Miranda of The Do Book Company (3 min Read)
What's your life motto?
‘If you want something done, do it yourself.’ It’s not the most beautiful or inspiring quote (and becomes problematic when you’re trying to get better at the art of delegation) but it generally means things move forward and you’re not relying on other people to make stuff happen.
What have you learnt so far?
To have the courage of your convictions.
Where is your favourite place?
Treyarnon Bay in Cornwall, Rodin Museum in Paris, Clapton E5.
Name your three favourite words?
Pamplemousse (french for grapefruit), quite, pioneer (bit random, sorry).
What do you think makes a good company?
At the end of the day you have to have a great product; something that you love and are personally invested in. Chances are it will appeal to others. From there you can start to build.
Can you describe your workplace?
I love the space we’re in at the moment. We moved to a new studio during the lockdown of spring 2020 and it’s the first time we’ve had our own place. Before that we were in a friend’s co-working space in Shoreditch, which was equally brilliant, but it’s a bit like moving out of a shared house to your own flat - all grown up! It’s part of Hackney Downs Studios which is home to lots of other creative businesses so there’s a good energy about the place, and the walk or bike ride across the park is literally the best commute I’ve ever had.
What is your favourite food?
Pesto, roast chicken with bread sauce, cheddar cheese. Not at the same time.
What can you not live without?
Would it be too cheesy to say my children or mini-schnauzer, Nimbus? Right, ok then. Let’s go with my pyjamas or slippers.
What is the last thing you bought?
I’m not a big shopper and struggle even more with online shopping but the last substantial thing I bought was a pair of pale pink cords from Everlane to wear in the summer (case in point, I went on to buy jeans). Still not convinced they’re the right size but…
What advice would you give to the younger generation?
Don’t be scared to commit to something. Work hard at it but have fun along the way. Be polite. Accept that you will always be learning. If you think you can do it, you probably can.
Proudest moment?
Wow, that’s hard! Giving birth?! Then doing it again three years later? That would be closely followed by starting my own publishing company and, at various points, having people that I truly respect saying how much they love the books. It’s always a surprise and a delight to hear (same goes for if anyone says anything complimentary about the children).
What’s next?
To keep commissioning books that are useful and inspire others – and that excite me. Not to push myself too hard and stop thinking about where it might all be heading.
Photo credit: EatWorkArt
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