In the third and final article in this series about about Fountain Publishing, the local independent publishing company run as a “labor of love” by Karin and Jon Childs, we’ll take a look at how the Childses fit together their work life and family life within the same home.
about the Childses described how they started the company and what it offers; looked at what’s involved in the daily running of this small, home-based publisher.
A balancing act
“My schedule varies a lot from day to day,” Childs said. “I make my list of both personal life tasks and Fountain Publishing tasks for the day, and prioritize them according to urgency. Some days have more of one, and some days more of the other, depending on what's going on.”
I asked Childs what it's like running a business with her husband, and her response was enthusiastic: “I absolutely love having Fountain Publishing be a joint venture with my husband. It gives us a creative outlet that we work on together, and that is very bonding.”
Sharing responsibilities
When asked how they divide the workload, Childs answered, “We each have our own strengths, talents, and abilities to put toward the business.”
Accordingly, Karin Childs focuses on “writing, editing, layout, advertising, calling for equipment repairs, packaging and shipping orders, communications with authors, artists, and reviewers.”
On the other hand, Jon Childs takes care of “printing, color-correcting, laminating, and binding, ordering supplies and buying equipment, bookkeeping and legal issues, and some editing, too," said Childs. They are a working team, each with their own valuable contributions to make.
“We very much look forward to having Fountain Publishing be a part of our lives beyond retirement," said Childs when asked what she enjoys about getting to do something like this as a couple. She said she hopes "to keep stimulating, creative projects as a part of our own relationship and a way of reaching out together to the outside world in a meaningful way.”
Motivating others
I was inspired by the idea of this couple having found a way to work together to do something important with their lives – something that matters – and I was curious about one other thing: how do their kids benefit from seeing their parents doing something they love and believe to be important?
“Our kids are excited to have us pursuing a dream and seeing the results,” said Childs. “It seems to have inspired our older kids to really pursue what they love to do, and we can counsel them to try to approach efforts in ways that seem manageable and sustainable.
"We end up sometimes collaborating in small ways with our kids on various efforts — either Fountain Publishing efforts or projects that our kids have going on in their own lives. That is really fun!”
I found the story of Fountain Publishing inspiring. There is an obvious quality of sympathy, care and understanding in everything Fountain Publishing offers to others. To me, this story encourages us all to see that by turning outwards to do something special for other people, it really is possible to bring meaning and beauty out of the painful times in our lives.
To view Fountain Publishing’s offerings, visit Oak Arbor Church's book room; certain products are also available on Amazon.com. Please visit the Fountain publishing website for more information.
