Books may be an endangered species in the eyes of some these days, but don’t tell that to Eileen Gittins. She created Blurb to give people an opportunity to use books as a means to share experiences and memories with the ones we love. Gittins got the idea when she was trying to create a professional quality photography book as a gift for about 40 people. She thought of books as a product that was mostly available in either a library or a bookstore, something that you bought as-is without any input into its design. Gittins looked at the pages of books and saw an opportunity. She believed those pages would be a great space for people to demonstrate artistic creativity and share personal stories in a colorful way that they had never thought of before. There were several challenges, of course. First and foremost, she needed to build a business that would enable the company to make money on a book of one. The book that a husband would make for his wife would only be valuable to those two people and it would make no sense to reproduce it in mass numbers. She had to convince traditional printers to invest in major systems and new workflows for this self-publishing industry she wanted to create. Gittins funded the company on her Visa card for the first year, convincing her husband that this was a good idea. As the sole bread winner in the family, that was no easy task. But the founder, president and CEO persevered and established a business that delivers those great memories to customers across the globe. She has also spearheaded a leadership development program to help her team continue to grow and become better at what they do and better leaders in the business. How to reach: Blurb, (415) 364-6302 or www.blurb.com
