In 2022, Brittany Johnson’s trip to Mexico City marked the beginning of a journey she didn’t initially anticipate. While visiting a local bookstore during her travels, Brittany was struck by the range of Spanish-language books available — texts she realized were difficult, if not impossible, to find back home in the United States.

“I lived in Spain, and I got used to walking into bookstores and just poking around,” Brittany said. “But after moving back to the U.S., it hit me: I’d lost access to so many of those books.”

As a Spanish-language learner and avid reader, Brittany’s discovery felt personal. What began as a frustration over her own limited options quickly turned into a mission.

“If it’s a problem for me,” she thought, “it’s probably a problem for others too.”

Inspired by that realization, she officially launched Ambivert Books in August 2024, an online bookstore based out of Fayetteville, Arkansas, dedicated to providing Spanish-language literature for a diverse audience, from native speakers to language learners.

But despite her passion and vision, Brittany needed guidance. “When I started, I hadn’t developed a business model, and my understanding of finances was shaky,” she admitted. She knew she wanted to grow the business into a full-time business, but with only a basic Excel spreadsheet to track sales and expenses, the path forward felt uncertain.

Fate, however, was on Brittany’s side.

During an event in Northwest Arkansas, she connected with Management Consultant Sierra Polk on the Entrepreneurship Team at Communities Unlimited (CU).  Recognizing Brittany’s potential and challenges, Sierra suggested CU could help. “She gave me the web address and encouraged me to reach out,” Brittany said. “I did, and here we are.”

Sierra connected Brittany with Senior Management Consultant James Custer, and together, they began laying the foundation for Ambivert Books’ growth. What started as a casual conversation at a community event became a partnership.

With James’s guidance, Brittany completed a Business Model Canvas to map out the critical components of her business. The exercise helped her identify key areas of focus, including improving community engagement, optimizing her pricing strategy, and setting long-term financial goals. Brittany, who dreamed of one day turning Ambivert Books into her full-time job, needed a clear financial path forward.

To help her get there, James worked with her on a benchmark analysis to determine what level of business income she would need to leave her full-time job. They also developed financial projections to outline expected costs, profit margins, and the sales figures required to reach her milestones.

But one of the biggest challenges Brittany faced was mastering the financial management of her business.

“My full-time work is in Communications, so I can write a press release or put together a social media post,” Brittany said. “But when it came to bookkeeping and financial management, I had no background and felt really concerned.”

James introduced her to Wave Bookkeeping software and provided hands-on training on entering and categorizing transactions, reconciling accounts, and tracking expenses. “He really zeroed in on helping me get set up and checking my progress,” Brittany said. “It’s made a huge difference.”

In just four months of working with James, her revenue tripled.

The confidence Brittany gained from CU’s support opened doors to new opportunities. During the engagement, she applied for and was awarded a $5,000 grant from Builders and Backers, a program that helps entrepreneurs test aspects of their business plans through small-scale experiments. Brittany plans to use the funds to improve her online store and test social media marketing strategies.

“Up to this point, I’ve done pop-ups and markets,” she said. “But now I’m focused on establishing a stronger online presence. I’m hiring a content creator to help develop ads and see how they perform on social media.”

As she works on expanding her digital reach, Brittany’s long-term vision for Ambivert Books is coming into focus. Beyond being an online bookstore, she sees the business as a community resource for Spanish speakers and learners alike.

“I’ve talked with friends who grew up in Spanish-speaking households but now have kids who aren’t as confident using the language,” Brittany said. “I want to create book clubs for kids and provide opportunities to use literature as a way to connect with the community.”

Her passion for language learning comes from personal experience. As an international relations student at Texas A&M, Brittany was required to study a foreign language, and she chose Spanish.

“I started studying Spanish because I thought it would be more useful than other options,” she said. “But over time, it became something I enjoyed.” Her passion blossomed from reading translated classics like A Hundred Years of Solitude and Isabel Allende’s works to seeking out contemporary texts.

“Reading in Spanish has been a way for me to maintain and improve my fluency,” she said. “I think of fluency as a spectrum — it’s something you work on continuously.”

Ambivert Books is her way of sharing that journey with others.

“I want to connect with people who are learning Spanish or who have an interest in the language,” Brittany said. “Even if their Spanish isn’t perfect, I want them to see this as a space where they belong.”

With CU’s assistance, Ambivert Books is on the path to fulfilling Johnson’s ultimate dream: opening a physical bookstore specializing in foreign language books — which would then create an opportunity for both economic growth and a community resource in Fayetteville.