Hi! I'm Linda (Panda) - I'm a comic artist drawing & selling recipe cards-mostly of the Sichuan food I grew up with. I have ADHD, so breaking recipes down step-by-step helps me (and now customers❤️) actually enjoy cooking! At the start of the year, I went full time with my shop! I was doing the dang thing!!

But then... tariffs skyrocketed. A computer glitch with my warehouse led to double-charging on top of the new duties. I realized that for the last 2 months, I was losing money with each US order I sent out out (and wiping out what I thought was profit from Q2). It's a costly business mistake that I'm still learning from, and I'm doing my best to fix it (including pivoting smaller batch shipping from my NYC apartment). Now I’m asking for help—not out of failure, but out of hope:

With $8,500, I can rebuild a sustainable shop, move fulfillment stateside, and give this project a second chance.

Why I’m Fundraising

Tbh, I’ve dragged my heels on sharing what was happening behind my business publicly. Am I trying to make people feel sorry for me? Is this manipulative, trying to get people to "fix" my own mistakes (part of why this situation snowballed was that I neglected to keep on top of my warehouse shipping account until they let me know I was in negative funds.)

I’m trying to see if I can get any of that money back (but the fact of the matter is that it has already been spent on custom fees). And whether or not it was my warehouse partner's initial mistake for mislabeling my product code (which is likely the issue), I was still the one who gave prior approval for the shipping costs without double checking the amount. It's likely that those are a sunk cost, both my "ADHD tax" plus an expensive business lesson going forward.

The shame demon in me has been in overdrive lately, whispering how incredibly stupid and careless I am for not being more on top of my numbers. Who are you to be running a business? - she hisses.

But each time I think about throwing in the towel, I get customer notes like these that remind me why I love making these recipe comics...and that selling them is also sending joy out into your homes (as well as mine):

“My 10-year-old daughter loves cooking with your cards—they’re easy for kids to understand and use!" - Heidi

"Your recipe cards made me have tears of joy... My parents and I live far apart and there are times I miss them.Your recipe cards helped remind me of my roots." - Alex

"They’re so perfect for my ADHD brain...You seriously helped me a ton in my kitchen and made me feel less broken by my ADHD with how accessible it all is." - Solei

✨ Why This Matters

These recipe cards were born out of covid homesickness, creative survival, and the desire to make cooking easier for neurodivergent folks like me. These cards marked a transition, for me, from a time of isolation and shame to a place of joy and light.

And a lot of what made cooking a struggle for me initially (keeping track of details, juggling multiple timelines, planning ahead etc...) is also what I'm learning to master in this small business journey.

And the recipe for the kind of business I want to build, is one where I can also share the "messy middle" with my community, as well as the *sparkly wins*.

If you've already supported me and are here to cheer me on - thank you!

And if you donate, be it $5 or $50, I’m incredibly grateful - and I want this to be a gift exchange (to you...and/or your community!)

After you give, I’ll follow up by email with options.

Initial ideas:

A gift card to my recipe card shop in the amount you gave (use it or gift!)

A hand-packed surprise bundle of recipe cards and goodies (for you or a friend!)

Or, if you’re donating a larger amount, I’d love to work with you to send recipe card sets to a local Chinese school, library, or bookstore in your area.

❤️Or just donate with no reward at all—that’s more than okay. Your belief in me and this work is already a gift.

And if you've already supported me in the past, I want to close with another thank you.

I’m so honored and grateful that you’ve chosen to take a bit of my love of art/food/color home with you.

Each purr-chase has kept my business going.

Each encouraging message has a warm hug.

Thank you for weathering with me my storms.

Thank you for sharing with me my rainbows.

Love from,

Linda & Panda

P.S. Here's a bit of levity in the midst of all dis seriousnesss: