We had the good fortune of connecting with Zibby Owens and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zibby, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
I’m obsessive about email. It keeps me up at night! Responding quickly to people and being accessible has helped me grow my community. Plus I type super quickly!!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’ve created a community around books called “the Zibby-verse” (named by the L.A. Times) which includes my podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, a publishing house Zibby Books, a bookstore in Santa Monica called Zibby’s Bookshop, and a book club, retreats, classes, events, and more. I’ve tapped into the craving for connection and the unique role books play. I’m most proud of the fact that I started all of this from nothing. In 2017, I wasn’t even on Instagram. My original goal was just to sell a novel or a memoir to a publisher! Along the way, I’ve built a team of 20+ people, published 14 books with one book a month on the way ongoing, created connections among so many people, helped countless authors increase book sales, and created a physical space in Southern California that improves the neighborhood and unites the community. No, it wasn’t easy at all! I’ve been working non-stop for years!! I’ve cried a lot. I’ve wanted to give up often. But that’s when my husband (back to the shoutout!) usually reminds me how much progress I’m making, how to keep going, and why I’m doing it. I want the world to know that my brand is 100% authentic. I’m the target audience. I’m a reader. I wanted to read more and had no time. I’m also a writer. I wanted to connect. I wanted to bring my whole self to what I was building. I’ve had a lot of loss in my life and decided in my 20s that work had to be completely me or it wasn’t worth doing.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, to be honest, we’d probably spend a lot of time in my home in the Pacific Palisades which is my happy place. We’d swim and laugh and cook and just enjoy the view. But then we’d probably go to Palisades Village for dinner and ice cream at McConnell’s. We’d probably get brunch at a cute cafe by Zibby’s Bookshop. We’d take a walk from the bookshop to the beach and up San Vicente and around again and spend time going to an event at the store. We’d get sushi at Brothers. Maybe head to the Soho House in Malibu for brunch. We’d play tennis, go for a long walk, meet friends, hang out with my family, pop into the Brentwood Countrymart, get dessert at Susie Cakes and just relax. My favorite thing is to check out bookstores wherever I go.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate my shoutout to my husband Kyle. Without him, literally none of this would’ve happened.

Website: www.zibbyowens.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/zibbyowens

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/zibbyowens

Twitter: www.twitter.com/zibbyowens

Facebook: www.facebook.com/zibbyowenszibbyowens

Youtube: www.youtube.com/zibbyverse

Other: http://zibbyowens.substack.com www.instagram.com/zibbysbookshop www.instagram.com/zibbybooks www.instagram.com/zibbyverse www.zibbymedia.com

Image Credits
Innis Casey.

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