We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Leah Hernandez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Leah below.
Hi Leah , thanks for joining us 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?
So many others had a hand in helping me create the company I have now. Even before I had team members, I had multiple mentors in my corner that were guiding me in this industry. I’ve said so many times that publishing fell into my lap, and I feel like my team members did as well.
I hired our first team member back in 2019, and looking back, it was definitely unconventional. We initially met at a networking event, and somehow our paths crossed a few months later. A few emails and a Starbucks meeting later, she was on our team. While unconventional, I love that the connection was organic, making it special. The same can be said for our second team member as well. We met in college, our paths crossed a year or so later, and she was the perfect fit for the team. Every day, we’re learning something new and growing in the industry together, so our training is definitely unconventional as well. But if I started over today, I wouldn’t do anything differently. I love the team I have, I love the connection we’ve built, and I love the collective dedication we have to sharing diverse stories.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
I’m originally from Pomona, California and moved to Atlanta to attend Clark Atlanta University. I published my first book, “Try God,” while attending CAU, and honestly, publishing fell in my lap. For a school project, I help three young girls from Vine City publish “Roxie’s Day in Vine City,” and it opened my eyes to the beautiful stories children can create when given the space to show up as themselves. After doing more research, I learned that less than 7% of children’s books are written by diverse authors. I saw an opportunity to share diverse stories written by kids for kids while also allowing them to build a self-sufficient financial pathway through book publishing. We started publishing diverse stories by kids from the Westside of Atlanta, and now, we’ve published over 30 diverse children’s books with a new imprint on the way! I’m so proud of the way we’re transforming the publishing industry by creating books that reflect the world we live in.
Any advice for managing a team?
Make it a practice to regularly check in with your team members to see how they’re doing and remember who they are outside of work. Did they just celebrate a birthday? Are they taking a trip soon? Did they just dive into a new passion project? Your teammates should know that you care.
Also, talk to your team members and ensure they’re in positions they enjoy and working on projects they enjoy. If you hire people who understand the company’s vision and believe in it’s impact, you’re headed in the right direction.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
As a startup, every day brings on a new set of ideas to tackle. Our biggest pivot was changing our business model from our Experience Program to our Writing Curriculum. Originally, we hosted an 8-week Experience Program where young authors were paired with trained writing mentors who guided them through creating their books. We’ve since shifted away from this model and have designed a writing curriculum that can sustain outside of our previous program. It was definitely a transition, but as a business owner with a big vision, pivots are a part of the process. My advice is to never shy away from pivots, but lean into them. Explore the option, and you may like what comes out of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.youngauthorspublishing.org
- Instagram: @_leahdannielle
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-hernandez-251391142/