"We continuously build trust, community, and success with our authors" with JB Owen

Photo Credit: April Stead - Ray of Light Photo

JB Owen, Founder, and CEO of Ignite Publishing, Ignite Moments Media, JBO Global Inc., and Lotus Liners, constantly pushes the boundaries of traditional ‘success’ and has an unwavering passion for inspiring others to do the same. She is motivated by assisting individuals in breaking through their limiting beliefs and experiencing their business triumphs by sharing their unique, personal stories; their Ignite Moment. She is a world-class speaker, 19-time bestselling author, and powerful business owner publishing over 700 authors, turning them into international best-sellers.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I grew up in a small town that felt small-minded and confining for most of my life. My love for fashion, art, and the theater had me living in the big city two weeks after graduating from high school. I studied Fashion Design and Textile Science in college. I adored designing and started making clothing, jewelry, and art to pay my way and fuel my passion for creativity. I then worked in the film and television industry, in the costume department, for almost 15 years. 

At 23, I published my first book pertaining to how mothers and daughters can heal their complex relationships. I fell in love with writing with its ability to express and share in a way that speaks directly to the reader’s heart. My success in writing and my passion for business and design soon had me publishing books for others and building dynamic brands for upcoming authors. Working with people to share their powerful stories while helping them develop their message and create their legacy has been a rewarding career. It took decades to get to where I am today, but by staying committed to my talents while adding value and success to others, I have discovered the winning recipe for my success.

What inspired you to start your business?

I believe every person on the planet desires to be seen and heard. I have always had a passion for connecting with others and inspiring them; by accepting them for who they are and listening. Empowering one’s voice through storytelling is the basis of everything I do at Ignite. It was that desire to make a positive impact and transform the lives of others that first inspired me.

From there, I saw the genuine connections, growth, and love that came from storytelling that impacted the direction of my leadership at Ignite. After helping solo authors publish their books, I realized that stories, especially stories with powerful ‘Ignite Moments’ in them, could ignite others around the world. With people feeling so disconnected, I knew real-life stories told with meaning and heart would unite us globally.

Where is your business based?

Our business is based in Canada, and we have a subsidiary division in the USA. Being in Canada gives us the best of all worlds to work with our authors in every time zone. Proudly we have team members from Spain, Australia, America, England, Israel, and of course Canada, and have published authors from over 47 counties; from every corner of the globe.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I started the business doing what I knew; making a great product, solving a problem, and giving my customers more than they ever expected. I wanted to make publishing fun, easy, and enjoyable. I knew that many authors struggled to publish their stories, and I was aware of the ups and downs involved in publishing. I did everything I could to educate myself on ways to improve it and put the author first. My goal was to do 12 books in 12 months, and we accomplished that in 13 months, starting with 35 authors in our first book. We provided such a life-changing experience that authors wrote 3, 4, or even 5 books and recommended us to everyone they knew. The first book led to the next, and so on. It all started with an idea that led to a passion.

I can honestly say I started by just diving in and learning along the way. I had a target, a goal, and a vision of how the first book we published should be and what the experience should feel like for the authors. I worked day by day to make that happen. The real way to start anything is just to start. During the Pandemic, I wanted to do something to show people that any goal or dream they had was possible, so I rode my tandem bike with my husband 5000km across Canada to prove that you don’t have to be an athlete, train for years, or even know the exact route, you just have to start. Put one foot in front of the other, or in our case, one pedal at a time, and move in the direction of where you want to go. You will get there. I always say, “The hardest part is at the start.”

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

We pride ourselves on creating a fantastic community of authors who have experienced the process of writing their stories and going through our author journey in a way they never expected; transformationally. That in itself sets us apart. We work diligently for our authors and show them how to create a business with their books and grow their legacy. Many of them have recommended Ignite to their friends and business associates. Word of mouth has been very powerful for finding great new authors for our books, and you want to work with people your clients work with. Ignite has a wonderful community of outstanding people, and our business has grown exponentially because our clients have such a great time. They share it with people they know who want to write a book and have a 5-star experience.

Forbes Magazine called me a “heart-centered publisher,” which was an honor because it reflects that everything we do has a positive emotional upliftment on others. When you position your company as one that values authenticity and promotes personal development and growth, you attract like-minded people who value the same things you do. When you care about your clients the way we do, that raises a lot of awareness in the industry and brings us the top people to work with.

What have been your biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them?

From a business perspective, one of our challenges was, like most businesses, implementing systems and procedures into the company culture. When you start a company, people are working to grow the business, not track and systematize it. We've taken a lot of time to go back and map out our success to make better systems and develop a turnkey process that will allow us to move toward franchising the business next year.

On a personal level, one of my biggest challenges has been patience. I always want to work toward the big picture. I know my mission is to create massive, positive change on the planet, so I want to move quickly to produce and share the empowering content that Ignite puts out. That desire drives me endlessly, and I have to sometimes remind myself that businesses unfold in due time and that it cannot all happen at once. Everything happens in its own time.

These challenges are things I consistently have to put the work into overcoming. You have to train your mind that every “NO” you receive is just a redirect to a “New Option” on the path forward. Sometimes, I force myself to slow down and see the importance of all the small moving pieces. Then I can enjoy all the little details that make Ignite the business I’m proud to run.

How do you stay focused?

It’s easy to stay focused on what I have to do today because I know I’m working towards a better tomorrow. The primary way I stay focused is by concentrating on the big goal. I like to use visualization to saturate myself with what it will feel like when I achieve that goal. I take my role in igniting the lives of humanity seriously. Every time I think about the impact I can make and the positive influence I can have on our future generations— for my kids and grandkids and all the kids to come— I get so exhilarated. That emotion drives me to be clear, concise, and committed to what I have to do to move the business in that direction.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Ignite is very different from other publishing houses because our mandate is not to produce words on a page, pages in a book, and books on a shelf. We’re committed to creating authors and author-preneurs. We want authors to succeed in building a monetization model around their books. It’s no fun when someone publishes a book, and then the copies just sit in their garage. We work with authors to show them the business behind the book and make it a success.

We ask questions like: How do they monetize? How do they grow? What kinds of things do they need to do to expand their message and succeed at the work they love to do? How can they add other products to their brand to supplement their book? What is a legacy we can help them create?

I’m very passionate about teaching authors how to have a long-term business strategy that will supersede their book and allow them to take their message to the next level. Our business model is not to take dividends from book sales; our model is to empower authors to develop a substantial business of their own.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Our most effective marketing strategy has been working with our authors extensively to produce a life-changing experience and give them more than they ever expected. We continuously build trust, community, and success with our authors. We want our authors to catapult their business forward, so we don’t just publish their books and leave them to their own devices. Instead, we work with them hand in hand to produce amazing results that they are happy to share. We create a journey that authors want to tell their friends about, a transformational experience they want to share with everyone they know.

Our authors are our greatest asset in marketing because they love their experience at Ignite and are happy to share it. We pride ourselves on creating collaborations, and we do everything we can to elevate our authors, not just ourselves.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

My best advice is that you have to educate yourself. You have to learn and study, but more importantly, you have to do the work. Many entrepreneurs just want to hire people and farm things out; they want to bring on individuals who know what to do when they don’t know how to do it themselves. If you’re going to be an entrepreneur, you have to immerse yourself in every aspect of your business.

You have to learn all the pieces, understand what is required, and only then do you hire people who are better than you and excel in their specific field to grow your business. It doesn’t work to your advantage to hire people below your skillset and experience, and it doesn’t work to hire people who do jobs with KPIs you’re unaware of. If you want to be an entrepreneur, you have to understand every facet of your business to the best of your ability, educate yourself on what you don’t know, and then start working with the people who are in alignment with your business’s core values and can help you reach the place you want to get to.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My current favorite app is Clubhouse. It is a place where people are authentically sharing and allowing the movement of ideas to grow into something bigger. I enjoy the people you meet and the exciting conversations you get to have in this audio environment. Collaborations of businesses happen in such a quick and fast-paced way. If you want to quickly meet people worldwide with similar interests and visions, I feel this is a great place. It also helps allows you to start talking about your business and speaking out about what you are doing. Talking about your idea is a great way to bring those ideas to life.

My favorite blog is Forbes Magazine’s blog. After I was featured in Forbes in 2021, I became very interested in all of the articles they produce and the plethora of information they share. If you want to be a successful entrepreneur and learn from people who are just a few steps ahead of you, Forbes’ entrepreneur section of their blog is fantastic.

My favorite book is The Science of Getting Rich by Walter D. Wattles. Even though it was written in 1910, I feel like this book is relevant today and awakens your mind to think differently about business, wealth, success, and prosperity. He shares how wealth is a science, and when you set your mindset correctly and follow the law around the science of becoming rich, you cannot fail. Wealth is available to everyone, and success happens when you set your mind to achieving it.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

My favorite business tool is Notion.io. It has an unlimited array of abilities to track your projects, manage your tasks, communicate with one another, create schedules, structure financing, and more. Our entire team from around the globe uses Notion, and we also use it for all of our authors. When you have a lot of big ideas and multiple projects happening all at once, you need a place to house all your ideas and then turn them into tasks that your team can use to help implement the necessary structures for success.

As a visual and creative person, Notion is perfect. Since it also has tables, chats, boards, and multiple views, it transfers your information in ways that suit other people’s learning styles. It allows everybody to move the needle forward in a project, and best of all, it doesn’t matter what time zone people are in or what department they’re in; they can all focus on the success of a project on their work schedule. This allows businesses to move quickly and more efficiently.

Who is your business role model? Why?

My mom is my business role model. She’s been in business for over 40 years, in a business she built from the ground up. I remember my mother and father making the actual building when I was seven years old and putting my hands in the cement. To this day, when I go into that building, I have a sense of pride for this great business that she created. It’s considered a landmark in our community.

As a woman in business, my mom has shown me how she’s had to transverse all of the dynamics around female business owners throughout the decades. She’s reflected a more feminine, genuine business model where she takes care of her customers, serves the community, and makes an impact by supporting initiatives in our city so that everybody can advance and have a better life. I’ve watched her support local teams and be a member of the entrepreneurs association and the city council. I’ve genuinely admired how she has gracefully been a parent, a business owner, a friend, and a pillar of the community all at the same time.

How do you balance work and life?

There is an art to the work-life balance. I am lucky because I love my work, and my work encompasses what I love to do; be around people, share life-changing moments, and help people step into being a more incredible version of themselves. My purpose is to ignite others and show them how they can heal their past story and refine their future story. Because of this, my work is enjoyable, fun, exciting, and a true gift to me every single day. This way, it doesn’t feel like work.

If your work is a part of your life mission and ingrained in your purpose, then the life you enjoy is an extension of your work. I make sure to integrate my work with what I love. We have had many book launches in countries around the globe which fulfills my need for travel and appreciating and experiencing other cultures. Our Ignite Possibilities Tour had me cycling 5000km across Canada in 2020 and 6300km to the Top of the World in the Yukon in 2021. Our new initiative, Ignite Humanity, will have me cycling 8600km from coast to coast and filming a documentary along the way as we visit authors and tell their life-changing Ignite Moments. I have an acronym for W.O.R.K; Wonderful, Organized, Relatable, and Kicking Butt. Parlaying these passions with my work doesn’t feel like work.

When you wake up every day and love what you do, you are always balanced with yourself.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Since I just shared my many bike trips, I have to admit I love to cycle, especially on my tandem bike with my husband, Peter. Getting on our bike and just feeling the wind on my face, being out in nature, smelling the fresh air, and connecting with the people I meet on our cycling trips is incredible. You feel such a sense of accomplishment. Working your body, exercising, stretching your muscles, pushing your expectations, and going after a goal are empowering. It is a fabulous way to let go of all the insignificant things that don’t matter and connect with my husband, myself, and nature.

I can honestly say my husband and I have had many great business discussions on our bikes. The freedom from being outdoors and amidst the expansiveness around us has led to new ideas, breakthroughs, and creative momentum.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We have some fantastic projects coming up that I’m very excited about. Our latest book that we’re getting ready to publish is Ignite Your Wisdom. We have a vast group of talented authors involved in this book, all sharing their personal stories and the transformative wisdom gained from them. They have some very life-defining and impactful ideas to share. The book is coming out in May, and I am so thrilled to be publishing a book on this topic with such amazing authors, including Luz Delia Gerber, Mrs. E-Myth herself, who will write the foreword for the book.

We are also gearing up to start a new book in our Ignite Success Series called Keys to Crushing It. This is a book for and by professionals in the real estate industry who want to learn the tips and tricks from some of the best real estate agents in the US. This book will feature the Ignite Moments and business training from renowned business and real estate titans Ryan Serhant and Bryce McKinley, along with 50 top agents, from 50 states, who are crushing it in their market. Agents who are genuinely crushing it in their communities, creating innovative teams, and impacting the industry will be published in this book. We’re excited to show the positive, beneficial, and humanitarian side behind many real estate agents.

Also coming up is my husband and I’s yearly cycling charity trip. Over the past two years, we have cycled over 11,000km and raised thousands for charity. This year, we’re continuing to raise funds for our charity initiative, the Ignite Possibilities School of Hope, which raises money to pay for the construction of a school for impoverished children in Cambodia.

We’re also hosting live IgniteX speaking events and showcasing authors and speakers telling their Ignite Moments on stage. While cycling and traveling to our live IgniteX events, we will be meeting with fellow change-makers along our journey and creating our new documentary, Ignite Humanity. The stories and experiences of these outstanding individuals making a more significant impact on humanity will also be featured in a book with the same title.

We’re continuing to raise funds for the School of Hope as we start to unveil our next big project this year, Ignite Legacy. We are so proud to provide education, encourage literacy, and foster a love of defining your own story. Highly successful Legacy Leaders will help raise money to build 12 more schools with our partners, Classroom of Hope. We know that building a legacy and showing people how to do it with tools, strategies, and an affinity for raising the planet's consciousness will positively impact our future. I’m incredibly excited for this project and the worldwide ripple effect, especially for the children in communities where schools are built.

How can our readers connect with you?

We pride ourselves in being available to connect with anyone who aspires to write a book or tell their personal Ignite Moment. You can learn more about Ignite and our mission at igniteyou.life We have many helpful programs and training for anyone wanting to build their business. If you feel like you have a story you’re ready to tell; you can also see our upcoming books here and find an excellent fit for you. I love hearing from potential authors who want to talk about their stories and share their Ignite Moment. Reach out to me directly on my Facebook and Instagram or my website here.

We always have exciting things happening on our social channels. You can follow Ignite on Facebook and Instagram to stay updated or go to our website and sign up for our newsletter.  With the desire to always serve and give, here is a link to get a free meditation called Affirmations of a Billionaire to retrain your mindset for building your own successful brand.