Elizabeth Stevens is a well-traveled author, pianist, and teacher. Born in Itazuki AFB, Japan in 1961, she has lived across the globe in New Mexico, Alaska, and Maryland, before ending up in Dallas, Texas. In Dallas, she received her Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Southern Methodist University.
For over thirty years, Elizabeth Stevens has taught piano in Dallas, where is also an active member and past president of the Piano Music Teachers Association. Aside from being a professional piano teacher, she has also made a name for herself as an author. She wrote “The Porch Puppies,” a book based on a true story about finding four abandoned puppies and helping them find their forever homes.
A dog lover herself, Elizabeth Stevens is the proud mother of three dogs. They are Happy, the narrator of “The Porch Puppies;” Callie, his adopted sister and another star of the book; and Shelby, who became the newest member of the family after the abandoned dogs in the book finally found their forever home.
Elizabeth Stevens carries on the family tradition of writing books. Both her father and uncle have published their books. As a minister, her father wrote articles and devotionals, as well as worked as editor of the Lutheran Witness, for which he also wrote several articles.
Check out more interviews with thought leaders here. You can also buy Elizabeth Stevens’ “The Porch Puppies” here.
Jerome Knyszewski: Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
Elizabeth Stevens: Several years ago, I found four abandoned puppies at the lake house of the physician I was working for at that time, and I took them in and cared for them until I was able to find them their forever homes. During the process, many family members and friends stepped up to help me in many different ways. I always thought the experience was full of wonderful lessons for children to learn from, so I decided to write a children’s book in order to share them. The Porch Puppies is released November 1, 2020. Its sequel, The Reunion of the Porch Puppies, will be released July 15, 2021.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
Elizabeth Stevens: The hardest thing for me in writing The Porch Puppies was finding the time to do so. When I found the pups, I was still balancing a day job with my music life so the project remained on the backburner for several years. Returning to music full-time last year provided me with the time I needed to begin this new journey. I know finding a publisher to publish your work can be very difficult, but in my case, it was not. I saw Barbara Terry on the news one day talking about the importance of children reading and how Waldorf was giving away books so that children would have books to read. I reached out to her company and the process has been very efficient and very pleasurable. Working with everyone there has been terrific.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
Elizabeth Stevens: I haven’t had anything funny happen to me during this journey, but, I suspect I will one day!
Jerome Knyszewski: Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to lead a company from Good to Great? Please share a story or an example for each.
Elizabeth Stevens:
- There is no replacement for hard work. Find something you love to do and be willing to work hard.
- Hire talented people that will represent your company well through their work ethic and character.
- Treat your people well. Your staff is the most important asset you have.
- Genuinely care about the people you service or provide products to, and work at developing a trusting relationship with them.
- Find a way to make what you do fresh so your company stands apart from others in the same industry.
Jerome Knyszewski: Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. Can you help articulate for our readers a few reasons why a business should consider becoming a purpose driven business, or consider having a social impact angle?
Elizabeth Stevens: Liking what you do, and believing in what you do, changes your job from being what you do to pay your bills to an extension of who you are. Who was it who said, “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life?” Doing what you believe in will motivate you to work hard and result in benefiting the people you service.
Jerome Knyszewski: As you know, “conversion” means to convert a visit into a sale. In your experience what are the best strategies a business should use to increase conversion rates?
Elizabeth Stevens: There may be others in your industry who provide a product or service as well as your company does. I think people choose you because you successfully show genuine interest in the people you service or hope to serve.
Jerome Knyszewski: Of course, the main way to increase conversion rates is to create a trusted and beloved brand. Can you share a few ways that a business can earn a reputation as a trusted and beloved brand?
Elizabeth Stevens: A business’ reputation to always deliver a trusted and beloved brand is a result of producing a consistent and excellent product. Delivering quality products/services is accomplished through hard work, and believing in, and loving, what you do.
Jerome Knyszewski: How can our readers further follow you online?
Elizabeth Stevens: The Porch Puppies, most appropriate for grades K-3, can be purchased online, in retail stores or on my website: elizabethstevenspianostudio.com. I’m not a blogger, but readers can view other interviews with me at Authors Central on Amazon.
Jerome Knyszewski: This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!
Elizabeth Stevens: Thank you for visiting with me!
