We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dawn Rice a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dawn, thanks for joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

Although we officially opened the Write On! storefront in March of 2020, Write On! originated in my home in 2013. I offered summer camps and weekly workshops for elementary, middle, and high school writers. The timing was just not right then to open a storefront, despite the challenges of having a home business.

There have been times that I wished we would have taken the leap then, who knows where we’d be now. Equally, had we waited just a few more months longer to open, well, I am pretty sure Covid would have stopped us from opening for some time.

I feel the timing was perfect in many ways, the challenges we faced and modifications we made during Covid closures transformed Writer On! into an exceptional center for writing. We survived the unimaginable and are overcoming it. The future is bright.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always been passionate about literacy and found ways to make reading and writing fun for my students. Durning my Master’s Degree program I was invited to participate in the Summer Invitational Writing Project. I was introduced to writing in a way I had never before experienced and was thrilled to discover creative ideas and lessons to bring to my students. After moving to Texas I decided to offer creative writing camps and workshops out of my home. The response was amazing. In December of 2019, it was decided to move forward with opening a storefront. All the to-dos and details fell in place and we scheduled the grand opening for March 3 of 2020. Little did we know that just two weeks after our opening Covid would shut our doors and require that we radically change our business plan. It was challenging, but we managed to come out on the other side and are now seeing the interest we had hoped for two years ago.

What is Write On!? It is first and foremost a place for writers ~ reluctant, struggling, and proficient. Write On! is for ALL writers looking for a place to write that isn’t solely for academic purposes or obligation but because they need to improve or have a love for writing, just like we do.

Write On! Creative Writing Center, a place where curiosity and inspiration are set free and imagination and creativity are brought to life through Creative Writing Workshops, Camps & Events!

We have opportunities for Kindergarten through 12th grade and adult writers, in-person and online!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

For Write On! word of mouth has been key to building our reputation. Considering we offer a very unique service unless an individual is search writing or creative writing, they most likely wouldn’t happen upon us. We work to make sure that our lessons and experiences are creative, and interesting and truly build the writer’s confidence and fill their writing toolbox with skills.
We want every experience at Write On! to be a positive one and for all our writers to find joy and success with their writing.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

We keep in touch with our writers through monthly newsletters letting them know about what is coming up. We also send emails and make phone calls to check in when writers have been out for a while and let them know about opportunities that would be great for them.

For writers that refer other writers to Write On!, we send a thank you gift card when the referred individual mentions them. Again, word of mouth is very important for Write On! and we want to say “Thank you” when our writers refer others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.writeonfrisco.com
• Instagram: @writeonfrisco
• Facebook: @writeonfrisco
• Twitter: @writeonfrisco