It's us. We're the raccoons in the coat.

The reality of what small business life looks like at Charlie & Fox when it comes to supporting our community.

One of my favorite comments that comes up in DMs and social channels is the observation of “it looks like you just love your job”. And reader let me tell you - I really freaking do. 

Because I’ve worked in a lot of different spaces (Bath & Bodyworks sales girl, hardcore summer camp counselor, marine biologist on a boat AND in lab, regional director, front desk reception), and nothing quite compares to being here at Charlie & Fox. 

Now that’s not to say there aren’t hard days. Every job, no matter how stunning, is going to have days more stressful than others, tasks that have to get done no matter how poorly you slept the night before, and then sometimes, there’s no rhyme or reason - you just have a crap day where nothing works how it’s supposed to.

But you know what has never been a factor in determining how my day is going at C&F? My coworkers.

Also known as the other two raccoons in the trench coat. 

One thing I’m incredibly proud of is just how much Jess has done with Charlie & Fox since its inception. Because I was on the receiving end of my first ever C&F book sleeve way back in the day as a gift from a fellow scientist-bookworm. 

Watching what this company has become since, is absolutely mind blowing. 

And if you log on to our website, check out our social media or see our products in your local bookstore it can be really easy to assume that there is a board of directors or a hoity-toity CEO behind it all…

 And it’s actually just Raccoon #1… aka Jess. 

Every new design, every communication between artists and manufacturers and authors’ teams - this woman is handling it all. There isn’t an aspect of Charlie & Fox that she doesn’t have full knowledge of, and the most glorious part is that Readers are the only people she’s thinking of while she runs the show. 

Do most of our work calls devolve into melting down over our latest read or swapping hilarious pet photos? Absolutely. But she’s also handling five different complex situations that are running in the background as that is the life of a small business owner. 

And the person helping her hold it down? That would be Raccoon #2, the manager of support and services, Taylor. 

Not only is she a total mastermind of costume design, Taylor manages the Charlie & Fox support channels with the precision of any techy archetype from a show or movie. They are so tuned in to the C&F community that she is hopping in and problem solving before some of us are even fully awake for the day. 

Any time that you’ve reached out to the Support or Hello emails, Taylor is there. Any time that you’ve hopped into the chat box on our website? Taylor is there. 

A true juggler of questions, concerns, queries and conundrums - they are so on it that I have to believe she actually is a wizard.

Do their voice memos also involve questions asked in song or absolutely hilarious anecdotes? Every time. Are their cats constantly involved in the answering of C&F emails? Yes. They refuse to leave the sanctuary of Taylor’s desk. 

Which leaves me - Raccoon #3, with the self approved title of media and marketing menace. 

I’m over here juggling our social accounts, photoshoots for new releases, DMs and a myriad of other oddball tasks that mean I’m filming all sorts of weird moments in my work day and sharing them to the internet at large. 

All the while checking in with Jess and Taylor to keep Charlie & Fox alive and well in the world of bookish small businesses.

At the end of the day there isn’t some fancy board of directors or building full of employees that sit at conference tables hashing out market trends and presenting decks. It’s just three - very nerdy, obsessively reading, pet loving, life balancing - raccoons in a trench coat behind the scenes of Charlie & Fox. 

And I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Xoxo

Jenna