From Picture Books to Card Games: The Hard Truth About Learning by Failing

Every entrepreneur has that “big idea” they can’t stop thinking about. The one they’re convinced will be a hit. I had mine too: a picture book that felt like it had something special. But while passion is powerful, experience is priceless.

So here's my hot take: If you’ve got a big, shiny idea you think is “the one”… maybe don’t lead with it. Seriously.

When I first decided to publish a children’s book, I poured my heart into Pootie and the Foodies. It was colorful, meaningful, and the kind of story I believed belonged on shelves everywhere. But, of course, I had no experience...

I didn’t know that Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) wouldn’t let me add a subtitle later (a huge miss for SEO). I didn’t know how critical metadata was. I didn’t know how much trial and error formatting a picture book takes. And I definitely didn’t realize that being an author meant also being your own marketer, project manager, and analyst.

And that’s exactly why I shouldn’t have led with my best idea.

Because while Pootie and the Foodies is still a book I love, it came with a learning curve that couldn’t be undone. I would’ve protected it better if I’d made a few more mistakes first.

Fast forward to now: Moody Pootie, the second book in the “Pootie’s Little Life Lessons” series, is out in the world. It’s playful, practical, and packs real tools for emotional regulation into a story kids actually want to hear. But more than that, it’s a reflection of everything I learned from not getting it right the first time. This time, I added a subtitle. I built an entire publishing house, Little Parker Books, to support it. I thought like a publisher, not just a parent with a passion project.

Then, there was the card game...

Totally unrelated to Pootie, I created a fast-paced, illustrated party game. I found an incredible manufacturer, got samples printed, and figured out how to set up Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA). I thought I’d nailed it. I even tracked my 2,000 shiny units as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

Then I learned something new: you can’t sell products on Amazon without a trademark (books aren't treated the same way). And that trademark? It has to be physically printed on the box. Opa!

Too late to fix the packaging. Too early in the journey to know what I didn’t know. Another expensive lesson. Another crucial skill added to my toolkit.

Which leads me to this: If you're standing at the starting line, staring down the finish line, it’s going to feel overwhelming. Like the gap is too wide or success is reserved for someone else. But these big, seemingly impossible things? They don’t happen in one giant leap. They happen gradually. One page, email, and mistake at a time.

So my number one piece of advice? Don’t lead with your best idea. Lead with the idea you’re willing to let be imperfect.

Give yourself permission to figure things out, to iterate, to grow. Then circle back and give your big idea the debut it deserves with the full force of your experience behind it.

And when you do? You’ll realize the finish line isn’t a line at all, it’s a series of starts.

Love,

Rachel