Six years ago, JoAnne Pastel was at a turning point. After nearly a decade working in sales and as a stockbroker, the MCTC alumna had recently given birth to her first child and knew she didn’t want to go back to the corporate world. “My heart just wasn’t in that life anymore,” she said. “But I wasn’t sure what to do next.”

Fast-forward to 2009. Today, Pastel is the award-winning author of the Bur Bur and Friends line of children’s books. She runs Farmer’s Hat Productions, a growing, Wayzata-based company. And she’s got big plans—the company has garnered national attention and is well positioned for future growth.

How did she chart a new path for herself? She connected with her true passion and drew on some qualities she first discovered
at MCTC.

Right place, right time: Pastel enrolled at MCTC after graduating from high school in 1979. At the time, the Minneapolis native knew she wasn’t ready for a four-year college. “MCTC was the right place for me,” she said. “I had to work hard, but the experience made me realize that I could succeed. It gave me confidence.”

She used that self-assurance to earn an associate of art’s degree from MCTC and a bachelor of art’s degree from the University of St. Thomas, and then landed a corporate sales position with Imation, the Oakdale-based digital storage products provider. She also continued her education, earning a master’s degree in international management from St. Thomas in 1999.

Her next move was to Minneapolis-based investment firm Piper Jaffray, where she worked as an investment executive until her son, William, was born in early 2003. That’s when she hit the wall. It didn’t last long, however. Later that year, she met with a life coach, who advised her to follow her passion. “I realized I had an entrepreneurial side,” Pastel noted. “The coach also heard a spark in my voice when I said I’d always wanted to write children’s books.”

A new venture: Shortly afterward, Farmer’s Hat Productions came into being. Pastel partnered with a friend, Kakie Fitzsimmons, and the duo threw themselves into the venture, writing books, researching the publishing field, and using their contacts and expertise to build the company. The interest went beyond mere business, however. “We wanted the books to help young children to develop self-esteem and introduce them to the outdoors and physical activity,” said Pastel. “Kakie and I are also both mothers of multiracial children, and we wanted the characters in our books to show a wide range of diversity, both in terms of people and experiences.”

The hard work is now paying off. Their books have won a handful of national awards for their engaging, enriching content. You can find Bur Bur and Friends books at a wide range of retail outlets, including Borders and Amazon.com. Farmer’s Hat is also diversifying into new markets (toys, games, clothing and more), and Pastel hopes to eventually launch an animated television series. While she admits that building the company has been challenging, she’s thrilled to be where she’s at now. “When we first started out, some people advised us that we couldn’t do it, but that only made me more determined,” she said. “I’m just so passionate and excited about this. I’m living out my dreams. That’s what keeps me going.” To learn more about the Bur Bur and Friends product line visit www.burburandfriends.com.

“MCTC was the right place for me. I had to work hard, but the experience made me realize that I could succeed. It gave me confidence.”

—JoAnne Pastel

This entry was posted on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 10:30 pm and is filed under Community Board. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.