our business, and we can grow with yours. We are currently a home-based business, as I can work remotely with other businesses, and our printers and suppliers.
My children are young, but I hope one day to pass the reigns to them.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. For my mother, being a woman business owner in the 80s, she had to work twice as hard to get people to take her seriously. I am fortunate enough that she paved the way for me. However, I have still endured the struggles of being a working mom. Over the years, we have grown to the point of having a large warehouse and also downsized after the recession of 2008 hit.
Changes in technology have helped us and hurt us, as well. It is always been a balancing act to automate some things about the business to make it easier, while also keeping the customer service aspect that we pride ourselves on.
When 2020 hit, another challenge was working from home while homeschooling my children. Taking meetings in my bedroom, because my husband needed the office for his meetings. When financial scares happen, businesses often cut down on printed products first. We have been fortunate enough to have long relationships with many of our customers and we’re diversified enough to offer products that they still need, even in difficult times.
As you know, we’re big fans of Bopidoo by Ardon Business Forms. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Bopidoo is an extension of Ardon Business Forms LLC. Ardon offers larger, wholesale bulk labels, forms, and prints to manufacturers and producers while Bopidoo is tailored for Micro-Enterprises.
We offer smaller quantities, at reasonable prices for start-ups and side hustles. We specialize in blank labels, forms, and custom business-printed products. We believe in transparency. Our products are manufactured and printed in the USA, with minimal global sourcing for raw materials. Orders ship directly from the plant or printer to your front door.
Our T-shirt and Tote printers are local… right here in Nashville, TN!
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Nashville is a great city! I love that it is a place that supports creativity and growth.
The thing that I like least is probably the traffic that is having a hard time keeping up with the growth. I’m happy that I can work on-site and do most of our work remotely or from home.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bopidoo.com
- Instagram: @bopidoo
- Facebook: @bopidoo
