Sanura Williams

We love inspiring stories from amazing people across the globe who are doing great things. This week’s feature focuses on Sanura Williams a Los Angeles native, who after creating a career in corporate retail, began to feel unfulfilled with the routine and monotony. Inspired by a quote that said “create the life you want to live”, she began to brainstorm on how to do just that, and from there My Lit Box was born. My Lit Box is a monthly book subscription service highlighting the works of writers of color whose mission is to create conversation and community surrounding color.

Who is Sanura WIlliams?

Before My Lit Box, I was a business analyst content with climbing the corporate ladder, receiving periodic raises, and taking vacations twice a year. After My Lit Box, I am a woman who has been empowered by the word “entrepreneur” who has discovered I have more hustle and grind in me than I ever thought. I am woman with a product and a dream that I want to share with everyone!

What is My Lit Box?

My Lit Box is the product of me brainstorming on how I can (1) make my passion a bigger part of my life and (2) how I can share this passion with others. There are a lot of things that I love to do, but nothing tops reading. Unfortunately, I found that I wasn’t doing it as often as I would like and I also found that others had this same problem. Then this idea popped into my head, and I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if there was no guess work? What if I could count on a new book being delivered to me monthly! From this, My Lit Box was born, and it seemed like the perfect solution.

What made you leap forward to make the first step to becoming an entrepreneur? 

I wasn’t focusing my energy towards anything I was passionate about and that bothered me immensely. I began to look into jobs that more closely aligned with my passions, but then I remembered that quote that said ““create the life you want to live” and I knew as long as I worked for someone else I would never fully realize that dream. Entrepreneurship was the answer and once the idea for My Lit Box came to me, I knew I was on to something. I asked myself “If you give it all you’ve got, what can you turn My Lit Box into?” I wanted to know the answer to this question, so I accepted this challenge and I haven’t looked back since.

How did you know this what you wanted to do for sure? 

I was sure this was what I wanted to do when idea after idea kept popping into my head and things just started to fall into place. I felt like I had a natural momentum behind me pushing me in this direction and I didn’t want to go against that momentum.

So after getting set up, what were the setbacks and what did you do to improve? 

My biggest challenge was social media. I am the epitome of an introvert, so I found that engaging in social media was just as uncomfortable for me as being in a room full of strangers and engaging in small talk. But we all know how important social media is in building your business and brand so it wasn’t something I could avoid. I can’t say I have it all figured out but I’m constantly doing my research on what imagery works best, engaging with users, and taking the work out of it and having fun! But most of all, I know that if I stay true to who I am, and what my brand and business are all about, everything else will fall in place!

How does My Lit Box work? 

The box you receive will not be a random selection of a book with some randomly selected bookish items thrown in. It will be a carefully curated selection with a common theme. In addition to a newly released novel, you can expect a range of goodies like journals, tote bags, candles, bookmarks, keepsakes, etc. The possibilities are endless! My Lit Box’s website goes live April 1st and I’m offering subscribers 10% off their very first order using the promo code WELCOME.

What makes My Lit Box unique?

Something unique about My Lit Box that sets it apart from the competition is what we focus on writers of color. This is not to say that there are not amazing white writers, but this is my effort to shine a light on an often overlooked but talented segment of writers.

What is your advice to people having a fear of launching their business?

Although I’m fairly new to entrepreneurship, I feel like I’m learning something new every day and I am always willing to share these lessons. The best advice I can offer right now is to just go for it! Believe me, I’ve come close to talking myself out of building My Lit Box, but then I thought about how horrible I’d feel to see someone else come along with the same idea and have the success that just as easily could’ve been mine.

Where and how can people find you? 

I would love to connect with you all across all social media platforms. You can find My Lit Box (@mylitbox) on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr and Facebook and our website, http://www.mylitbox.com