It Girl | RENEE POWERS
I ‘met’ Renee during quarantine because we have a mutual internet friend, one who I hope you will soon learn more about. We had the chance to talk over Zoom and I instantly wanted to learn more about her and her business. In my head we are besties now and part of an exclusive nae-nae club (Renee and Danae).
Name: Renee Powers
Pronouns: she/her
Age: 34
Job Title/Company: Founder, Feminist Book Club
Education Background: PhDropout :) BA, MA, and ABD in Gender Studies and Communication Studies
Tell us a little about who you are.
Just some highlights: I grew up in South Bend, Indiana, and went to public school until college where I attended Saint Mary’s, the women’s college at Notre Dame. I was always a book-loving computer nerd and discovered a passion for social justice in college. I graduated in 2008 and joined a political campaign and began a short career in government work. I went back to school, hoping to become a professor but dropped out after eight years. I launched Feminist Book Club in July of 2018 to marry all my biggest interests - social justice, books, and the internet. Feminist Book Club is the premier online hub for intersectional readers, encouraging resistance through reading with our monthly subscription box, blog, podcast, and events. My mission is to prove that a business can be profitable and make positive progressive change in the world.
2. What sparked your interest in starting your business(es)?
I’m an accidental entrepreneur. What began as a tiny podcast grew into a few of my friends reading the same book and chatting about it on Facebook and then evolved into a book subscription box service with over 500 members in all 50 states and 10 countries. I’ve always loved subscription boxes and was an early adopter of Birchbox and FabFitFun so I thought, how hard could it be? (In many ways, WAY harder than I expected but in other ways, a lot easier.)
3. If applicable, tell us about your fulltime job and/or any side hustles you might have.
For the first year of this business, I worked part-time as a personal stylist for Stitch Fix. It was such a fun job and I was sad to leave, but Feminist Book Club was growing and after a year, I could finally replace that income. I’ve now been fully self-employed for a year. I still miss some of my styling clients, though (and that sweet, sweet discount).
“I’ve started to realize just how much help I need and I’ve had to overcome that fear of looking weak or needy. It’s a work in progress.”
4. Who are you most influenced by?
No one person in particular, though I love all the words Morgan Jerkins, Brene Brown, Jessica Valenti, and Rachel Cargle write. I have the privilege of interviewing some of the most talented feminist authors in the country for our podcast. Every episode is filled with personal a-ha moments. Last year, I spoke with Angie Kim, author of one of the hottest books of the summer Miracle Creek. I asked her if she was surprised by how popular her book had become. She said yes of course, but also no. She went on to say that she worked incredibly hard, laid a lot of groundwork, planted a ton of seeds, and the popularity is just all of that work coming to fruition. That conversation has really stuck with me, as have a number of other interviews full of authors’ wisdom.
5. What was your first job and how long did you hold that position?
I worked at a small walk-up frozen custard shop for most of high school and into my college years. I learned a lot about discipline, customer service, and work ethic in that job, but it was also super fun and outrageously delicious.
6. Can you share one of your proudest achievements with us?
I left this question for last because it’s really difficult for me. At the risk of sounding conceited, I’ve done a lot of cool things -- drove in a Presidential motorcade, backpacked Europe solo, sang in Carnegie Hall, bought a house, interviewed the creator of Sex & the City and the creator of The Daily Show, was featured on Cosmopolitan and Oprah magazine… but my proudest achievement is learning to coexist with my anxiety and panic disorder. Every day that I wake up panic-free is a win for me. Every evening spent relaxing with my spouse and our dog instead of in an anxiety spiral is a win. Thankfully, I’ve put in a lot of work so most of my days are free of panic and anxiety now.
7. What were your initial goals with your work? How have they evolved?
When I started, my Big Hairy Audacious Goal was to ship 350 boxes a month. I blew that goal out of the water in less than two years so when I recalibrated, I focused less on numbers and more on big picture ideas. Beyond the subscription boxes, Feminist Book Club is becoming the premier hub for all intersectional readers. We’re beginning to create more content through our social media, blogs, and podcasts and looking into expanding even more.
8. What do you think is the most important life skill you learned through your work?
Even though I’ve studied feminist theory for 15+ years, I’m always learning more about social justice through my work. I’m so grateful for the teachers out there who curate resources, share their ideas, and co-create knowledge with their audiences. It’s remarkable how many people are doing important, anti-racist, feminist work on the internet and they continue to expand my own understandings every day. So the most important skill I’ve learned is to be hungry to know more, to be open to new ideas, to accept that there’s a lot that I don’t know yet and that everyone has something to teach me.
9. Where do you hope to be in five years?
I have visions of a really cool office space with a small library, podcast/video studio, and an attached fulfillment center/warehouse that could double as an event space. I would love to have a small team to help me run Feminist Book Club and a MAJOR online presence. The goal is to grow into a full-fledged media company with lots of paid contributors for the blog, podcast, and video. Bring it on, Oprah.
“I’ve learned that in order to be successful in business, you need three things: a really great idea, consistency, and support.”
10. What is a typical day like for you?
I start my day around 8am with a cup of coffee then take my dog Rudy for a walk. When we get home, he and I both settle into my home office. I try to tackle my inbox first thing and get as close to the elusive Inbox Zero as possible. I catch up on social media and work on some marketing projects until lunchtime. I do try to take a break for lunch, but I usually end up wolfing down leftovers while prepping for the afternoon. I often record podcast interviews in the afternoon and if not, I usually have some sort of call. I’m in a couple of business development groups that meet via Zoom these days. After my call, I’m usually pretty drained. I’m an introvert and generally hit a wall around 3pm as it is. So I reserve lighter work for the late afternoon. That might mean packing a few orders, browsing small businesses to feature in upcoming boxes, taking some photos for Instagram or the blog, proofreading upcoming submissions from our blog contributors, or reading. I try to wrap up by the time my spouse is done with work so we can spend the evening together.
11. What was the biggest obstacle you’ve faced so far in the process of pursuing your goals?
It’s still ridiculously hard for me to ask for help. I’m an only child and a bit of a control freak, so delegating tasks to people who are willing to assist me is a skill that doesn’t come naturally. As Feminist Book Club has grown, I’ve started to realize just how much help I need and I’ve had to overcome that fear of looking weak or needy. It’s a work in progress.
12. What is the best piece of advice you have received?
“This is all an experiment.” Whatever it is, it doesn’t have to be perfect. If we go into a decision with curiosity and withhold self-judgment, we’ll see the beauty in the result, no matter how it turns out.
13. When do you get your best ideas?
When I’m walking my dog or driving. I find driving really therapeutic but since COVID, I haven’t left my house much!
14. Can you share with us one time that you failed and what you learned from that failure?
Well, you could say I failed my PhD program. Technically, I dropped out but that was after I failed my dissertation proposal defense multiple times. I learned a ton from that experience, both personally and academically. I was in a really ugly space mentally during the six years I was in my PhD program. When I dropped out, it was like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I learned that my mental health is never worth some accolade or piece of paper.
15. How do you unwind?
I am the queen of naps. I LOVE a good nap. But if that’s not feasible, I experiment with nail art. When I lived in Chicago, I had the best nail salon and learned a lot from my nail artist. So once I moved to Minneapolis, I started to try doing my own acrylics and nail art. It’s a work in progress but it’s so fun to play with different colors, textures, tools, and accessories.
16. What would you tell someone else who is interested in entering your field?
No one goes into bookselling to get rich. We go into bookselling because we love the experience of putting the perfect book into the right hands at the perfect moment. Books are truly magical and you can make a decent living in this field but be prepared to drive a really crappy car for a long time!
17. What do you hope people take away from your story?
I’ve learned that in order to be successful in business, you need three things: a really great idea, consistency, and support. I’ve worked for a lot of small businesses in my previous life and I’ve seen that even if you have two of those three things, you may be able to pay the bills but you won’t thrive. So try to identify which is the weakest link and actively find ways to strengthen it. And remember, support can come in many forms: professional training, mental health and wellness, even a bank loan or financial grant.
18. Anything we missed that you would like to share?
Fun fact: I recently cried because baseball was back. I don’t even like baseball but after five months of lockdown, I was so overjoyed to have the sound of sports on in the background that it made me weepy.
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