I Built SayMore Because One Card Was Never Enough
A few years ago I stood in a Target for 20 minutes trying to find the right birthday card for my wife Tara. Reading card after card after card. And every single one said some version of the same thing, but didn't hit the exact feeling I was looking for.
"To a wonderful wife."
"You mean the world to me…"
"Happy Birthday to the best wife ever..."
All fine. All true. But none of them said what I actually wanted to say. None of them mentioned how we spent a month in Naxos years before we were married. Every night ended the same way. Too much raki at some taverna we found by roaming around and me looking at her across the table and asking her to marry me. I asked her 27 times on that trip. She counted. And every single time she didn't laugh me off or roll her eyes or tell me I was drunk. She just looked at me with her quiet warmth and said yes. Every single time. Like it was the easiest question to answer.
Twenty seven times.
None of the gifts I've given have ever said that. None of the gift cards I've given could ever conjure up her real laugh… or her real tears.
A greeting card is a nice gesture. But it's just a card with someone else's words on it.
I needed something different.
So I built it
SayMore is a deck of cards. Real ones. Printed on thick linen stock with rounded edges. They feel good in your hands. They look beautiful on a shelf or on the table next to the bed. But what makes them special is not the paper or the printing.
It's what is written on them.
Every card in a SayMore deck is written by someone who loves the person receiving it. Not by a greeting card company. Not by a copywriter. By real people who actually know the person receiving the love and have real things to say.
Here is how it works.
One person starts a deck. Maybe that's you. You pick who the deck is for and what the occasion is. Birthday. Mother's Day. Retirement. Wedding. Just because. Any occasion works.
Then you invite your people. Siblings. Best friends. Coworkers. Cousins. The neighbor who has known your mom for 30 years. Up to 12 people can write cards for a single deck.
Everyone gets their own writing page. They write at their own pace. If someone gets stuck (and as I tested this for months, someone always gets stuck) there are writing prompts to help. Things like "You are so beautiful when you..." and "A favorite memory I have with you is..." and "The world is better with you in it because..."
You can see who has finished and who is still working on it. You can send a gentle nudge to the person who said they would finish it days ago. When everyone is done we print the whole deck and ship it to your door.
That's it. That's SayMore.
What it feels like to get one
I have watched my loved ones open their own personalized deck of SayMore cards. I created this company with them in my heart.
There were. So. Many. Tears.
Every time I've shared a deck there is an outpouring of love and laughter, it's just natural feeling, and so heartfelt and honest. The perfect moment to remember why we're here in all this craziness.
There is something about holding a deck of cards and realizing that every single person in your life took time to sit down and write something on one, just for you. Not a text. Not a comment on a post. Not a signature on a group card someone passed around the office.
Real words. Thought about. Felt. Written down. And printed onto a loving keepsake you can hold and revisit as often as you need to.
Why this and not a photo book or a gift card
Photo books are great. But a photo book is about moments you've already captured. SayMore is about the things we've never said out loud but want to.
And gift cards. I love a gift card. I have given many gift cards. But a gift card says "I care about you… but I ran out of time and also ideas." We have all been there and will probably be there again (so many birthdays to keep up with!), absolutely no judgment there.
But SayMore lives in the space between a gift card and a handmade scrapbook. It is deeply personal but it doesn't require you to own glitter glue or have any artistic ability whatsoever. If you can type you can make a SayMore deck.
Each person writes a few cards. And the person who gets the deck receives something that took years to make with memories and feelings.
Low effort. High impact. That is kind of our whole thing.
What I believe
I believe that most people are walking around with things they've wanted to but have never said to the people they love. Not because they don't feel it. But because finding the right moment can be hard. Because sometimes it feels awkward to say out loud. Because life moves fast and we forget.
SayMore is that moment captured into a single loving keepsake. It's a calling to say how you really feel.
I also believe that gifts should not be stressful. The best gifts for me have always been the ones that say something true. And that's exactly what this is.
And we are just getting started
This is day one for us. Literally. You are reading the first blog post I have ever written for SayMore. I am nervous and excited and will probably be refreshing SayMore's social pages way more than I should be.
But I believe in this idea. I believe in it because I have seen what happens when someone opens a deck and realizes that all of the love written is just for them. It's a life-changing moment and has been so amazingly special to witness.
And I want to help create moments like that for as many people as possible. I believe everyone deserves to know how much they are loved.
Mother's Day is May 11
If you have been looking for the gift that actually says what you feel this year. If you are tired of the flowers that die too quickly or come in the mail kinda wilted and crunched, or the candles that end up sitting in a drawer. If you want to get your family involved in something that takes 10 minutes but will create a lasting special moment in the hearts of everyone involved.
Start a deck.
Invite your people.
Say more.
With love and respect,
Dustin Vaughn