This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Carinne Meyrignac, founder of Cali’s Books. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I’m French, but I absolutely love living in LA. Still, during my maternity leave, I returned to Paris to be closer to my family. There, my baby adored singing books. She was only a few months old, but they kept her engaged.
When we returned to America, I couldn’t find anything similar. At the same time, I was learning all the English nursery rhymes I hadn’t grown up with. I loved singing rhymes like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Patty Cake.”
Many French nursery rhymes are surprisingly inappropriate. One popular rhyme translates along the lines of “I have some great tobacco, but I won’t share it with you.” I didn’t want to sing that to my baby.
I liked how most of the English rhymes were happy and upbeat, even if they dealt with dark topics like death (as “Ring Around the Rosie” does). I decided to print music books that were fun, joyful, and distinctly American, based on the rhymes my daughter and I both loved.
I had 6,000 books printed, and other people loved them, too
I’ve always been someone to take action once I have an idea. I came up with the concept in October 2016, and in November, my husband and I travelled to China to meet with a printer. I’ve worked in Asia before, and have passable Mandarin.
The manufacturer had a minimum print run of 3,000 copies, and I wanted two titles: “Twinkle Twinkle” and “Patty Cake.” We had been saving for a new-to-us used car, but instead of upgrading, I spent that money on books.
By my daughter’s first birthday in March, I had 6,000 books in my garage. I figured I had presents to give for the rest of my life, but when I started showing the books to local baby stores, people loved them. I calculated how much I would have to make to quit my corporate banking job, but it wasn’t financially feasible.
Later that year, my son was born. I again went to France on maternity leave, but when I returned, I found I could no longer do my job. I was awarded a settlement during mediation with my employer.
It was gratifying to have a court say that I had been treated badly. The settlement also gave me the seed money to launch a business — which was important, since I knew I had burned bridges in the niche corporate role I was in.
My husband now works for the business, too
I was able to leverage my corporate skills, like organization, to effectively grow the business. There were significant adjustments, however, such as not receiving a paycheck every month. Although my husband was still working, I felt a lot of pressure to provide for my family, so that was sometimes scary.
Between 2019 and 2021 the business revenue exploded. It was bittersweet though: my mother had just been diagnosed with cancer. Because I owned my own business, I was able to spend time in Europe with her until she died. I’m so grateful for that.
Another milestone came in 2022, when I was able to hire my husband. I don’t pay him as much as his previous employer, but now the whole family has flexibility. Then, in 2023, I started paying myself.
Today, the business has published more than 50 titles, and last year we did more than $4.8 million in revenue. I appreciate the independence I have, and I’m proud to be building something tangible that I can leave to my children.
