Stacey Lynch

Why this persona fits the audience

Co-runs a two-person side business with her brother, sourcing One Piece and Pokémon singles from bulk buys, updating stock in Airtable, and listing on Cardmarket and eBay around client work; most repricing is done by hand before weekend uploads.

• Age: 29
• Location: Manchester, UK
• Occupation: freelance graphic designer
• Income: £31k
• Education: bachelor's degree
• Company size: N/A (Freelancer)
• Years in role: 4

“It's not just about the cards; it's about the quiet satisfaction of turning a messy box of junk into something organized, valuable, and perfectly priced.”

Stacey Lynch, 29, is a freelance graphic designer based in Didsbury, Manchester, navigating the dual pressures of creative independence and entrepreneurial grit. With a bachelor's degree in Digital Arts and four years of experience in the field, she has cultivated a steady stream of clients but finds the income volatile, prompting her to lean heavily on a lucrative side venture co-run with her brother, Leo. Their operation focuses on the high-stakes world of Trading Card Games, specifically One Piece and Pokémon singles. They source cards from bulk boxes found at estate sales and thrift stores across the North West, then meticulously clean, grade, and list them on international platforms like Cardmarket and eBay. Stacey's approach to this business is defined by a mix of craft and caution. Unlike tech-savvy competitors who rely on fully automated bots, she prefers a hands-on method for repricing, manually adjusting values based on recent auction results before uploading stock to the weekend rush. This manual curation ensures accuracy but consumes precious time that could be spent on billable design work or rest. She manages their entire inventory via a custom-built Airtable database, a system she designed herself to track card conditions and provenance, though she acknowledges its limitations when scaling. Her life is a careful balancing act. On weekdays, she fights against the clock to meet client deadlines, often working late into the night. Weekends are sacred for the card business, involving long hours of sorting and photography. Despite the stress, she thrives on the tangible nature of the work—holding a rare card in her hand feels like a tangible reward for her efforts. She is financially prudent, saving aggressively for a first home, and views her brother not just as a business partner but as a vital support system in a chaotic market. Stacey represents the modern hybrid worker: someone who refuses to choose between creativity and commerce, instead weaving them together into a unique, albeit exhausting, lifestyle.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Stacey wakes at 7:30 AM in her Manchester flat, brewing strong tea before checking her email for overnight client queries. By 9:00 AM, she is deep in Illustrator, working on a branding project for a local bakery, ignoring the notifications from her phone. Lunch is usually a quick sandwich eaten while reviewing the day's card listings on her second monitor. The afternoon is a blur of Zoom calls and revisions until 5:30 PM, when the 'real' work begins. She spends two hours scrubbing Pokémon singles, grading them mentally, and typing descriptions into Airtable. After dinner, she might spend an hour researching the latest One Piece set drops or replying to buyer inquiries on eBay. The evening ends with her sketching character designs for fun, finally turning off the lights around 11:00 PM, exhausted but satisfied.

Lifestyle

Stacey lives in a sunlit but slightly cluttered Victorian terrace in Didsbury, Manchester, sharing the space with her partner who works in logistics. Her evenings are rarely screen-free; they are often filled with sorting card batches on the dining table while listening to true crime podcasts. She prioritizes health through occasional yoga sessions at home, though her back occasionally aches from hunching over her drawing tablet. Financially, she is cautious, treating her freelance income as a baseline and the card resale profits as essential savings for a future house deposit. Socially, she maintains a tight circle of three close friends and a broader network within the local TCG community, preferring small gatherings over large parties.

Work life

As a freelance graphic designer, Stacey juggles multiple client briefs simultaneously, often working late into the night after her primary focus shifts to the card business. Her workflow is a delicate balance: mornings are for client deliverables, while weekends are reserved for the physical labor of sourcing, cleaning, and photographing cards. She relies heavily on Airtable for inventory management, manually inputting data that could otherwise be automated. The pressure comes from the unpredictability of client deadlines clashing with the time-sensitive nature of card market fluctuations. There is no boss to answer to, only the constant, self-imposed need to maintain cash flow and reputation across two distinct digital storefronts.

Relationships

Her closest bond is with her younger brother, Leo, whom she co-runs the card business with. Their dynamic is built on years of sibling rivalry transformed into professional respect; they have strict boundaries to prevent arguments from spilling into their personal lives. Stacey is supported by a small group of college friends who understand the grind of freelancing. She is influenced by industry veterans on Discord who share market insights, but she trusts her own gut on sourcing decisions more than algorithmic predictions.

How they decide

Stacey is a deliberate researcher who values peer validation over hype. She typically gathers information from niche forums and trusted community voices before committing to a new tool or investment. She is not impulsive; if a solution seems too complex or expensive without clear ROI, she will stick with her current manual methods, even if they are inefficient. She prefers gradual adoption, testing free versions thoroughly before considering any financial commitment.

How they sound

Stacey speaks with a soft Mancunian accent, favoring precise, descriptive language over hyperbole. She tends to pause frequently to gather her thoughts, using filler words like 'actually' or 'I suppose' when explaining complex processes. She avoids jargon unless speaking with fellow collectors, preferring plain English to explain technical issues. Her tone is generally polite and measured, rarely raising her voice, but she becomes sharp and direct when discussing financial inefficiencies or family disagreements.