We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Maggie Van Galen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Maggie below.
Maggie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I am definitely where I’m meant to be as an entrepreneur. The one thing I’d always been envious of was people who had a craft or skill that allowed them to work from anywhere. My career path as been similar to that of a cat, but with more lives! With 20+ years working for others in everything from journalism, IT sales, marketing, sponsorship, office manager at an HVAC company, to ski instructor and waitress, my biggest lesson learned was that, although I was good at my job, I never really enjoyed being told what to do. My “aha moment” came when I realized writing was my craft, and I’d always had it and could utilize it to support myself. I was fortunate enough to be able to leave the corporate world and stay at home with my boys, which eventually led me to where I am today. I took all of the lessons learned working for others, being a mom, and managing the household and applied them all to to my own business. This career path is not easy, but it’s totally worth it! I suppose the upside of having a regular job is that someone else has to take on all the pain and suffering (so to speak) of running the company, and you do get some semblance of security. In the end, no, I don’t wonder what it ‘d be like to have a “regular job”, because I’ve had many, and I prefer to do it myself and on my own terms.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Words are my gig! I am an awarding-winning children’s book author and wordsmith.
I have published five books. There are three in The Adventures of Keeno & Ernest series. These heartwarming stories tell the tales of two best friends navigating the adventures of life in the jungle. Keeno, a mischievous monkey, always go against the advise of his best friend, a wise elephant, Ernest, only to find himself in trouble. Throughout the adventures, Keeno ends up in great danger and relies on Ernest to rescue him. In the end, Keeno learns some valuable life lessons. All three books have been awarded the internationally renown Mom’s Choice Awards. The other series is called King’s Day Out and there are two books so far. The King’s Day Out book series is designed to be a resource for all children, families, therapists and pediatric medical professionals. These books provide concrete examples of common tools used to support children at home, in the classroom, and in the world. Both books have been Kindness Certified by Ella’s Way (www.EllasWay.com).
As a wordsmith, I offer copy and content writing services for social media, marketing literature, blog posts, and websites. I also write journalism features, video scripting, and offer proofreading and editing services. If you’re too busy to write the small stuff or writing just isn’t your thing, I can help? My services save business owners time and energy by weaving words into compelling content. I work both directly with clients or as a subcontractor for full service agencies, website designers, and digital marketers. I can work on a project by project or on going basis. I think my ability to capture my client’s voices in my words sets me apart.
Where it all started: Growing up, I remember listening to my father’s stories. He was an amazing raconteur and always took me right into his stories. I could see the characters and would be transported to the locations and engage in the plots. As I grew older, I was always writing. I used it as a sort of escapism…writing poetry to deal with teenage “stuff”, and then studying journalism and creative writing in college.
I grew up in a small, rural town in Northern Michigan graduating high school with 25 people…the same 25 I had started kindergarten with! It was such a small world and all I really wanted was to be a number and to see if I could succeed on a bigger stage. So, off to Michigan State University (population 45,000…I was student #1076311). After graduating from MSU in 1991, I lived in Detroit working for a system software company as their sales manager for five years. Advertising turned into sales. I was content and thought I was living up to my high school label as “Most Likely To Succeed.”
In 1995, my father died, and my life turned upside down. It made me stop and look around and take stock of what was really important. My path took many new turns. I traded in security for the unknown, moved from Michigan to Boston, and changed careers. This was the point when I began to realize that climbing the corporate ladder wasn’t the end goal.
Although I continued to do it for the next 15 years, I found myself pulling out the pen and paper more and more. I published a book of poetry, an Inside Look…, wrote for a small-town newspaper, and even formed a business around editing and writing. However, the need to survive and put food on the table always brought me back to the corporate world! In 2000, I moved to London with my husband and worked at The Economist for 3 years. All the while, plugging along and “succeeding” but never feeling really fulfilled.
After having two boys, true happiness began to shine in my life and the words started to flow. I realized that my dad had given me his gift. Fast forward a few years, and my son asked me to come to his preschool to share one of our stories with his class. The kids loved it! His teacher came to me after and suggested I try to publish. She said the content was great, there moral to the story and saw the overall story being used as a teaching tool. Although I was thrilled to hear this, I wasn’t ready yet. I did, however, continue to go into my kids’ schools and tell the stories. After each visit, the teachers would urge me to publish. I found this so rewarding that after years of telling stories to my boys, their friends, and their classmates, I decided to take the plunge into publishing and share them with the world.
My initial goal was to leave a legacy for my sons, and I have done that. Now that I am more than several decade into this adventure, I would very much like to see my books in the hands of all children.
My tagline is “Always Follow Your Dreams!” It can take time to figure out what those dreams may be, and that’s okay as long as you strive toward them everyday. I truly feel that I am living my dream! I hope you enjoyed reading my journey…I am loving living it!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I went to Michigan State University to become a journalist. That was my dream. Half way through my freshman year, someone convinced me I’d never make any money as a journalist, so I switched to an advertising major with the revised goal of working for an agency as a creative writer … next best thing, right? I graduated in 1991, right around the time the automotive industry imploded, and there were NO jobs in ad agencies in the Detroit area, so I went into sales. I found myself earning double to triple what I would have made at an agency. My fears of being unable to support myself as a writer were being confirmed. That mindset stuck for decades — being an author and writer meant falling into the starving artist category.
About five years ago, I began working with Kim Ravida (www.kimravida.com), a business coach who specializes in money mindset. Her first comment to me was, “To be a business, you have to be financially successful, otherwise it’s just a hobby.” This may seem obvious to some, maybe even most, people out there, but to me, it was the shove I needed to launch my career. Kim helped me value myself and the services that I offer. She taught me how to set pricing and how to ask for that price with confidence. She guided me through the process of setting quarterly and annual goals, and helped me realize that it’s okay to be successful at something you love doing. Total game changer!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
My personal tagline is “Always Follow Your Dreams.” Whether I’m signing one of my children’s books or ending an email, that’s the message I want to leave. The thought behind it is this — You have a life goal or vision in your mind, but life doesn’t always provide you a straight path so it can take time to nail down exactly what your dreams are and how to achieve them. That’s okay as long as you strive toward them everyday. Those pot holes, detours, and wrong turns are what make us stronger as people and business owners. There have been many occasions where I’ve had to pivot in order to put food on the table or just because of life events. My dream had always been to use my writing skills to earn a living, and as I previously mentioned, my path changed lanes many times. Climbing the corporate ladder came to an end when I became a mom, and it was the best thing EVER! Apart from the obvious benefits of having children in my life, it got me back into the creative mode and ultimately led to the publication of my children’s books and doing school readings. When Covid hit and all in person things came to an end, I had to shift and adapt. That was my “aha moment” for being a writer for hire. I always had that goal in mind of being my own boss and writing, and that’s what I’m doing now. Still following those dreams!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.maggievangalen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggievangalen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maggievangalenauthor/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggievangalen/
- Other: https://www.kingsdayout.com
Image Credits
Bio photo – Roza Sampolinska