Some businesses start with a spreadsheet. This one started with a daughter's request. When Zoe Share's daughter asked if she could run a lunchtime creative writing program at her school, Zoe was between consulting jobs and unsure of her next move. She said yes with no pressure and no expectation, and fell in love with something she hadn't planned for.
That experiment became Zoe's Story Labs, a program where children in Grade 3 and up write, illustrate, and publish their own books using nothing but paper and imagination, often while raising money for charities they care about. Zoe's path to it was anything but linear: kindergarten teacher, marketing agency founder, children's author, and now, in her words, Story Scientist. We asked her about the leap from idea to execution, why she refuses to put a screen in front of a child, and what she has learned about building a business and a mission that reinforce each other.
On the nonlinear path to Story Labs
Your path hasn't been linear—kindergarten teacher, marketing agency, children's author, and now Story Scientist. How did those chapters add up to Zoe's Story Labs, and was there a moment the idea clicked?
The path hasn't been linear at all, but those experiences are all chapters in the story of my life. I've come full circle, and I'm really happy and grateful to be where I am now. I had the idea for Zoe's Story Labs in the back of my head for a while, but the puzzle pieces flew together when my daughter asked me if I could run a lunchtime program for her. I was between consulting jobs and unsure what I wanted to commit to next. I also wasn't sure if I could go down the path of entrepreneurship again, so I thought, “Maybe I'll run this creative writing club for her and some friends at the local public school without any pressure or expectation.” Little did I know that I would fall in love not only with building the program but also with being absolutely fascinated and delighted by every child who became an author through it.
On execution: building the ship while steering it
Taking Story Labs from idea to a real in-person program is a big execution leap. What was hardest to get right early on, and what surprised you?
It's been a very organic process, and I'm not afraid to dive in, feel all the feelings, and do the hard work. This is a surprisingly complex business with a very simple mission: help more children become authors. To make it work, we need many different components working in tandem—the curriculum and programming, the proprietary software that turns children's original work into ready-to-print books, the virtual bookstore and charitable tie-ins, the program facilitators, and of course the physical products that require printing. Zoe's Story Labs designed the entire process internally, so we are building the ship while steering it. It's very exciting and it can be very tiring.
The most joyful part has been seeing the program's impact on both the children and the grownups in their lives. The most surprising thing has been the amount of curiosity about what we're building. I'm a very curious person, and it's not something I've often had directed at me.
On the screen-free conviction
You built something deliberately screen-free, where kids create instead of consume. How do you hold onto that conviction when going digital would probably be easier and more scalable?
The vision was never simply to have children write books to develop literacy skills. It's also about how screen-free creative writing and artistry can develop social-emotional skills and help a child build resilience and empathy. Many ed-tech businesses use screens to support literacy, and some even support bookmaking. But there's a major crisis in both children's literacy and mental health, and much of that has to do with screen time. To solve the problems I'm addressing, I needed a method that ensured children never had to see a screen.
In a world of so much consumption, we cannot expect a child to know how to slow down and regulate. Authoring a book is hard, no matter how old you are. When a child realizes their potential in that, they fall in love with books. Every time a parent tells me their child is reading more than ever since doing the program, I know I'm moving in the right direction.
The machine behind Zoe's Story Labs is built with AI and incredibly forward-thinking technology, but I believe that technology needs to be managed by responsible adults whose goal is to protect a child's well-being. As innovators and as Canadians, we need to use the technology available to build things that protect our most vulnerable people, not exploit them. When I tell people that children create their books—from idea to draft, illustration, editing, and the printed book—without a screen, in under 10 hours, their jaws drop.
On mission and model reinforcing each other
The model ties publishing to kids raising money for charities they care about. How did that come together, and what has it taught you about building a mission and a business that reinforce each other?
Tying it back to social good was always integral. Why wouldn't you build something that benefits kids, parents, charities, and the community at large? I have many years of experience working with nonprofits, and I always saw the internal challenge teams faced in creating new ways to raise money and boost donor engagement. I saw an opportunity for multiple wins: the child feels good about their book, and they get to raise money for a charity. The charity gets to support children's literacy and reduced screen time while showing its donor community something that supports both children and a cause they already love.
On the lesson every founder needs to hear
For a founder trying to turn a strong idea into something real and lasting, what's the one lesson from your journey you'd want them to hear?
Look inward and try to understand what you want from your life and the legacy you want to create. You have one life to live, and you don't know how long or short it will be. Keep your vision as your north star no matter what happens, and keep showing up for yourself and the people you love. You're not always going to get it right, but your resolve to make things better in the world can pay off.
On marketing, growth, and the power of experimentation
You've worn the marketing hat before, so you know the difference between a good idea and one people actually show up for. How do you get parents and kids in the door, and what has moved the needle for growth?
My career has taught me to notice when something feels different. Of course it's about the data points and how content performs, but it's also about really listening to your customers, getting closer to their problems, and being willing to experiment a lot. That's why I called it Zoe's Story Labs. It's my grand experiment, and I'm okay with failing. The more experiments that fail, the closer I get to the right answers, and it's worth it for the children and the books.
Lots of people have good or even great ideas, but being honest, having a great support system, and pivoting quickly can make all the difference. I quickly learned that no matter how many schools wanted us to run programs, I needed parents to know about what we were doing. That's when I came up with Story Search Canada, our creative writing contest for children ages 7 to 12. It's really taken off, and it showed me that parents are as worried as I am about screen time, and that they truly want to raise children who can sit with something hard and wait for delayed gratification.
Key Takeaways
Let the idea prove itself before you name it a company. Zoe's Story Labs began as a no-pressure lunchtime club, not a business plan—the conviction came from watching it work.
A simple mission can require a complex machine. “Help more children become authors” depends on curriculum, proprietary software, printing, facilitators, and charitable infrastructure all working in tandem.
Constraints can be the product. Screen-free isn't a limitation to engineer around; it's the core value that makes the offering distinct and defensible.
Design the mission and the model to reinforce each other. Tying books to charitable fundraising creates stacked wins for kids, parents, charities, and the business at once.
Marketing is listening plus experimentation. When schools wanted the program but parents didn't know it existed, Story Search Canada became the channel that moved the needle.
Be willing to fail fast. The “Labs” in the name is a permission slip: more failed experiments mean a faster path to the right answers.
