big happy comes from small joys

A woman wearing a white and red trucker hat, a red bandana, a white sleeveless top, and denim overalls stands in front of colorful art prints and cards displayed on a backdrop, with a blue patterned cloth on the ground.

This is my story of how big happy comes from small joys.

In 2006, my husband, Ryan, and I bought a little black and white French bulldog and called him Frank. Frank was the king of silly, the founder of happy and the master of just being. He invited us to sit in the sun, watch squirrels out the window and snuggle a little longer. The joy he brought us begged to be shared with others…so, we did.

In 2011, we created From Frank™ — a greeting card and gift product line all about him. Frank was a little dog on a big mission to make humans smile. Eventually, four of his furry friends joined him and the greeting card line became a full-fledged character brand.

Hi. I’m kate smith.

A greeting card with a black-and-white sticker of a dog, likely a Boston Terrier, on a yellow textured surface. The card has a message that reads, 'Dear Mom, you're still the coolest I know,' with a small lamp and a flower pattern visible in the background.

A smiling couple sitting on a floral-patterned couch in a cozy living room with two dogs sitting on the floor, one on a colorful rug and one on the woman's lap, surrounded by home décor including a framed sign, decorative butterflies, a table lamp, houseplants, and shelves with books.

As the brand grew, so did our lives — more partners, more products and more money. But as we obtained more of those things, we weren’t feeling…well, more happy. We started to feel like something was missing.

So, we flipped our lives upside down. We edited fiercely—sold homes, quit jobs, restructured our business and relaunched our brand as Kate Smith Co.™

Two people sitting at a rustic outdoor table with laptops in front of a vintage camper trailer, working or browsing together during daylight.

Close-up of a dog's face, likely a French Bulldog, with large, expressive eyes and a wrinkled black and white face, looking directly at the camera.

We only put things back into our life that brought us joy. By 2018, we’d shrunk our lives into a 180-square-foot Airstream travel trailer. And we set out to test what Frank had been teaching us for years: it doesn’t take much to be happy.

Happiness is not expensive, elusive, complicated or just for a few lucky people. Happy is here. All around us…always.

Two people smiling and standing in the doorway of a silver vintage camper trailer outdoors, with trees and sunlight in the background.

Happiness is not expensive, elusive, complicated or just for a few lucky people. Happy is here. All around us…always. It’s hidden in ordinary moments, small actions and simple gifts. All we have to do to feel happy is look for it.

Today, we are part-time nomads, full-time explorers of joy and creative entrepreneurs. We collect any scrap of smile, LOL and kindness that we come across in our journey — finding our inspiration everywhere, from weather-worn cabins, to fruit stand signage, to hand-drawn posters, to giggles overheard at coffee shops.

We smoosh those sparks into our products to remind humans that small joys can lead to a happy day. And when you string together a bunch of happy days, you get a happy life.

It's just mathematics.

A woman sitting with a laptop in front of a silver camper trailer decorated with colorful artwork and stickers, set against a desert landscape with mountains at sunset.

our mission:

Remind the world how simple happy can be

As seen in:

13.5 million units sold

Kate Smith Co. collections have sold over 13.5M units at retail.

26 product categories

Kate Smith Co. art has been licensed in over 26 product categories including apparel, publishing, stationery, home accessories, drink and dinnerware, gift, novelty, lottery games and digital entertainment.

+16K retail doors

Kate Smith Co. cards are distributed to more than 16,000 doors in the U.S. and Canada——including Target, CVS, Walmart, Meijer, Rite Aid, Whole Foods, Barnes & Noble and more.