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Today, I bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Barefoot Books. In their words:
"At Barefoot Books, we create children’s books that open the hearts and minds of children from all walks of life, focusing on themes that encourage independence of spirit, enthusiasm for learning and respect for the world’s diversity. Playful, beautiful and created to last a lifetime, our products combine the best of the present with the best of the past to educate our children as the caretakers of tomorrow. Our Barefoot Books Ambassadors run their own businesses selling our imaginative and educational books and gifts, bringing art, story and adventure to their communities along the way."
Follow along with the Living Barefoot blog, or join their community by becoming an ambassador!
SouleMama: How long have you been in business?
Nancy (Co-Founder, and CEO of Barefoot Books): Tessa Strickland and I started Barefoot Books back in 1992 with the goal of creating children’s books that feed the imagination, while instilling a respect for diversity and a love of the planet. Nearly two decades later and having created more than 500 books for children, we think of Barefoot Books as more than just a publisher, but really a way of life. We are a world-wide community of people ‘living Barefoot’ who are connected by a shared love of storytelling and creativity, and who are committed to raising happy, healthy, engaged children.
Living Barefoot is all about children exploring the world around them and finding their place within it. It’s about the power of sharing a story. It’s about all kinds of people coming together to shape young minds. At the heart of our business are Barefoot Books Studios in Concord, Massachusetts and Oxford, England. These Studios are bookshops, and also community centers; places where children and adults can play, paint, explore, make friends, look at the world from different points of view and discover new talents. We also have a Boutique on the 2nd floor of FAO Schwarz in New York City.
SouleMama: Tell us about your background. What path led you to the work you do today?
Nancy: I was born in Canada into a family with a bit of an artistic bent. Though I loved the visual arts, particularly color and design, I also really enjoyed numbers and after gaining a business degree, I found myself at Price Waterhouse, first in Toronto and then in London in the mid-eighties. I really didn’t quite fit the mould there, so left to work in a more artistic environment in a London design house. I stayed in the design industry for many years, where I got to travel often to the Far East and learned a lot about all aspects of running an entrepreneurial creative company.
When Tessa approached me in 1992 with the idea of starting Barefoot Books, my eldest daughter was three weeks old and I had just started my own consulting firm advising small creative start-ups. As a new mum with a love of art and design, and an avid explorer of world cultures, I was immediately captivated by the idea of creating beautiful books for children that celebrated diversity and imagination. I didn’t really know much about the publishing industry back then and, in hindsight, that was probably lucky as Barefoot has always strived to be more of a pioneer than a follower.
SouleMama: What inspired you to start your business?
Nancy: Our children were definitely our biggest inspiration for starting Barefoot. As new mums, we were having a hard time finding books that would feed their imaginations, teach them about the world through stories from different cultures, and inspire their creativity with artwork that was intrinsically connected to the stories and spoke as much to them as the words on the page did. We were also in need of high-quality books that we, as parents, would never tire of reading to our children time and time again. In essence, we wanted to create books that we ourselves loved, and that we thought our young children would love and learn from, too.
SouleMama: What does a typical day at work look like for you?
Nancy: I don’t really have too many typical days and that is one of the things I love most about running Barefoot. There is also a very blurry line between my home and my work life, probably because I ran the business from my home for the first eight years and my family have grown up Barefoot. The pace is fast and the days are long, and the work doesn’t stop when I leave the office, but I don’t really mind that.
My days are really varied, and a nice blend of creative and business. A typical day could include anything from brainstorming with our content team on the new publication programme or our latest digital app project; to discussing improvements to our Ambassador model and developing strategy with our sales and marketing team; to reviewing cash flow projections with finance; to designing our new Oxford Studio and reviewing the menu for our Storyteller’s Café!
SouleMama: What's your favorite part of your job? The most challenging?
Nancy: Over the years, the favorite part of my work has been the wonderful feedback and words of encouragement that we have received from our community that has been most personally fulfilling. It is so rewarding to have created more than 500 beautiful books which will make a difference in children’s lives, and to work with such a talented group of writers, artists, musicians, editors and designers. I have met a lot of wonderful people over the past 20 years in all areas of the business and forged many great friendships.
I love the creative process, whether it is making a book, designing a catalogue, or creating one of our flagship Studios. I love the energy and excitement of running an entrepreneurial business, of taking risks in a relatively traditional industry, and carving out a path not yet taken. I love the idea that we can harness the power of social media and combine it with a grassroots, community-based distribution model, including a network of home-based Ambassadors as well as retailers and schools, to create a global lifestyle brand around the concept of living Barefoot, and bringing art and story to children from all walks of life.
Most of all, I love seeing our books brought to life in our Oxford and Concord, MA Studios – what we think of as ‘hubs’ in our global community, where we have events like storytelling, arts and crafts activities, African drumming, puppet shows, yoga and even a family café serving healthy and organically produced food...all part of the Barefoot lifestyle and all about connecting families and nurturing creativity, imagination and diversity.
In terms of challenges….wow...after 20 years it is difficult to know where to start! I have certainly had my fair share of setbacks – everything from books being printed upside down, to 100k mail order catalogues sent out in the middle of the Anthrax scare, to bankrupt distributors. Overall, the biggest challenge for me has been running an innovative, creative business producing an important and wonderful product, where we know our customers are out there, but it has been very difficult to reach them through conventional distribution channels.
Publishing is a very traditional industry and a pretty tricky one; children’s publishing is even more challenging, and high-quality children’s publishing is harder still. And some might say that, in 2011 in the current economic climate, when the digital age may eliminate books altogether, running a premium children’s publishing business is pretty much impossible. Books are being replaced with e-books and apps, publishers are scrambling and trying to work out which way to jump, and large distributors like Borders are falling by the wayside.
With these changes comes plenty of opportunity if you are prepared to think-out-of the box; the magic is deciding which path to focus on.
SouleMama: Do you have a favorite inspirational quote?
Nancy: I can’t decide between these two:
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)
SouleMama: Tell us about your customers.
Nancy: Barefoot Books is a diverse, global community of moms, dads, uncles, aunts, grandparents, artists, storytellers, musicians, independent retailers, librarians, teachers, scientists, poets, potters, gardeners and cooks! What they all have in common is a shared commitment to raising happy, healthy and engaged children and who believe in the pivotal role of imagination, diversity and creativity in children’s lives.
We also have a very vibrant and creative community of Barefoot Books Ambassadors who market and sell our books and gifts in their community – at farmers’ markets, school fairs, fundraisers, cultural festivals, home events and online, bringing art, story and adventure along the way!
SouleMama: How do you balance work and family?
Nancy: As any working mother will attest to, the constant pull between work and family is always challenging. Because of the demands at Barefoot, there are situations and times when I have to be away from my kids or can’t spend as much time with them as I’d like. My husband and four children are at the centre of my life. But I also love my work and believe in what I am doing… so it can be tough sometimes fitting everything into the days and weeks. The end result is a very busy, often chaotic, but always fun and energetic family dynamic. I also have four very independent children who, if they choose this path, will certainly be well-equipped for an entrepreneurial career themselves!
In terms of finding “sanity” time, my family goes every summer to our house in Southwest France, which we bought many years ago when we lived in England and had four tiny children. I work full-time when I am there, but my kids, and more recently their friends, are around all the time, running in and out of my office, drawing, reading, and having fun. I always stop for lunch every day (which I don’t manage to do in Cambridge!) and share time with family and friends, which is incredibly relaxing. Being in a different environment with a different view and a fresh perspective is a great way to recharge my batteries and get the big picture back.
For today's giveaway, Barefoot Books is generously offering the following to TWO winners:
~ one book each of their choice to enjoy with their family!
(Choose from among all of our 500+ titles at www.barefootbooks.com)
In addition, Barefoot Books is offering all SouleMama readers 25% off all purchases on the Barefoot Books website. Just enter Special Offer code Soule Mama at checkout, using this link. Offer expires May 31, 2012.
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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Sunday, and announce the winner(s), chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed!
Thank you to Barefoot Books!
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***Note: There was an error with the link to the 25% off for Barefoot Books, so I'll be leaving the giveaway open one more day, through Monday at 8am EST. Follow this link, or the button below to explore Barefoot Books and receive your discount.
Beautiful illustrations! thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Cate
What an inspirational business and such beautiful books. Thank you for the chance!
Posted by: Bronwyn
