Janet Killian

We know that your first children’s book, Howl of A Day, is about to be published. What inspired you to write a children’s book?

I’m always looking for a challenge. Now that I have a wonderful management team in place, I thought it was time to pursue another passion. My love of dogs is legendary! I hope that my book will inspire children to treasure their pets as much as I do mine. I get a great deal of pride in becoming an author. Now that I have ventured into this world, I can’t wait to work on another book.

What piece of advice would you give someone who wants to be a children’s author?

Surround yourself with the right team. This is not something you can do on your own. You also need to promote yourself, as well as your book. Offer to speak to as many groups of people that you can. These events also provide a great opportunity to sign your book for the participants. Gather the name and email addresses of everyone you meet. You can communicate with them and add a link to the place where your book can be purchased.

How do you define success?

I get great satisfaction in a job well done but the biggest benefit to entrepreneurship is providing for the people on your team. I’m very proud of the people that I have mentored and trained to become the best versions of themselves. The fact that we are responsible for increasing the economic stability of our team members is very satisfying.

What’s a surprising tidbit about yourself that most people don’t know?

Although I try to exude confidence, I’m actually have a very shy and introverted personality. If you told me that I would enjoy speaking in front of people or taking a leadership role for area organizations a few years ago, I would think you were crazy. Now that I have pushed myself in that direction, I can honestly say that I enjoy every experience, especially when giving back to my community.

Give a shout out to the woman or women who inspire you the most.

I don’t want to name any specific individuals since there are so many wonderful women who have made an impact on both my personal and professional lives. Running a business is a team sport. There are people I depend on for a number of things. They have become great friends as well as business associates. Becoming an author required a new set of people with expertise in publishing. I’m grateful to add them to my list of trusted friends. In conclusion, the past two months have been very challenging. During the current quarantine period, we are dedicated to keeping the offices and facilities of our valued customers clean and safe. We have made an investment in heavy duty but environmentally friendly supplies and have taken precautions to protect members of Team Gemini. This is a situation that requires us to be diligent and focus on the health of our employees and customers. Let’s be safe and see what we can learn from the experience.

Why Janet Killian is On this List

“I feel like anything I write won’t do this woman justice: she’s an owner of a highly successful business + a children’s book author. Everyone who meets her loves her, and it’s easy to see why. Janet possess all the qualities of a strong leader. She respects her team, gives credit where it’s due, and is humble as pie. This interview is extra special to me since I also suffer from anxiety. She isn’t afraid to be vulnerable and share herself with us. The world is a better place because Janet is in it — I want to be her when I grow up (but let’s face it, I’m probably not that mature).”