Full-time Mom Creates Business from Children's Libraries

Liu Yihong was reading stories for kids in her children's library on an April afternoon. [Chinanews.com]

Liu Yihong, a mother from Hohhot, capital city of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has created a brand out of commercial children's libraries.

Liu was reading stories for kids in her children's library on an April afternoon. She led the children into a fantasy world with humorous rhetoric and exaggerated expressions.

In this library called "Little Book Bridge" specially designed for children, she is a teacher, a mother and a curator.

Liu, at 33 years old, has one 4-year-old kid. She had been mulling over how to take good care of her family while starting her own business since her baby was born.

"It's not easy because I must have enough time to look after my baby and meanwhile ensure the business I was going to engage myself in would be profitable." After considerable deliberation, she decided to do something in the children's industry.

In 2014, she came up with the idea of creating a model of a children's library, which earns money through its membership, by studying the reading capacities and interests of children aged between 0 and 12.

With this initiative in mind, Liu set up a special library for children's picture books which could lend a great number of such books to children scattered in different places.

In August 2014, Liu participated in the first Inner Mongolia Youth Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition with her original idea and won the second prize among more than 4,000 young entrepreneurs. She was also awarded a bonus for establishing her business.

If a bright idea is half the success to starting a business, then considerate supporters are the key to ultimate success. For Liu, Bai Yun is a fine partner.

Bai, secretary of the Yuquan Youth League Committee in Hohhot, has been committed to creating a "three plus X" model, namely, diversification, well-organized teams, creating project-oriented brands as well as identifying the unique features of these brands.

"We have set up a community for young people to exhibit their creativity in a bid to provide vocational guidance, a business incubation service, and special communication platforms for start-up enterprises and grass-roots youths," says Bai.

After comprehensive research into her idea, Liu got in contact with Bai in an attempt to introduce this brand new model to the youth project.

With four libraries, picture books worth more than 200,000 yuan (US $32,300), more than 300 members and a dozen teachers, Liu's undertaking has been successful within a few months.

"I think I'm doing a significant job, which could not only help employ full-time mothers but also carry traditional reading habits to more families and children."

(Source: Chinanews.com/Translated and edited by Women of China)