We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel May and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Rachel, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’m a huge reader and writer. Since about middle school, I’ve wanted to write books that make people feel the same way I feel when I read an amazing story. A few years ago, one of my good friends and I were learning everything we could about storycraft in order to be better write our own stories. As we were learning, we were also recognizing a deep passion for helping other writers and learning together in community. It started to blossom into an idea for a business.
I believe deeply in my soul that stories matter. Stories change the world. Writers deserve to get their stories out there, and we wanted to help them do that because we know firsthand how powerful stories can be. So our business is centralized around this idea and teaching writers how to tell the stories branded on their hearts.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business, Golden May, helps writers level up their writing skills so they can tell the stories branded on their hearts. We are book coaches, which means we are focused on teaching our writers the principles of Storycraft and practically showing them how to bring the vision in their heads to the page in front of their fingers.
We believe that stories matter, and what sets us apart is our fierce love of how Story works plus our approach to managing the mental hurdles of the writing process. In our work, we look at each writer individually, help them capitalize on their strengths, and teach them to adapt their writing process to fit their needs. I am so proud of every time one of our writers learns more about themselves, tells a story that makes them proud, and grows a dynamic and fulfilling writing life.
Getting to where we are today business-wise was a very welcome challenge, with its share of ups and downs along the way. When we started our business, both my business partner and I had other jobs and we’ve been blessed that we’ve both been able to focus our full time energies on Golden May. As a new parent, I’ve had to learn how to find a balance between our business and my then-newborn (and my now-toddler). We’ve been able to overcome every challenge that comes our way because of three main reasons: (1) we believe in feedback and we continually communicate our needs, (2) we believe in investing in ourselves and finding others to help us grow, and (3) we believe in ourselves, our business, and doing it our way.
What these three things mean to us are that we promise one another to communicate our struggles as well as our wins. We are not afraid to pay money to invest in ourselves as we grow our business. We are flexible with how WE choose to run our business. We trust ourselves and our instincts, and we choose to do things our way versus trying to fit a model that doesn’t work for us and our lives.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
An absolute MUST for any AZ or Phoenix visitor is to make a trip to Sedona. It’s one of my favorite places and I love how you can visit on a day-trip or stay for longer. The views are to die for and there are plenty of delicious food stops plus outdoor activities to explore the red rocks.
My favorite eats in the Valley are Cibo, Little Miss BBQ, Pizzeria Bianco, the Compass Grill (on top of the Hyatt downtown), and Glai Baan. All of them have awesome food and atmosphere.
Phoenix also has some amazing hiking and it’s well worth getting outside and onto the trails, whether at Camelback Mountain, the Estrella Mountains, or the White Tanks.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I could shoutout so many people! I believe humans are meant to help one another, and I’ve had no shortage of encouragers, supporters, and mentors along the way. I’d love to shoutout first my own mom, who is an extremely successful businesswoman in her own right. She taught me the value of hard work, and the ethic to go out and get what you want. I want to shoutout my mentors at my previous jobs, who taught me the beauty and power of feedback, who loved me and supported me as I found my identity, and who encouraged me to do my own thing. Lastly, I dedicate this shoutout to my amazing business partner, Emily Golden. Without her, Golden May wouldn’t exist and we wouldn’t be living our actual dreams.
Website: goldenmayediting.com
Instagram: @bookcoachrachel
Image Credits
Tonya Crandell