Bill DeBarba Interview Published on: 25, Mar 2020

My earliest childhood dream was to play shortstop for the Boston Red Sox. When it become obvious that wasn’t going to happen, I moved towards study of math and science. I was much better at figuring things out than memorizing. That lead me to obtaining a Mechanical Engineering degree from Tufts University. At that point in my life, being an author never crossed my mind. What’s your strongest memory of your childhood?

Family support and hard work. I am a first generation American. My Mom came from Sicily as a small child. My Father was born in Lawrence, MA, but the timing of his parents coming here, and the date of his birth indicates that he was most likely conceived in Naples, Italy. I knew I could always count on them, as well as my extended family. But I also knew that hard work in school or any other endeavor was expected. Laziness was not an option.

I started BWSI because I was much smarter than the people for whom I worked at that time. I was still in my 20’s – that should explain my attitude! I was infatuated with the new micro-computers (now known as PC’s). I learned how to program and started my own back bedroom business writing custom software for small businesses in the area. Eventually, I found a niche market – the Staffing Industry – and wrote software to help people manage their temp help agencies more efficiently. As the business grew, I moved into an office and hired some young smart people - some of whom I’m sure thought they were smarter than me! Nonetheless, we all worked well together and grew BWSI into a company with customers nationwide. I sold the business in 2017 and retired in 2018.

There are too many things to list. But by far, the most important thing I learned was how to listen. Regardless if I was in a conversation with customers or employees, one thing was consistent – people need to know they are being heard. That principle alone kept some of our customers with us for over 30 years. I’m very proud of the fact that BWSI was not involved in a single lawsuit in four decades of business. Listening will create a very much valued and appreciated bond – and save a lot of money!

There were a series of events that took place in my life that made me step back and question whether the way I thought life worked was correct. I started reading books from Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dwyer, Marianne Williamson, and others of the same genre. I became very excited about what I learned. I talked about it quite a bit. When the third person I knew told me I should write a book, I decided I would.

Well, to put it simply, I didn’t see myself as being an author looking for something to write about. I am someone who found something to write about and needed to become an author to do it. Just happened to be a non-fiction subject.

Now that I’m retired, I normally start writing right after breakfast until about 2:00 or so – whenever I find myself at a good break point. Then I take care of the other tasks on my to-do list. I found that if I tried to do it the other way around, very little writing would get done.

To be honest, there was not very much of the publishing process that I enjoyed. I have said many times that it was much easier to write the book than to get it published. I was not looking forward to spending time learning a whole new profession that in and of itself was not my goal - but an important tool to get to my goal. The best part of the journey has been meeting some truly caring and talented people who have guided me through the jungle.

It was exciting to see the first eBook version and be able to read it on my iPad. But I wasn’t prepared for what I would feel when I held the first copy of the book on paper. It was a real thrill to see my name on the cover and my words inside.

I was speaking to a friend of mine who had published several books. I was frustrated at being blocked at a certain point. I must have rewritten the same couple of pages three times and was still not happy with it. He advised me to step back for a while. Go do something else. Give your subconscious some time to work on it and get back to you with what you need.

It’s hard to say how much time I spent researching. Much of my research was stepping back and taking a more objective – less emotional – view of what was going on in my life. This was happening long before I even thought about writing a book. Once convinced to write the book, I spent a couple of years reading and attending seminars of the people I mentioned earlier. It took quite a bit longer than it might have if I wasn’t running a business when I started this project.

I feel the best comment I’ve hear from several sources is “This makes sense. You make it so easy to understand.” That one is so gratifying to me, because it was one of my primary goals. There are many fine books on the market that touch on this material, but I have read some that almost take a doctorate to understand.

 How do you manage your writing process? Do you outline first, or just start writing and see where it goes?
 What is the key point in your writing process that you ask other authors or knowledgeable people to review and comment on your work?
 Of all the marketing techniques out there, which have you found to be the most effective in getting your book in front of people who are most likely to be interested?

I’m afraid there’s nothing on the burner just yet. As I gain more knowledge about how this book is impacting people, I may very well start formulating ideas for another.

I am very impressed with the ease of use and intuitive structure. But I am most impressed with how your service is so personal. I haven’t come close to taking full advantage of what you have to offer. That will change!