Meet Keisha Greene: Founder/Editor-in-Chief

We had the good fortune of connecting with Keisha Greene and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Keisha, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I started Paper Planner Essentials magazine to fill a need in the planner community.. The planner community is filled with creatives. Although we are able to use the Internet to find inspiration and share our creations, there was an element that was missing. I thought back to years ago when I was an avid scrapbooker. I would look forward to picking up the latest scrapbook magazine to find inspiration, industry news, and the occasional scrapbook layout that I had submitted for publication. Thinking about the pride I felt when I saw one of my own spreads in those magazine pages, I knew what missing. I set out to create a team of women who shared the passion of creative planning with me. We did our own research, and launched the first issue in November of 2019. Today, we are busy creating a strong presence in the planner community. We have formed quality relationships with some of the top brands and creators of planning supplies, and we are growing each day to become synonymous with creative planning.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In my regular, day-to-day life, I am an educator. I am an Early Intervention Specialist working with elementary students in the areas of reading and math. My undergraduate degree is in English, and it was always my dream to write literature. Starting this magazine is a realization of this dream. Although I love teaching, writing is a part of my core. I could not have created this without the help of my team. We spend hours sourcing content, conducting interviews, editing, and marketing Paper Planner Essentials magazine to our audience. There were many challenges along the way, For example, the presence of a physical magazine competes with the very existence of the Internet. After all, we live in a society of instant gratification and information that is readily available. I had to figure out how to make my magazine stand out in such a way that would spark interest while simultaneously creating something that was completely new and different. I decided to launch two versions: a digital copy as well as a physical copy. I’m happy say that I couldn’t be more proud of my accomplishments thus far, and, with the upcoming plan to distribute the magazine in the US and Canada, the best is yet to come!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would give them a taste of the best things that Atlanta has to offer-great food, superb shopping, and a stellar atmosphere! We could start off with brunch at the BQE Restaurant and Lounge. The Red Velvet Waffles and Chicken. would be a memorable experience for any visitor to the city. Afterwards, we could spend the afternoon at Phipps Plaza for a day of shopping. Next, we could head to dinner at The Garden Room for a complete sensory overload. The presentation of the dishes coupled with the atmosphere is one that will never be forgotten. To end the night, we could enjoy the evening at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. There is nothing like it when the sun sets and the magic begins. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Marquita Cummings – Fancy Plans Co @fancyplansco on IG Brenton Fogg – Fogg the Brand @fooggthebrand on IG Shari Devereux – sharidevereux.com @deh.ver.oh on IG

Website: www.paperplanneressentials.com
Instagram: paper_planner_essentials
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaperPlannerEssentials
Other: Magclooud for purchasing current issue https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/1909672?__r=2671453

Image Credits
Keisha Greene Deatrice McFadden