Up next in our Side-Hustle Series is Teddy Boucard and Read Rose books! Based out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Read Rose hosts an impressive collection – there’s a little something for everyone, from Russian literature to historical fiction. We took a few minutes to chat with Teddy about his experiences as an entrepreneur on our team.
Teddy describes the founding of Read Rose as equal parts love and luck. While walking through downtown Lancaster earlier this year, Teddy and his partner, Elizabeth, found an old acquaintance selling his business. As book lovers with an entrepreneurial drive, the two decided to take the leap and buy the store. They chose the name Read Rose Books in honor of Lancaster, the Red Rose city, and for all of the books that will be read. With support from their community, Read Rose has grown, and recently diversified their inventory to include work from local artists, as well as fair trade items from Peru.
As a chef, inside sales rep, and co-owner of a bookstore, Teddy always has a lot on his plate! Time management has been key to his success, but as Teddy describes it, things were “.. quite tricky, especially when I was starting out at Bandalier. I had to be in and out, and there were some days that I’d Zoom into a team meeting while still wearing my chef’s uniform. Fortunately, I work more in the background at the bookstore, handling the accounting, applications, and working with new authors.”
Read Rose has already benefited from Teddy’s experiences with Bandalier, too! As a member of one of our outsourced inside sales teams, Teddy has had the opportunity to showcase his business while working with other entrepreneurs. As he builds relationships within our team, he’s looking towards the future, when he’ll be able to leverage his people skills to build new relationships with business partners at Read Rose. Plus, there are some more immediate benefits that he’s noticed:
“I have a habit of speaking too quickly. So when taking calls from people from different areas. I have to make sure I adjust my speech patterns so that I slow down for people to understand me. That is something that I focus on when speaking to people at the bookstore, especially tourists that come to the city.”
We’re glad to have Teddy on our team, and we’re looking forward to watching him and Read Rose grow in the future! To get in touch with Read Rose, head over to their website, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram! If you’re interested in working with entrepreneurs like those featured in our Side-Hustle series, head over to our home page – we’d love to hear from you!
