Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cheryl Karpen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cheryl , appreciate you joining us today. Often the greatest growth and the biggest wins come right after a defeat. Other times the failure serves as a lesson that’s helpful later in your journey. We’d appreciate if you could open up about a time you’ve failed.

As the creator of the Eat Your Peas Collection I had sold more than 740,000 books through my independent publishing company, Gently Spoken, when I signed an eleven-book publishing contract with a Top-Ten Publisher. I believed that if a small pea in the pod like my company could sell that many books, a national publisher could soar with sales and take my brand and message to new heights. During the contract negotiations, my gut told me otherwise, yet I was tired, weary, and ready for someone else to take over the distribution and promotion of my brand.

After a whole lot of promises, within one year, I realized there would be no royalty payments. While the publisher stayed true to my words, they changed the book cover and format, merchandising, and distribution. I went from making a six-figure income to zero. Worse yet, my message would not be available to touch and save lives. And I had relinquished my rights to all of my intellectual property. I was crushed.

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’m a farmer and fireman’s daughter who grew up with my hands in the dirt and thrived on pulling fresh veggies from our family garden to eat for lunch. My pony, Happy, was my best friend, and we would disappear for hours without a bridle or saddle and gallop through dirt trails deep into the woods. I was what you would call today a free-range child.

Life was a playground to imagine, create, and play in, and that’s how I lived most of my adult life. I didn’t understand limits or fear until I was in my forties. Until then, I lived in a world where anything was possible and I took that spirit into my lifestyle and businesses.

I love looking back and connecting the dots to my entrepreneurial ventures and relationships. I worked as a fashion coordinator in New York City and later as a public relations director in Mexico, where I lived for nearly ten years. The skills I gained and the risks I took led me to open two retail stores when I returned to the United States with little capital but a dream in a town where you could hear a pin drop on Saturday morning. When I realized being a shopkeeper isn’t just a shopkeeper, it shaped everything from my store mission to purchasing decisions. People often come into a store looking for a gift for a new beginning, such as a birth, engagement, wedding, birthday, or a “comfort” gift for a loved one who was ill or a sympathy card. I was riding the trajectory of my customer’s lives, their hope and dreams, their joy, and their heartaches. One of my stores, Something Different, was dedicated to inspiring and celebrating women, and everywhere you looked, you’d see messages of encouragement and affirmation on jewelry, art, clothing, books, and home goods. The shop was a haven for one’s heart and soul. My second store, Pure Bliss, was dedicated to “Nothing you need, everything you want for a romantic getaway.” Why a romance concept? Because what I learned at Something Different is that women often felt unappreciated or like they were living with a stranger in their own house. Pure Bliss was filled with appreciation gifts that inspired restoration and renewal. It was a sanctuary of beauty and encouraged others to experience a romantic or adventurous getaway. I remember one customer walking into the store for the first time and saying, “When I die, this is what I want heaven to look like.” With a fusion of humanity, soul, and beauty, my stores had a cult-like following of the most wonderful people in the world. Our events were creative and zany and were considered can’t-miss. I often tell audiences we grew those stores ‘one heart, one hug at a time.’ The laughter and the tears will forever remain in my heart. After thirteen years, I sold the stores to focus on growing my publishing company, Gently Spoken. Letting go of my shops on Main almost broke my heart, but it was time for them to be someone else’s dream. I realized I thrive, and I’m energized by a start-up, the visioning, and the creative process. Running a business daily and managing people was, at times, exhausting for me. In hindsight, there are some things I could have done better.

Although I founded Gently Spoken, an independent publishing house, in 1997, everything changed in 2001 when I introduced the first book in the Eat Your Peas Collection. At the heart of each book is a promise to be there for a loved one throughout life’s joys and heartaches. The pages are filled with nutrients (words of affirmation and encouragement) for one’s heart and soul. Our “Peas Promise” was inspired by a teen I adored who was going through a deep depression, and I wanted to let her know I’d always be there for her and that I was just a phone call away. The first book was titled Eat Your Peas for a Young Adult. More than 25 Eat Your Peas titles followed because people wanted a book to give to the many people they love and care about like daughters, sons, moms, sisters, grandkids, friends, in-laws, etc. Our Pea-Pack counter displays, featuring several Eat Your Peas titles, are embraced by department stores, franchises, and gift and lifestyle shops throughout the United States and beyond. In the early years as a new brand, it was a challenge to get near me at industry trade shows, the lines to purchase our product were long. Today, the collection is 23 years old. How can we sustain ourselves in a world that wants new, new, new? The Eat Your Peas Collection is considered a Legacy Line and is given to one generation after another. I know families that have given up to 21 or even 35 books to individual family members. I call it the Circle of Peas. A mother gives a book to a daughter; the daughter gives a book to her mother and sisters, the sisters give a book to their sons and daughters, and so on.

Our company motto: We make it easy peasy to say I care.

Because of my experience owning retail shops, I understood the marketing and distribution of developing my own products. I also had a deep network of connections and industry people who believed in me. My banker was instrumental in taking tremendous risks to help me expand the Eat Your Peas and Gently Spoken brands. Owning a small business is about integrity, trust, momentum, and passion for your dream, which often surpasses all understanding and objectivity.

I’m most proud of it all. Running any business today isn’t easy peasy. It takes grit, guts, and boundless energy, especially if you do it on a shoestring. If you have loads of capital and little at risk, it’s probably a different story.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

I didn’t know how to get a book printed, get an ISBN or copyright, or find an editor, so I kept asking questions of other authors I knew. Like riding my pony Happy, bareback, I just jumped on, and by the seat of my pants, I took a wild ride into the world of self-publishing.

I interviewed three firms when looking for a local printer to print my first book. Although Ideal Printers was the highest quote, I selected them because the salesperson, Lana, made me a promise that her father’s company would always treat me like family and would always provide me with quality printing.

Over the years, Ideal Printers has proven their commitment to me, both in the best and worst of times. I, in turn, have remained loyal to them. Today, it’s a testament to their service that Lana, the person who initially won me over, is now the company president.

I could have had my books printed in China many times at a much lower cost, but I didn’t. One of my company values is making products in the USA. Today, when I hear about all of the challenges with containers, manufacturers, and the high cost of international shipping, I’m glad I made the decision to remain in the USA. To lower the price per book, I would print huge quantities. Inventory control was my biggest challenge. I had too much of it on hand and my cash was tied up in it. Today, you can print digitally to produce smaller quantities but it is much greater cost per piece. Carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages.

Today, authors and product creators have many more options in manufacturing. No matter how you produce your book or product, watch your inventory turns. It will affect your cash flow. The answer, sell more!

Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.

I have successfully sold two retail stores and didn’t own the buildings they were in. Most retailers I talk to close their doors, believing who would ever buy their business.

Here’s the core advice I give to every business owner who is ready to sell, no matter their type of business:

Just because it isn’t your dream anymore doesn’t mean it won’t be someone else’s.

I can’t tell you how many people have thanked me for this simple and time proven advice.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://eatyourpeas.com
• Instagram: eatyourpeasbooks
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/eatyourpeascollection
• Linkedin: Cheryl Karpen
• Youtube: cheryl karpen