Rania Zuri is a trailblazing young entrepreneur and advocate for early childhood literacy. As the founder and CEO of The LiTEArary Society, she has turned her passion for books into a transformative mission to end book deserts for disadvantaged preschool children. Under her leadership, The LiTEArary Society has donated over $1m worth of brand-new books to more than 91,000 children across all 50 U.S. states and expanded its reach to 12 countries globally. Named a L’Oréal Paris Woman of Worth for 2024 in September, Rania was also recognized as the youngest CEO on the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 list and honored at the White House as a “Girl Leading Change.” Rania’s visionary work exemplifies the power of purpose-driven entrepreneurship.
In this Faces of Entrepreneurship interview, Rania shares her journey from a middle school volunteer to an international changemaker, the challenges and triumphs of building a nonprofit, and her bold vision to provide every Head Start child with a book every school year. She offers inspiring insights into the values that guide her, the power of mentorship, and the resilience needed to pursue a mission that impacts millions. Join us as we explore the incredible story of a young leader making literacy accessible to all.
What does “entrepreneurship” mean to you?
Rania Zuri: Entrepreneurship, to me, is coming up with innovative ways to solve real-world problems or fill a need. For me, I knew I had to become an entrepreneur to solve the crisis of book deserts (large regions where books are hard to obtain).
Tell us about your first experience with entrepreneurship.
RZ: My first experience with entrepreneurship was actually starting my nonprofit organization! I wanted to take action and create a unique nonprofit that addresses book deserts, helps improve early childhood literacy development, and brings access to books to children in need.
What is your company’s origin story? What is the biggest reason you started your business? What did those early days look like and teach you?
RZ: The name “LiTEArary” is a humorous play on words that I coined as I love to drink tea and discuss literature with my bibliophile friends. When I was in middle school, I volunteered at an international nonprofit organization where I helped build a small library for young girls, most of whom had never owned a book. After this experience and learning about the millions of children do not have access to books in the US, I founded The LiTEArary Society to combine my love of books with my mission to help end book deserts for underprivileged young children everywhere.
What do you wish you knew when you started? Is there anything you would do differently?
RZ: I wish I knew how little obstacles along the way could actually turn into blessings in disguise. Everything works out in the end and I wouldn’t change anything about my journey!
What does “success” look like for you? We’d love to hear your biggest, boldest dream. What do you think will help you achieve it?
RZ: For me, success is making sure every preschool child has access to books. My biggest dream is to donate a brand-new book to every single disadvantaged preschool child in Head Start for every school year. Head Start is the federal preschool program for children who live at or below the poverty line and there are over 1 million children in this program. I think corporate partnerships and more LiTEArary Society members nationwide are needed to achieve this goal.
What is your superpower as an entrepreneur? What is your proudest and darkest moment so far?
RZ: I believe one of my superpowers, as an entrepreneur, is my ability to connect with anyone from a CEO of a large company to a 3-year-old in preschool! Communication skills as well as public speaking skills are absolutely vital when running a company. My proudest moment was when my organization first completed the West Virginia Head Start Road Tour, where I donated a brand-new book to every single disadvantaged preschool child in Head Start in the entire state of West Virginia. This was our first large-scale book donation project and entailed over 6,700 brand-new books and visiting every Head Start center in the state. One of my lows in this journey was facing rejection in the beginning and not being able to visit Head Start classrooms during the height of the COVID pandemic.
What are your personal driving principles, your top values?
RZ: I value loyalty, gratitude, and integrity. I believe all of these values are necessary to a happy, successful, and fulfilling life.
How have your personal principles and values shaped your company’s values and principles?
RZ: My personal principles have definitely shaped The LiTEArary Society in numerous ways. Specifically, The LiTEArary Society’s entire executive team and members with leadership roles all share these same values. Thus, it allows us to lead effectively and fosters a wonderful team environment.
What’s it like to work alone or with your partners?
RZ: It is definitely a lot of hard work as we are managing partnerships, distributing books in person, holding book drives, and donating thousands of brand-new books all over the nation! If you were to take a peek at one of The LiTEArary Society executive team’s meetings, you would first find us discussing a classic book (over tea, of course) for half of our meetings. We spend the other half planning all of our book donations, events, upcoming partnerships, and more.
What role does mentorship play in your world (as a mentor or mentee)? Tell us about what makes mentorship valuable to you and your business.
RZ: Mentorship is very valuable in many ways. As my company was growing, I was fortunate enough to meet others who were very successful in the education field as well as politicians. It is always such a delight to hear their advice and words of wisdom. Now that my nonprofit has vastly grown, I often share what I have learned to others who want to make a difference in this world and are just beginning their entrepreneurial journey.
Can you share some insights into the market or industry you operate in? How have you navigated challenges and changes in the market landscape?
RZ: Over the years, I have realized the value of public policy when it comes to making a difference in education. While my nonprofit directly impacts Head Start children in all 50 states, to create even more widespread change throughout the country for all children, government policies are needed. This is why I have authored my own bipartisan US Senate Resolution to create a national commemorative day- National Early Childhood Literacy Awareness Day. This resolution passed on the US Senate floor and will be celebrated every year in our nation on October 20th and will impact millions of children in primary schools nationwide.
Many entrepreneurs continue to perfect their daily routines to support their work and greater vision; would you mind sharing your morning routine or a regular ritual that grounds your work each day?
RZ: As soon as I wake up, the first thing I do is write my to-do list for the day. After getting ready in the morning, I respond to emails and prepare for the day ahead by “time-blocking” my schedule. This essentially maps out all of my hours in the day and allows me to be more efficient.
How do you manage the work-life balance as an entrepreneur? What strategies have you found effective in maintaining your well-being?
RZ: I definitely prioritize my friendships and love to hang out with friends after I am done working and on the weekends! I think it is very important to make time for fun activities and hobbies outside of work.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
RZ: I turn to the Head Start children and teachers for inspiration.
Building and sustaining a business often involves overcoming various challenges. Can you share a specific moment where your entrepreneurial resilience was tested, and how did you navigate through it to ensure the sustainability of your business? What lessons did you learn from that experience?
RZ: My entrepreneurial resilience was tested at the very beginning. In fact, I faced many rejections when creating my organization, including some from my local school when I wanted to start my organization. I have learned to not take no for an answer and to persevere no matter what obstacle you face. It took a long time to get things off the ground so also remember that things take time, especially when it comes to growing a company!
Do you have a favorite quote, mantra, or words of wisdom to get through the tough days?
RZ: I am a Zoroastrian and my favorite phrase comes from the 3 main Zoroastrian principles: “Good thoughts, good words, good deeds.” Essentially, good thoughts lead to good words which lead to good deeds. Given the vicissitudes of life, I live by this motto every single day.
What is a problem that keeps you up at night?
RZ: Book deserts and the fact that millions of children in the US and globally do not have access to books.
How do you think about helping others through your work?
RZ: As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, our main principle is to help others, specifically disadvantaged preschool children. It is the very core of our mission and our work is devoted to ending book deserts for these children.
Have you faced any significant crises in your business, and how did you manage and overcome them?
RZ: I have been fortunate enough not to face any major crisis (yet)! However, that isn’t to say it might not happen in the future. Crises are inevitable and I know if (or when) it occurs, I plan to go into a deep problem-solving mode. I believe there is always a solution or workaround, no matter how great the problem may seem.
What advice do you have for fellow (and aspiring) entrepreneurs building and leading teams?
RZ: My main piece of advice is to carefully curate your team so all of you are aligned with the goals and mission of your business. This is very crucial when it comes to expansion as your team is the heart of your company.
What kind of an entrepreneur do you want to be known as – as in, what do you want your legacy to be?
RZ: I want to be known as a social entrepreneur and early childhood literacy activist who made an impact in the lives of millions of children.
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