Author and font designer, Carolyn Porter shares part two of her two-fold journey. The innocently started project that became her obsession to find the Frenchman behind the 1944 WWII letters and creating a new award-winning font, P22 Marcel Font. She became an unlikely memoir author of Marcel’s Letters: A Font and A Search For One Man’s Fate. The book is in its third printing. Download

Carolyn’s journey is what all entrepreneurs have in common. A nagging idea, curiosity in the hunt/research/customer input, momentum building, serendipitous moments where the Universe conspires to help us, time, resource gathering, sacrifices, believers and helpers, and the self-funding (and other financial funding) it takes to release your innovations into the world. She had to reconstruct her journey overcoming incredible odds to create P22 Marcel Font and find Marcel and his family.

Tenacity and perseverance. When one door closed, she found another door open. The desire and momentum to reach a goal, in this case, was unstoppable. She never once gave up, even though she had wanted to stop chasing after elusive answers. She took needed breaks. She had to find out if Marcel returned to his wife and his children. I felt like I was on the journey with her which is why I reached a point where I was obsessed with absorbing every word and detail to its end. 

Because she wasn’t planning to write a book, she scoured emails, receipts, fed ex delivery slips, and even tracked down a chef to get the exact dish she ordered at a restaurant, making sure every detail was accurate. Two different French translators helped in the project. Her journey led her to a genealogist to find Marcel’s family members. How did she put everything together?

She found information from the German car company, Daimler AG, formerly known as Daimler-Benz at that time. Marcel was forced to make tanks for the Hitler regime. She learned of how complicit the Vichy French government was in forcing citizens to work at Daimler-Benz not only building these tanks but living in concentration camps, separated from their loved ones. They were puppets to the Germans. (Britannica Resource)

Legal issues cropped up in getting published. The font and book had separate legal issues. What were they? How long did it take to resolve the legal issues before the book was published? Listen to continue learning about Carolyn’s Incredible Story, Part II. It will validate your own innovative leadership journey while you learn more about history.

Mentoring Tips

1. If you haven’t, listen to An Incredible True Story, Part I
2. Purchase Marcel’s Letters through Amazon on www.wementor.com website and receive a 20% discount.
3. After reading Marcel’s Letters, what was your favorite parts? Give A Book Review Here

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An Incredible True Story, Part II    Episode 107       Carolyn Porter and Porter Folio Inc.