We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jane Estes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jane , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?
When we first opened, it was myself and some of our founding partners who worked in the bookstore. We soon realized that we were going to need more staffing because we had a great response from the community from day one. It was important to me and the managing partners to use an equitable hiring process so that we could build our mission of creating a diverse space. We knew that not only did we need to have representation on our shelves with the books and retail items we chose, but our staff needed to reflect that commitment, as well. We took some time to research the best ways to go about achieving that and we were able to develop an application and interview process that could help us get there. The application was made available on our website for people to fill out and submit digitally or in person. We had someone redact any information on those applications that would spark any inherent biases that we all possess, such as age, political or religious affiliation, race, ethnicity, etc. The applicants who met the highest level of criteria were called in for an interview and that is when the interviewing team learned who those individuals were. We got a great response and our first hires became invaluable members of our team. Last year, we realized that while we were getting great people to apply for positions, we still were not getting a full range of diverse applicants. We asked the advice of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion expert and she highlighted what we were doing right (great interview questions that we asked of everyone, communicating our vision, etc.) and she pointed out what we could be doing better. She suggested we offer an online application form where people could self-identify. We did exactly that, making that question optional, and we got over 100 applicants right away! Our team is now more diverse in age, experience, background, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity. We love our booksellers!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My partners, Misty Adair, Rachael Jonrowe and I say that every job we’ve ever had has led to our jobs of managing Lark & Owl Booksellers! My background covers a lot of ground, including retail, the arts, small business owner, (including a yoga business), writer, freelancer and administrative services. All of this experience has informed the vision for our bookstore. We strive to show our staff in myriad ways that they are valued and appreciated. We offer sales incentives, paid time off for birthdays, meals and treats at staff meetings, discount on books and merchandise, plus a shopping day for them near the holidays where they get a steep discount for that day only. I truly believe these things contribute to the strong team we’ve built, our low turnover rate and the enthusiasm of the booksellers. People want to be seen and we try to do that with our customers and our staff. We are very proud that we have created a space where people feel seen and appreciated. Our commitment to a diverse and inclusive community is reflected not only by the books on our shelves, but by the voices in our store. Our most valuable asset is our employees, whose knowledge, enthusiasm, and commitment to service is the biggest contributor to the success of our bookstore and mission.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
One thing we’ve learned about managing a team is to pay close attention to the way employees learn and receive information. Do you have people who need written instructions for training? Or need to see it done by another person and then repeat it back to the trainer? Is someone a visual learner? Or an auditory learner? If it seems that some staff members are struggling with a new training module or task, the first thing we look at is the communication circle. Did we offer enough opportunities to learn this for all the different learning styles? Did we offer understandable metrics? Is this a bad process altogether? What are we missing here? Then, we identify what needs to happen, we alert staff (apologizing for any confusion, if necessary) and then we begin again. Approaching team training and interactions with a solution-oriented mindset, then most things can be resolved. We also make sure to gather feedback and information from staff so that ideas, information and sticking points are a two-way street—not just from the top down. Another thing we do is we write thank you notes to staff on a regular basis—for small or big things they’ve demonstrated in their jobs. We put them in a cute mailbox in the staff room for them to check. And for their birthdays, they get to choose the cake flavor for the birthday month celebration. The small things really add up to maintaining a friendly and collaborative working environment.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
We built our business plan on an investor model and we sought capital from our community members, angel investors and other avenues outside our area. We really thought we’d get at least a few investors outside of the Georgetown area. But our business ended up being funded entirely by this community. And 80% of those investors are women. Our vision struck a chord with many people, especially those who loved books and our community. We found these individuals through book club groups who we would make a pitch to, as well as those people we knew who wanted the very best for our city. They believed, as we do, that a town without a bookstore would seem lacking in the eyes of visitors and newcomers. An independent bookstore is an asset for any community and we are proud to be a part of making Georgetown a wonderful place to live.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://larkandowlbooksellers.com/
- Instagram: @larkandowlbooksellers
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larkandowlbooksellers
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-estes-425a06a/
- Twitter: @larkandowlbooks
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZL0Ez16OHxejY1jr6rZnTw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lark-and-owl-booksellers-georgetown?osq=lark+%26+owl+booksellers
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@larkowlbooksellers