Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Stephanie Green, Founder of Rage Against the Manuscript, located in Auckland, New Zealand.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
As Steffanie Holmes, I'm the author of over 50 dark paranormal and gothic romance novels. I make a six-figure living from the royalties of my books. I also run Rage Against the Manuscript, which is a podcast, courses, and mentoring to help authors who want to finish their books, find their readers, and build a badass author brand.
Tell us about yourself
When I started doing well as a self-published author, I'd share my results and income figures in author groups on Facebook. It's still a bit taboo to talk about money like that, but I always found other authors' success stories so inspiring, so I wanted to do the same for up-and-coming writers. I ended up getting lots of questions and kind of developing and refining my own processes and methodology around that, and I wanted to share that with more authors than just those in the groups. So I made Rage Against the Manuscript, and it's been a smashing success. I absolutely adore mentoring authors, and my students have had some amazing results!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Hitting the bestseller lists was a pretty cool moment! Seeing my book in the top 20 on Amazon for the first time was super exciting! But honestly? I love it so much when readers email me to say my books helped them through a tough time or got them through a bad day or when my mentoring clients tell me about a successful launch or that they hit their publishing income goals.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
When I mentor my clients, the two things that come up, again and again, are authors struggling to finish a book and authors who are afraid to hit publish because 'what if people hate my book?' Both of these are fear responses, and we work on moving past that.
For me, personally, it's so easy to get excited and distracted by all the shiny, fun things you can try to promote your books and grow your platform. But you have to be super strategic about what you choose to do. When you add something to your plate (for me, recently, it's been Tiktok and using Kickstarter), you have to take something away, or it's the writing that will suffer. So I think getting the balance right is tough for a lot of authors.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don't quit before the miracle. I published four books before I made more than coffee money. My 33rd book is the one that really took off, but if I hadn't written books 1-32, I never would have got there.
- Remember who your core audience is and why they need you.
- There are a million easier ways to earn a living than being in a creative business like writing. So if it's hard, then you might as well also be having fun. I primarily make decisions based on 'what's the most fun for me, and that's always a good place to start.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.rageagainstthemanuscript.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rageagainstthemanuscript
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steffmetal/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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