We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer De Guzman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jennifer thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your business and how did you resolve those issues?
Wanting to do more, but not having the time, or the support to make time… This has been one of the most unexpected problems I have faced in my business.
When I had my first child in 2013, I became a stay-at-home mom. It was always the plan, the dream, the thing I wanted most. But a few years in, and after my second child was born, I kept feeling this longing to have something else in my life to feel passionate about as well.
My book business started in 2017, and quickly became the thing I fell in love with. But it was a big shift in our family dynamics and my husband struggled with all the time and attention I dedicated to my new business.
My business became a sore spot in our relationship, because of the time I wanted to spend on it, and honestly I was a little obsessed because it was fulfilling a need in my life… it was something for me, a passion, and something I was really good at, and could use my brain and skills to develop.
It was a challenge to find the balance of work life and home life, especially since I am able to run my business from home and set my own hours, but we worked through all the issues with lots of trial and error.
Fast forward to now, I have 3 kids who love books and reading, a beautiful home library, a supportive husband, and I have a job I love, with boundaries in place so I can work from home, keep flexible hours, and continue in the mission of spreading literacy and putting more books into kids hands.
Jennifer, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a literacy advocate and Senior Leader with Usborne Books & More and help grown-ups find the perfect fit books for the kids in their life. I help solve problems parents face like when their kids say “I’m bored” or “I don’t like reading” by introducing their kids to engaging books that all kids love to read, and activity books that keep kids entertained when mom just needs a little break too!
For avid readers or reluctant readers, we have books for every age, stage, and reading level. For kids who need books to help them understand tough topics like big feelings, being different, or why things die…. or questions like “what are stars?” or “what is poop?”… we have a book for nearly every topic and interest.
But not only do I help parents find solutions to everyday problems, I also help strengthen the bonds in families by advocating for read aloud time and book ownership. I also lead a team of literacy advocates and coach and mentor them to create and run their own successful book businesses as well!
I love what I do, and that passion for my work isn’t something everyone has the privilege of boasting. It makes me better at my work and motivates me to continue even in the tough moments. Owning your own business and being a mom of three young kids isn’t easy, but it is so fulfilling and exactly where I want to be.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
My business is unique in that it did not require much for upfront costs. I was able to purchase a box of books for $125 to have a variety to showcase new customers, and that included 6 months of my e-commerce site as well. Once I began sharing these books through online parties and in-person events, I was able to earn that initial investment back right away, and then just grow from there! Very little risk, and so much opportunity and reward!
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Managing and leading a team is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable parts of my business. I love working with different people, different goals, different business plans. The challenge is working with so many different personalities, and keeping each person motivated to overcome the inevitably difficult moments in their own businesses.
Establishing their customer base, continuing to grow, and finding new avenues can be tough! Especially when a team member is feeling defeated or not seeing the results they want. So it’s my job to help my team brainstorm solutions, while also being understanding and sensitive to life’s hardships. I help offer solutions and ways to keep moving forward, and ask lots of questions to help my team find solutions on their own too!
One tip I have to maintaining morale is to connect with each person. I do this through constant communication, and Zooming once a month individually with each team member, so we can meet “face to face” even if virtually. And we also have a larger team zoom once per month, to help problem solve and bounce ideas off each other, but mainly to build connections between team members. And for those team members that live locally to me, we try to meet up in person at least once or twice a year as well!
I also acknowledge their achievements and post on social media to publicly applaud their accomplishments. Plus I send little gifts and notes via snail mail once or twice a year as well… everybody loves fun mail! It’s really to show that I appreciate them, what they have to offer, and to give recognition for their hard work too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/jenslittlebookstore
- Instagram: @jdezine
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/jenslittlereadingcorner
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCSN_SshKy-o3ECVC4VZHiMA
- Other: Shop the books at: www.jenslittlebookstore.com Join Jen’s team and start your own story at: https://t6306.myubam.com/Join