“The signs make people so happy, I mean people are just over the moon about it,” said Alisa Zisman, as she reflects on the first few months of her family’s new business.
While the majority of Alisa and Rob Zisman’s business — Card My Yard Pittsburgh South — focuses on birthdays and special events, the couple incorporates charitable work as well. “I recently did a sign in Bethel Park for a boy named Evan. His family has gone through a lot of hardships, and I did that one for free,” said Alisa. “Evan had been in UPMC Children’s Hospital for several weeks and the neighborhood was doing a parade for when he came home.”
Alisa and Rob Zisman, Cedarhurst Manor, are the owners of Card My Yard Pittsburgh South, part of a franchised business that creates custom indoor/outdoor signs and decorations for special occasions.
The Zismans met at Pennsylvania State University, where Rob majored in business and Alisa in horticulture. “It was my super senior year, so I always say it’s a good thing I went an extra year or else we wouldn’t have met,” said Alisa.
After a six-year stint as a grower at Phipps Conservatory and the birth of their first child, Enzo, Alisa became a stay-at-home mom. “When we became pregnant with our second son, Ari, we moved to Mt. Lebanon,” explained Alisa.
Alisa first found out about Card My Yard as a customer to celebrate Rob’s 40th birthday, and their family ended up on the mailing list. “Rob never reads his spam,” said Alisa, “but this time he did, and it was an email saying that the business was looking for a buyer.”
Rob thought of Alisa and their kids and knew this would be a fun business venture for his family. After being a stay-at-home mom for twelve years, “this opportunity came along and that’s when we decided to try something a little new,” said Alisa.
For Alisa and her family, this business is a way for them to experience something new and spread joy together. “Rob is the one to crunch the numbers and move the heavy stuff, but everything else, I’m doing,” said Alisa, who draws on her creative past with flower arranging at Phipps to design the Card My Yard creations.
“I feel like in our world today, there is so much negativity and so much ugliness that if there’s anything that we can do to bring other people happiness, we should,” said Alisa. “That was one of Rob’s big things, that we are only bringing joy to people. There’s no downside to it.”
For more information about Card My Yard, visit the website [1] and stay up to date on social media with @Cardmyyard_pittsburghsouth on Instagram.