Meet Trena White Founder of Page Two And 2019 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards TELUS Trailblazer Award Finalist

Trena White

Founder, Page Two

TELUS Trailblazer Award Finalist

Jesse Finkelstein and Trena White have 35 years of combined experience in book publishing. The pair worked together at D&M Publishers until 2012, when the company went into creditor protection. With their backs against the wall, they choose to take a leap of faith and found Page Two — a company that helps non-fiction authors navigate all of their options for publication, and helps organizations with their publishing activities.

My first job ever was… working in a berry-processing plant in my hometown in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. It was mind-numbing work and physically tiring to stand up at a conveyor belt for hours on end, with the shifts ending in the early-morning hours. It taught me about perseverance and opened my eyes to my own privilege because I was just working there for a summer, not for a career. 

I decided to be an entrepreneur because… I had worked in book publishing for many years and believed that if we created a new model that engaged the author in a meaningful way from the very beginning of the publishing process, extraordinary things might result. I also met the right person at the right time, my brilliant now co-founder and dear friend Jesse Finkelstein, which made launching a company seem possible after years of my private dreams of starting something. Together we shaped the vision for what Page Two has become.

My proudest accomplishment is… building a thriving book publishing company while raising two little boys (now 3 and 6). That’s also been my biggest challenge, and I learned early on the best way to reduce my anxiety and guilt about whether the business or the boys were receiving my attention at any given moment was to create clear boundaries: for the most part, when I am with my boys I am unavailable for work, because I want to give them my full focus.

I surprise people when I tell them… that we started to build Page Two when my first son was two months old and I was still adjusting to motherhood.

My best advice to people looking to disrupt the status quo is… to stay focused on solving your ideal customers’ problems with the status quo. We’ve refined our model and our offering many times over the years in response to feedback from our customers, both on our own services and on their other publishing experiences.  

My best advice from a mentor was… from my dad, who has emphasized over and over indirect advice to me and through stories from his own career the importance of building a team you can trust – and then supporting them however you can so they can do their best work. My mom always told me “You can do anything you set your mind to,” and I think I absorbed that belief in the power of determination and hard work.

“Self-care is a big buzzword these days in business and only now am I realizing how critical it is for my own sense of peace and well-being. Sleep, exercise, healthy food, and downtime — they are not optional.”

My biggest setback was… experiencing the bankruptcy of a company that I previously worked for. 

I overcame it by… starting to think about what my own business would like if I were to launch one

I never go a day without… feeling grateful for my co-founder and the unfailing support of my husband.

If I had an extra hour in the day I would… daydream more.

I stay inspired by… each conversation I have with an author about their big ideas. Publishing non-fiction books is humbling because I’m constantly connecting with people who are far smarter than I am. For me, it’s a great joy to be surrounded by leading experts with deep knowledge in their fields, and it’s a privilege to learn something new from each of them.

The future excites me because… we have made it through the chaotic start-up years and we have an incredible team who are exceptionally talented and creative and are bringing Page Two into its sophomore stage.