Joy Gendusa, originally from Long Island, New York, is the Founder and CEO of PostcardMania. She left formal education at 16 and launched PostcardMania in 1998 from a 600-square-foot cottage with just a computer and a passion for helping businesses grow. Bootstrapped without outside funding, she scaled it to $119 million in revenue, a 75,000-square-foot campus and 390 employees. Under her leadership, PostcardMania has tripled its growth rate since the pandemic. A recognized marketing expert, Gendusa’s insights appear in Entrepreneur, Inc., and Adweek. She remains dedicated to empowering small businesses with innovative, results-driven marketing solutions.
I knew I wanted to be an artist since I was five years old. I took private lessons in oil and acrylic painting as a child and attended an art sleepaway camp in the summers, where I made jewelry, threw pots, painted and drew. From ages 15 to 18, I attended the High School of Art & Design in New York City, but I dropped out just before my 18th birthday.
My first job was babysitting at age 11, watching three kids ages 8, 4 and two for just $1 per hour. It taught me the value of hard work and earning my own money. My mom was a stay-at-home mom and my dad owned a small business. He worked as a broker between regional trucking companies and manufacturers that didn’t have their own trucks—this was before FedEx or the solutions that exist today. He was a bit of an innovator himself.
My mom and dad, hands down, have been my biggest supporters—no competition. I am extremely fortunate to have had parents who put me on a pedestal, no matter how much grief I gave them as a teenager. When I was little, my mom would tell me that when I walked into a room, the sun came out. I was tall, awkward, and never quite fit in as a kid, but their love and support—both for each other and for me—made all the difference. They made me feel like I could do anything, and I believed them.
I never thought I could be a business owner, let alone be successful at it. It didn’t even cross my mind as an option until I was 32 years old. It took hardcore necessity to push me through any barriers I had to make it happen.
I’m proud to have helped over 121,000 small businesses with their marketing. But on a personal level, I’m most proud of my kids—they each have incredible qualities unique to them, but both are good-hearted boys who genuinely want to help others. I’m proud of my relationship with them and grateful to have children who love and respect me as much as I do them.
Outside of work, I love riding my bike—I typically do about 10 miles, three to five times per week. I also love cooking and enjoy making dinner for my husband every night. It’s incredibly pleasurable to me—it’s my art form these days. I also have a passion for decorating spaces and appreciating amazing art—I’ve amassed quite a collection on the walls of PostcardMania. I recently redecorated my office and am now working on the common space there. I simply enjoy upgrading spaces and making them more aesthetic—creating places where people want to be.
The biggest item on my bucket list is traveling more. However, I don’t really have a “bucket list” since, for the most part, I already do what I want to do. I love visiting NYC and Chicago for the art and food. I also love traveling to Europe, exploring new places and learning about them—so far, the UK and Germany are my favorites. I have many friends in Germany, and we’ve been to Düsseldorf a few times—I love it there. It’s a city, but it also has a quaint charm. Last year, we visited Hamburg, and it’s truly one of the best-kept secrets in travel!
I believe my best quality is seeing the best in people first, focusing on their positive traits. I give someone a chance before deciding whether they are the right person to befriend or help. At the same time, I don’t waste time on negative people, and I’m pretty good at quickly discerning whether I’m dealing with a persona or the real person during our first or second conversation.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Check out more InterViews. Or, if you’d like to advertise with us, click here.
