Erika Jones, CFO, CCTAProfit First Professionals · Certified Fractional CFO and Profit First Professional

How One Book Changed My Family's Mind

15 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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In this personal narrative, the speaker recounts telling their partner, Chris/Krista, about the desire to become an author while living in Rockaway, New Jersey. The partner initially dismisses the idea, arguing that authors rarely make money and questioning how they would sustain themselves. Undeterred, the speaker writes and publishes their first book, "Toilet Paper Entrepreneur," and receives a heartfelt letter from a reader expressing how the book helped them. When the speaker shows the letter to Krista, she is moved, recognizes the speaker’s purpose, and shifts from skepticism to enthusiastic support, encouraging the speaker to pursue authorship despite the risks.

Chapters

I will tell you probably the greatest story in family support that I don't know if I've told you. I remember I was living in Rockaway, New Jersey, and I told Chris, I said, "I want to become an author." She responded appropriately, not her words, but basically, "Authors don't make money. Are you crazy? You think you're going to be the next Stephen King? That's a one in a billion." It's equivalent to saying, "I want to be a rock star." Basically, no one makes it. She goes, "What are you going to do to earn money because we have to sustain?" I said, "No, I got to do this." I put fear in her unintentionally and never wanted to do that, but I did. But I also felt called to do it. I wrote the first book, Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, and I got a letter I printed out from someone that was so kind and said, "This book has served me in such great ways. Thank you for doing this." And I showed Krista and she read the letter. I remember she looked up, she goes, "Oh, she's looking at it now. This is your life's purpose." So she said, "You have to be an author." She was willing to roll the dice because she knew I had to, quote unquote, roll the dice.