How we chose our business name!

How we chose our business name!

WE ARE NOT FROM THE INDUSTRY, WE HAVE NO LIMITING BELIEFS ABOUT HOW A PUBLISHER CAN AND SHOULD WORK. WE HAVE INCREDIBLE STRATEGIES, TOOLS AND IDEAS, AND WE THINK VERY MUCH OUTSIDE THE BOX. SO, ANYTHING REALLY IS POSSIBLE!

How did we name our company 831 Designs, and what inspired it?

More than 15 years ago, long before the idea of creating books even crossed our minds, we—first as a couple and later as a family—would write "831 Designs" on the back of anything we made at home, like birthday cards, poems, Christmas cards, or any artwork we created for each other.

Why 831 Designs?

831 is a very special number to us. Back in 2002, I said these numbers to a guy I was dating. (Yes, I had issues with vulnerability and actually saying 'I love you.') What was funny was that it took him more than three weeks to figure out what the numbers meant! It became a playful challenge, and I’d keep dropping it into the special moments we shared as a new couple.

So, what is 831?
"831" stands for 8 letters, 3 words, 1 meaning:
'I LOVE YOU.'
That guy, 15 years later, is now my incredible husband and the father of my children—David.

The first book we ever self-published was Tegan Helen’s first book, Money for Kids. Of course, we used our ‘made with love’ 831 Designs as the publisher. At that stage, we never imagined the company we would create from our cute ‘made with heart’ name. 831 Designs Publishers was born, without realising it would eventually grow into the business we have today.

The name is no longer just a cute ‘made with love’ phrase. It’s our passion and our heart. It’s how we give back and help others, help others. A company created by love, and a love for what we do with our clients.

We have a huge passion for serving others, and we know our clients feel this (just check out our testimonials!).

Despite being advised to change our company name, we’ve kept it because it reflects who we are. This isn’t just a business created with heart—it’s led with heart, and it continues to make a positive impact.

We are incredibly proud of the service we provide and will continue to provide. A big thank you to all our amazing clients and ‘bestselling authors’—we are so grateful you chose to partner with us and continue to refer new clients for us to help on their journeys.

The story behind the business

It all started by accident when our daughter, Tegan Helen, wrote her first book, Money for Kids in spring 2016. She came down with a pile of handwritten notes and announced she had written a book to help kids learn about financial education, as this isn’t taught in schools.

Our first thought was, "Wow!" but then we exchanged puzzled looks, wondering, "What do we do next?" We researched book publishers online, finding services ranging from $10,000 to $40,000—funds we simply didn’t have—with a return of only 3-15%. The publishers also wanted to take Tegan’s name off the cover and correct all her grammar, but we felt the grammar was part of the charm of a seven-year-old writing a book.

We eventually found a printing firm that would print our books if we created a formatted, print-ready version with a correctly sized cover. We had 60 copies printed, and when we saw the final product, we thought, "Wow, it looks like a real book!" We took them to the Ultra Kids Fayre in London, and Tegan sold 59 copies, keeping just one for us as a keepsake.

After this success, we did more research, looking into different publishers, as we wanted to distribute the book across the UK and beyond. That’s when we found out about CreateSpace, which is part of Amazon’s self-publishing platform. We learned how to do everything ourselves, which was even better as we could market the books globally. We released Tegan’s next two books, Be Fearless and The Power to Unlock Your Dreams.

The more we learned, the more we grew. We took training courses, attended online webinars, and gained experience. Then, we started interviewing each other when writing our first book, 3 Steps to Family. This approach made the final book much more conversational, and it felt like us. We also turned it into an Amazon bestseller through a marketing campaign leading up to the launch.

After this, people were amazed at what we’d achieved and started asking if we could replicate it for them. When the third person asked, we sat down as a couple and mapped out our process to systematise it. After a few evenings of planning, we agreed on how to move forward.

Our first client came through a referral, from someone who was interested in our services. Laura closed the deal, and we had our first client! As we went through the content creation process, Laura naturally evolved into a life story coach, guiding clients to go deeper and let the magic of their stories hit the page.

As the content was developed, we gathered the other necessary parts: title ideas, cover design, the foreword, and the author bio. Once the book was complete, proofed, re-edited, and reproofed, we started the three-week marketing campaign, as the client wanted to become an Amazon bestselling author.

We gave it our all—having achieved the bestseller status once before, we weren’t sure if it had been a fluke. We built a lead capture page, telling potential buyers all about the author and what they hoped readers would gain from the book. We used videos of the author and messages from them, guiding buyers through a funnel, encouraging them to sign up for alerts about when to buy the book at the best price. This way, we also helped build the author’s email list (which we don’t hold or copy).

Over the next few weeks, we created and sent an email marketing campaign on behalf of the author, warming up potential buyers. On the correct date and time, the book launched, and we proudly achieved bestseller status for the author—an International Best Seller in the UK and a number one Best Seller in the USA for several weeks. To this day, the book still occasionally returns to bestseller status.

We have learned so many incredible skills and strategies, enabling our clients to make thousands of dollars before their books even launch. Our journey has been exciting, and we plan to continue growing and thriving. Since the first book, we’ve learned and evolved into the unique publishers we are today. We continue to stay at the forefront of advancements in book publishing, attending top business events and making connections that we use to elevate our bestselling authors.

At 831 Designs, we believe every author has a story to tell, and every story deserves to be heard.

We work with our writers every step of the way, helping them bring out the best in their work. From idea and rough draft to editing and publication, 831 Designs helps our authors produce high-quality, engaging, and entertaining books. We help them boost or launch their brand, making them the go-to expert in their niche. With 831 Designs, you get much more than just a book.

We are a dedicated team, passionate about getting your message out into the world to help impact others, without losing the magic that is uniquely you. We LOVE helping you turn your powerful story into an incredible read—one that will not only provide great value and content but that people will want to read again and again, share with others, and use to change their lives.

As we continued to learn more about business and marketing, it became clear that it was time for a change. This is how Books Boost Business was born—a new name to reflect our ambition to reach more potential clients and make an even bigger impact. While the name has evolved, at the core, we are still all heart. The new name better represents the value we bring, helping authors not just publish their books, but also leverage them to grow their businesses and influence.

If you want help from a team as passionate as you are about getting your book out there, then you’ve come to the right place! We make it easy, fast, and fun. We won’t give you time to procrastinate—we get it done and take you through the journey step by step.

You should write a book about that!