Meet Rachel Wood, founder of Rare Birds Book Club
Rachel Wood launched Rare Birds Book Club in 2017, and is dedicated to celebrating and promoting fiction written by women. An avid reader herself, she was constantly being asked to provide book recommendations for friends and their book clubs.
Knowing first-hand that many of her friends had the desire to read more but found the process of choosing a book kind of daunting - there was too much choice, and it was impossible to tell whether they’d like the book they had chosen - she came up with a practical idea to make reading fun again.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, Rachel studied Philosophy at university and then went on to get a Master’s in Creative Writing. She spent a decade working as a copywriter, first inside a big glamorous marketing agency and then as a freelancer and in August 2021 will open her first Rare Birds bricks and mortar store.
Is word of mouth working to your advantage?
Yes. Especially in the early days when we were on an absolute shoestring budget, word of mouth was really all we had. It’s really common for us to have a member who ends up buying a subscription for their sister, who buys it for a friend, who buys it for a colleague, who buys it for their mother-in-law. That personal recommendation is really powerful, and what we’ve learned over time is that word of mouth recommendations tend to lead to our most loyal customers.
Is it still possible to build a strong and successful business without social media. If yes or no, why?
Yes, definitely, but ultimately you need to go where your customers are to communicate with them, and a lot of your customers are on social media. Email is a really effective channel for us - it’s intimate, it goes directly to your customer’s inbox, and they can engage with you at a moment where it’s convenient for them. In contrast, we could live without social media, but it’s great for the fun stuff; it’s an opportunity to get to know your customers and for them to get to know you in a more relaxed way.
What plans do you have for Rare Birds Book Club over the next two years?
Big on our agenda is connecting the online and offline so it feels easy and seamless. Because we’re an online book club, we’ve always had a foot in each world - you read your book offline, but you come online to connect with the community and talk about it. This summer we’re opening a bookstore and also building a brand-new website, so people’s experience of the brand will feel as exciting whether they’re meeting us in person and attending an author event or streaming it from home and buying their books from their smartphone. We’re focused on things like - how can you feel like you’ve received a personalised book recommendation from us when you’re shopping from your smartphone?
Do you prioritise self-care as an entrepreneur?
Yes, and I suspect I’m like a lot of entrepreneurs in that I learned that lesson the hard way. I started taking self-care a lot more seriously when I started thinking about myself as an asset to the business - I’m the person responsible for pushing the business forward and I can’t make smart decisions and be strategic when I don’t look after myself properly. The culture around entrepreneurs is that they’re people who are willing to do whatever it takes, and that’s true - but it turns out doing “whatever it takes” to make your business a success isn’t working all hours but making sure you have some boundaries in place so that when those big moments of truth arrive, you’ve had enough sleep the night before to calmly make it through the pitch or the difficult negotiation, or whatever it is that day.
What are your thoughts on failure?
Much scarier in theory than in practice. I’m scared of failure but when I fail at something I almost don’t even notice; failure is rarely final. You just learn, adjust and keep going.
What are your top three tips to hire and develop new talent?
It’s much easier to teach new skills than it is to fundamentally alter someone’s attitude. Make sure their values will align with yours when you’re hiring because you can’t change that later.
Ask an interviewee to describe their version of a dream job and then do what you can to give it to them. If you can offer someone a role that chimes with their own aspirations in life, it’s much more likely to be a good situation for both sides.
Initiative is a great alternative to experience.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?
Try not to take yourself too seriously; you’re allowed to enjoy it.
How did you conquer those moments of doubt that so often affect entrepreneurs or stop many with great ideas – what pushes you through?
I stopped trying to conquer doubt when I realised it doesn’t have to stop you from moving forward. Fears and doubts are normal; you can start working on the idea anyway. My dad has an old saying: you’re dead a long time. I repeat that to myself a lot - it reminds me to stop worrying and just give it a go.
What impact would you like to have on women around the world through your business?
Something that pushed me to start my business was the feeling that in literature the prevailing worldview was male. I asked myself what it would be like to flip that on its head. My hope is that our business is helping women to see themselves reflected in stories and that by promoting women’s writing we’re helping to ensure more women are doing it.
What do you think gives a brand longevity?
Genuine connection with customers and a real willingness to evolve.
How do you prepare for all the unknown obstacles when running your business?
I try and remember that if I knew for certain what would happen it wouldn’t be any fun. Obstacles can be a pain, but they also challenge you and push you to innovate in a way you might not otherwise have done.
