Melissa Spelts began gathering her experience with entrepreneurship as a child. Her parents started a business when she was eleven, so she and her siblings experienced the ups and downs of a new business. Melissa’s parents have been very supportive, and they have been a great source of advice. Melissa’s dad, who passed away in 2018 said, “There’s plenty of room at the top. You just have to be willing to work for it.” Growing up and watching her parents work so hard was not easy. Her father often worked two jobs in order to make ends meet. But this experience gave Melissa an idea of what to expect from starting a business.
Melissa was a full-time mom for 16 years before she and Ryan founded Connection Publishing. She told the story of them coming up with the idea. “We were on a road trip to Lake Powell with our family, and we drove all night talking about plans for the business, and it just felt right.” They planned to use Ryan’s sales and writing skills and Melissa’s skills with photography, content creation, and ability to connect with readers.
Melissa loves to brainstorm and come up with ideas. As they began to publish magazines, Melissa focused on listening to what people said about their interests and what was important to them. “I wanted the magazine to be about things that everyone could relate to. I wanted to create something that was awesome and beautiful.”
Some of her favorite things about her job is connecting with members of the community, talking to business owners, and learning about the local history.
Ryan and Melissa have big plans for Connection Publishing. “Our goal and dream is to have this be a business that will uplift people and help them feel like they belong to something special. We want the community and our team members to feel like they’re making a positive impact.”
Running a business and being a mom at the same time is always a challenge. Melissa says it can be hard to make sure you give enough time to your children to nurture them and make them feel loved. But magazines have deadlines, and it can be tricky to keep track of everything. “My hope is that my family will see their mom and dad running a business and know that it’s good to pursue your dreams. They should know that it’s a lot of work, but that’s okay too.”