Books Have the Power

November 2024 was my seven-year anniversary with PaperPie.  After seven years it is easy to think that you should keep on keeping on and it is too late to make changes.  But I realized over those years I’ve experienced a lot of changes, personally and professionally, so maybe it was time to grow and “upgrade” my book business.   Here was my major mind shift and pivot point – I came to realize I had spent the first 5+ years of my business caring more about sales and achieving goals than caring about people.  Don’t get me wrong, I think having goals and being driven to achieve them is good, but they cannot take a back seat to people. 

So, in December 2024 it was time for some changes!  I sat down with a mentor and someone I respect and admire deeply, and I asked some big questions and she hit me with some real answers and that gave me the encouragement I needed to  act.  If you’ve been with me for a while, you might have seen the outward changes– Melissa’s Magnificent Books to Roots in Reading, but things went deeper than a name change.  It was about getting in touch with my “why”, my mission, and really being willing to say goodbye to what my business had been and embrace what I wanted it to be.  So, things nobody else (except my family and a couple close women in my circle) saw  – reflection on what PaperPie, reading, books, and literacy all mean to me, taking those reflections and turning them into a mission statement that can guide me as I do business, and the decision to make positive change in my business and launch my own website.  Oh, and this blog you are reading, that was a change, too!   Writing is something that has been on my head and my heart for quite a while, but I’ve held myself back by saying things like “what would I write about” and “who would want to read it”.  These are lies I’ve told myself to keep myself from taking chances and being the person I authentically want to be. 

So, why do I share all this?  Well, I want others to see that we don’t need to keep doing what we’re doing because “that’s how we’ve always done it” …UGH, that phrase!  As people, I think we just need to be more willing to make ourselves a little uncomfortable so that we can be filled with a sense of joy and pride when the outcome becomes what we want.  The last month has been the happiest I have felt in my business EVER.  Let’s be clear, my sales are zero at the time I’m writing this.  New team members? No.  Do I have a lot of leads because I feel a deep need to connect with people and my community?   YES!  A great sense of pride because I feel like I am embodying what I want my business to me?  YES!  A joy in all the “new” and “shiny” that is coming with a mindset shift?  YES!  To me, this is what business should be.  Something you are proud of, something you want to share, and something that brings you joy. 

You may or may not rock your own business, direct sales or otherwise, but I promise we each have something we’ve become content with, willing to just keep the status quo. I would challenge you to think about what that thing (or two, or three) is and face it, do something to change the result. 

Roots in Reading Mission Statement:  “Books have the power to be magical, build confidence, and open doors to endless possibilities for every reader. I’m driven to connect struggling and resistant readers with stories that inspire, comfort, and empower – because literacy is the bridge to everything they can dream of achieving.”