If you’ve resolved this will be your year to write your book or launch your blog, founder and CEO Javacia Harris Bowser is here to help you. I recently spoke with Bowser about her business, See Jane Write.
Tell me about See Jane Write.
I started See Jane Write in March of 2011. It began as just a small women’s writing group but is now an award-winning business that offers female writers and bloggers a number of services. Benefits to being a member include exclusive weekly content designed to help women with writing, blogging and brand building; discounts to our monthly workshops; invitations to members-only events; the opportunity to be assigned an accountability partner; and a one-on-one coaching session with me.
Why did you decide to start it?
When I moved back to Birmingham in 2009 to teach I was leaving a job as a full-time newspaper reporter. Though I loved my new teacher colleagues I missed having a community of women writers around me. So I started searching for women’s writing group — one for bloggers, journalists, and aspiring authors — but I couldn’t find the organization I was looking for. So I decided to start my own.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from See Jane Write?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned from See Jane Write is that the best way to achieve your dreams is to help other people achieve theirs. Once See Jane Write evolved into a business I decided I wanted it to be a very successful one. The more I help other women, the more See Jane Write grows and gets recognized. In 2012 I received the SMART Award from the Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham. In 2015 I was selected as one of the city’s Top 40 Under 40 by the Birmingham Business Journal. This year Southern Living included me on its list of Innovators Changing the South along with household names like actress Reese Witherspoon and Dolly Parton and Alabama Media Group selected me as one of 30 Women Who Shape the State. This all happened because I’m determined to help other women get their voices heard.
What can members expect after they join See Jane Write?
They can expect to get the resources they need to accomplish their writing, blogging or business goals and they can expect a tribe of women ready to support them along the way.
What advice do you have for others interested in starting a business or a blog?
Whether you’re starting a blog or a business, the first thing you need to do is figure out your story and figure out who needs to hear it.
What’s the biggest lesson you want people to learn from your life?
If there’s something missing from your life, from your world, don’t sit around waiting for someone to help you find it — create it.
What’s next for Javacia Harris Bowser and See Jane Write?
I want to expand See Jane Write’s reach. I hope to add 500 new members in 2017. I also want to write the book that I’ve been carrying in my heart and my head for years.
To learn more about See Jane Write and Javacia Harria Bowser, visit the website or connect on Twitter or Instagram.
