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

Asia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

If I could go back in time, I wish I would have started my business sooner when I was more financially stable. I think starting your dream business when you are in between financial spaces could be a blessing or a curse or a mixture of both. For me I think it was a little bit of both as it has shown me the challenges, struggles, and sometimes emotional distress that comes with starting a business, but starting my business when I did was an act of “if not now, then when?” moment. I felt as though I was down to my only option which was to choose myself and my dream. However, if I would have started my business as a bookstore owner earlier when I was in a more financially sound place I would have been able to do more and get farther than I am now. It is taking me longer to get where I want to be and do the things I want to do as a bookstore owner because I am constantly worried about my financial risks, but since I have made the leap of faith, I am doing what I can with the tools and resources I have available. I am grateful for what I have learned in this process, but I definitely would have started my business sooner if I had known then what I know now.

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?

I am a 28-year-old Philadelphia native, and my second home was a library. Growing up, I was constantly reading because it felt like I was living multiple lives in books. When I went to college and studied Community and Justice work, I realized that community, building relationships, empathy, and justice comes with being literate. It comes with providing a common place to share stories. I did not start my bookstore the tradition route. I don’t have a physical space, and I am still working on building a website. All my clients come from vending at events, word of mouth, and hosting events with people. They come from sharing stories with others and building connections. My goal as a bookstore owner is to, yes, sell books but also create community spaces and build my bookstore from as much community effort as possible. My business brand is to help others discover the magic of reading through different forms of storytelling.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Throughout my journey I’ve experienced a lot of “no’s” and empty promises. It can sometimes get discouraging and make a person wonder if they are cut out for the work they are trying to do or if they should give up? I definitely have had several moments like that. However, When I feel close to letting it go, something reminds me of why I started in the first place. Why I dreamed of such a goal to begin with. I am far from perfect and know where my flaws lie. Yet and still, I think the greatest success is when you keep on going even when you lack the confidence to do so.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to learn that someone else’s journey is not my journey. How I get to my end goal is not the same as someone else’s path to their end goal. I’ve stated before that I didn’t start my business the traditional way, but I did it anyway because I wanted it. I used to constantly compare myself to others and how they got to where they are and how I need to follow their steps perfectly because I don’t want to do it wrong but there is no clear path to owning a business. It is not a linear journey, which is a lesson I had to unlearn.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @thestorytellersbookshop

Image Credits

Nichelle Craig