From INHERITANCE Issue #3 - Fall 2009

Watt is a raccoon who catches bad thoughts to turn them into good thoughts. Grady is a bird that learns how chirping many “thank you’s” can lead to happiness. Sharon is a girl who learns the art of sharing through planting roses.

Watt’s Web, Grady, and Sharon’s Rose are all stories I created for my start-up business, Little Seed. I started Little Seed, a company that specializes in handmade paper goods such as greeting cards and notebooks, in February 2009.

From Concept to Business
I was sitting in my business class during my spring semester at the University of Southern California, when I suddenly had the idea of combining a notebook with a storybook, hence the name, “storynote.” So instead of taking class notes, I furiously started to jot down my ideas and plans for my storynotes and Little Seed throughout the rest of class. By the end of class, I had my Little Seed logo doodled all over my notebook page and notes on how I was going to begin my first business.

Childhood Dream
Since I was young, I have always wanted to publish my own children’s books. As a child, I made my own books out of folded paper stapled together. In high school, I sent a query letter to a publisher to try publishing one of my children’s stories, but I was rejected. In my sophomore year of college I entered a children’s book competition, but the judges did not choose my story to be published.

I, however, did not let myself get discouraged and I continued to pursue my hobby of writing short stories and creating illustrations. During those times, I often thought about starting my own business with my stories and artwork. During one of those instances, I came up with the name, Little Seed.

Inspiration Behind Little Seed
The name was inspired by Matthew 13:31-32, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches” (NIV).
When I heard that verse, I imagined myself one day growing big enough to provide comfort and shelter to those around me. I wanted to become a tree where birds would come to nest and bear fruit for God’s kingdom!

Thus, towards the end of February and the start of my twenty-first year, Little Seed’s website, www.littleseed.net, and online shop went up with storynotes as its first product.
Little Seed’s storynotes are not too different from the books I made as a child. They are simply constructed out of paper, a cardstock cover and staple bindings, with a story accompanied with illustrations continuing on every other page.

Storynote Storylines
Each of the stories contain a message or moral meant to edify the user of the storynote, whether it is Watt encouraging the user to dwell on good thoughts rather than the bad, or Grady sharing the message of how a thankful heart can lead to happiness.

The storynote, I Want to Send My Love, communicates a message I have rediscovered recently, of how God’s love is so much greater than our love. With the storynote stories and other future Little Seed products, I want to spread virtue and innocence, because I simply don’t think there is enough of it in the world. In contrary to the increasing amount of violent images, I want to shed some light on the value of virtue and innocence.

Struggles of a Start-up Business
Some of the struggles I faced while starting Little Seed was remembering to always place God’s desires above my own. God is continually reminding me that I am living for His glory, not my own. From my past experiences, I have learned that God’s way is the best way, and I am most content when He is at the center of my life.

Money has also been quite tricky. I struggled to keep my mind off of making profits and instead on my passion for creating storynotes and spreading God’s glory. My last storynote sale, for example, was at my campus ministry event, and all the sales profits went to the ministry’s summer mission trainees. I never want money to matter, because

Little Seed belongs to God, the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Little Seed. And if God is the CEO, I know that I have nothing to worry about.

Encouragement from a Friend
A friend of mine stated, “I usually don’t like keeping my journals because the things I write are things I wouldn’t want to look back on. But your storynotes are so nice and cute, I think that I would want to write about nicer things that I would want to re-read and look back on.” Her statement showed me how a cartoon raccoon can bring someone to think better thoughts, and how Little Seed can grow to spread virtue and innocence.

The Future of Little Seed
And Little Seed has been steadily growing, from supportive friends who are spreading the word to scheduled events for Little Seed sales. I have grown as well from the little experience I have had from starting Little Seed. I have seen how God can do mighty things with something or someone small and insignificant.

I could not have started Little Seed without God’s help and guidance. He is my inspiration and my motivation. My prayer now is that God will continually use me and nurture Little Seed so that it can grow to bear good fruit for His kingdom.