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

Hi Leslie, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I worked part-time as a substitute teacher during the 2019-2020 school year. There were a group of students whom I had known from the previous school year. On one particular day, this fifth-grade class had independent reading time. Everyone in the class was reading a book except for four girls. I asked them why weren’t they reading. Their response was, “We can’t relate to any of the books in this classroom. I don’t like these books. I don’t like reading.” Along with some other responses. I was heartbroken that these students didn’t like reading because I have always been a big advocate of books. I understand many students didn’t like reading, but I was taken aback by one of their statements. “We can’t relate to any books in this classroom.” On March 13, 2020, schools closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and I never saw these students again. But their statements always stayed in my mind. About a month later, I started writing a book called Dear Future Black Queen. I already had a website for my publishing company, but I didn’t want to sell the book there. I couldn’t figure out if I should create a new platform to sell the book. During one week, I continued to wake up around 3:30 am daily. I didn’t understand why I was waking up until one morning; I heard God tell me to open a children’s bookstore focused on diverse books. I never wanted to run an e-commerce business, but the message was clear. I started The Literacy Shop on June 1, 2020, where we focus on diverse books for children, youth, and young adults. Not only do we focus on diverse books but offering minority authors the opportunity to sell their books on a new platform.

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 am Leslie Crawford. I was born and raised in Baltimore City. I have an undergrad in Business Management from Morgan State University and a graduate degree in Business Administration. I am currently seeking a second masters from Stevenson University in Community Based Educational Leadership. I have always been a lover of books. I remember always reading books as a kid while making up my own stories as I played with my dolls.

I went straight to college right out of high school in hopes of finding a good-paying job, as I was told. I worked in corporate America starting at the age of 23. I moved up the ladder until I left in 2018 to pursue my entrepreneurship goals. I turned my part-time hobby as an author into a full-time business. I began writing more books and helping other authors publish their stories. During this time, I started an after-school program focusing on fixing public school literacy problems. In the program, we focus on literacy through book writing. Since 2018, I have turned over 300 students into published authors. This program is what I love to do. When I started the program, I needed to research why so many students were falling behind in this subject. I began substitute teaching in elementary schools. After being a substitute teacher for four years, I knew this was my calling. I felt comfortable working with students. I knew I was in my element.

In early 2022, I closed my publishing company to outside clients to focus more on literacy. I continue to run The Literacy Shop; an online bookstore focused on diversity. My after-school program, When Children Write, runs from October to May every school year. I am now a full-time fifth-grade reading teacher. I love everything that I do. I enjoy working with children and preparing them for a bright future. I know there are many other people out there during similar things, but my reasoning behind what I do is what makes me stand out.

I am proud of the authors I helped in the past. They had a goal to become a published author, and I was able to help them achieve that goal. I am most proud of When Children Write and The Literacy Shop. Through diverse books and writing, I guide young minds and prepare them for the future when so many people count them out. Our children are my reason why and I will continue to fight for their future no matter what.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Entrepreneurship is not easy. When I left my corporate job, I focused on building a publishing company. I thought the only thing I wanted to do was help authors write and publish their books. I had high hopes of creating this publishing empire. Little did I know that God was setting me up for something else. It seemed like I was constantly gaining clients for publishing or editing services. My current clients were always referring someone to me. Business was good. During the pandemic, most businesses were failing. I was thriving. More and more future authors were signing up for my services. I was bringing in so much money, but I wasn’t happy. I was burnt out, overwhelmed, and no longer happy with what I was doing. I continued to run my publishing company even though I wasn’t enjoying it.

In 2021 I took a break from accepting new clients to figure out what I should be doing. My break was three months, and when I returned, I thought I would feel a sense of relief. In the back of my mind, I thought things would be different, and I was ready to continue to build my empire. I tried my best to focus on publishing, but the more I did it, I realized it was no longer something I should be doing. I couldn’t allow money to be my driving focus. It was time for me to pivot and be where God wanted me to be. Focusing on education was the best decision I have made in my career.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I learned was that everyone is not your client. When I first opened my business, I didn’t properly screen clients. If they were willing to pay the fee and I could provide the service, I would take them on. This was one of the worst mistakes I could have made. Taking on clients who do not fit the profile was stressful.

This was stressful because these clients were difficult to work with. I worked on my scheduled days off because I didn’t want to disappoint them. No matter what I did, they weren’t satisfied, and I was afraid of being canceled because I ran my business how I saw fit. I was a small business, and when you have clients threatening to take you down and ruin you because they can’t have their way, it is not a good feeling. I soon learned that I needed to screen clients properly and that it was okay to turn people away. Before I closed my company to outside clients, I started properly screening clients to avoid stress. I wasn’t working with people just because they could pay without requiring a payment plan. I stopped taking every client that asked to work with me. Everyone that desires your service is not your ideal client. If you’re a business owner or desire to be one, remember you cannot make everyone happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theliteracyshop.com
• Instagram: theliteracyshop
• Facebook: theliteracyshop
• Twitter: theliteracyshop