We recently connected with Yuri Kenan and have shared our conversation below.
Yuri, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
In 2018, I heard God say, “Get your LLC.” I was hesitant because I’ve always heard others say to wait to create an LLC until your business makes enough money. I started writing years prior, but I never thought to make it a business since it was more of a hobby.
I told my husband and others what God was leading me to do. Luckily, my friend also said God was telling her the same thing too! So we put our heads together and filed for our LLCs. I felt God tugging on me to leave my job. My boss was kind, and the work wasn’t too hard, so quitting was unnecessary. Well, God had other plans.
I left, but the journey could have been more straightforward; do I write books? Do I offer Ghostwriting services? Do I edit? I was starting from scratch, and thinking about my future bills scared me. Then doubt crept in; Is my business good enough? What if I don’t find any clients? I had to remind myself that God was leading, and as long as I followed him, I’ll be okay.
Quitting your job is excellent initially, but once those bill dates roll around, your smile can quickly turn into a frown. I took a risk believing that God had a plan for me. I’ve had many clients, from graphic design, editing and ghostwriting.
Let me ask the readers, what has God asked of you, but it feels impossible to do? Is it to create a workshop or webinar? Create a podcast? We all have to take risks, but our obedience leads us to the promised land.
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
Hi, my name is Yuri Kenan. I’m a wife, mother, author, ghostwriter, editor, and graphic designer. I specialize in helping my clients map out, write, and edit their books. Often, people want to write a book but need help figuring out how to do so. I give a detailed breakdown of the process, what resources are best to use and how they can expect a profit.
Ever since I was a kid, writing has always compelled me. It didn’t matter if it was fiction or non-fiction. I was excited to write what my heart desired. So in 2016, I published my first short story, “Determined to Kill.” Then I later published a memoir and created journals, and now I’m launching my publishing company.
What sets me apart from others is that I analyze people’s issues and solve them in a way that is congruent to their problems.
I am most proud of myself for allowing my business to grow. It’s easy to doubt yourself and give up, but then you’ll never see its full potential. I want everyone to know that I am here to motivate, inspire, and assist anyone on the road to becoming an author.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One lesson I had to unlearn is that taking breaks in your business isn’t required. It is easy to get burnt out on posting on social media three times a day, uploading to your Facebook page, running sales on your inventory, and uploading videos to your Tiktok or YouTube page.
Every business owner should take a couple of days off throughout the week. Unfortunately, we have been conditioned to work all day and all week and only relax on the weekends. This can lead to a disaster. I know because I was forced to take a break for a while. I was overwhelmed with trying to upload content and handle my clients simultaneously. I now have a system in place that allows me to gather what I need and how I can disperse it without feeling low on energy.
People might think something is wrong if you go absent for a month, but that’s just mental health taking place. If you never rest or organize your time, you cannot operate at full compacity. It’s okay to step back and regroup.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My mission is to help other people express themselves through writing. How many people do you know that have had significant health issues, terrible childhoods, loss of family members, or just trouble finding their way? My job is to assist people in writing how they’ve overcome that. So there are two kinds of people; someone willing to share how they overcame and someone who is scared and needs to know how to overcome. The human race can only heal through transparency and honesty. So I am here to help.
Contact Info:
- Website: Yuripandawriter.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yuri_pandawriter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YuripandaWriter
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHFaCa6c-VoWdq8CPpk8E6w
- Other: Apple Podcast Name: Yuri’s Transparency Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/yuris-transparency/id1603173913 Spotify Podcast Name: Yuri’s Transparency Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/5mLRYumGRiRVq4FyRb3JF0?si=HhdvzhG2SjeBQLFhuG4qaQ