You've Got Mail

So I've been spending some time recently focusing on my own business, work challenges and goals. I definitely need to do more of this but frankly it feels like there are barely enough hours in the day to tend to all my client work, and I always put that first.

As I evaluate the heart of what I like to do and what I do most of, I'm realizing that it's very much the same type of work I was doing for $3.12/hour in college at my part time job and even similar to what I did for free in high school... creating newsletters.

Now at good old Hinsdale Central HS, we called our bi-weekly masterpiece a "newsmagazine" and these days what I do is called email marketing, but labeling aside, the work I enjoy most is creating a blend of news, human interest and interesting information... designed to make the reader pause and ponder.

I attempted just to do just that in my own newsletter this week... here's a link to it. Enjoy!

The Muse

There is a fun blog/website I've been subscribing to recently-- called themuse.com. It offers up all kinds of information about how to find a job, how to keep it, how to impress, be inspired, get that next promotion and stay out of the dog house with the boss or client.

There's a lot of content like this out there-- but I think the themuse.com is one of the best aggregators for it, especially for people just getting started in their careers (and many days, I feel like that's exactly where I'm at right now.)

Check out their post today on how to create a name for yourself-- tips from A-Z. Cute infographic and some pretty solid advice for this ever-changing business hive we're all buzzing around in.

Do you have a Muse? Or at least a go-to person or place that gives you a spark when it comes to your work? Would love to hear about him, her or it...

A Tip for Facebook Creepers

If you’re a Facebook “creeper” (and I know many of you are out there!) be aware that you’re News Feed probably isn’t as interesting as it could be these days. (I remember laughing about this term a few years ago when I heard it for the first time from my nieces -- mothers and aunts are notorious creepers!) 

If you’re a business owner, know that your content may be getting fewer views than it should and could!

The biggest social media network on the planet is continuously changing its algorithms and over the last few months these modifications have definitely prevented some posts from appearing on users’ pages if the user hasn’t liked or commented on what that poster has put up recently. How recently, I’m not exactly sure.

When you look it up on the Facebook’s official site they say “The News Feed algorithm uses several factors to determine top stories, including the number of comments, who posted the story, and what type of post it is (ex: photo, video, status update, etc.).”

I manage a few different Facebook pages for clients and local organizations and encountered this issue myself recently when I realized that the posts I was placing on behalf of my kids’ sports organization, weren’t showing up on my own News Feed!
I couldn’t figure out the problem until I realized I almost never “liked” the posts or commented on them. (I felt like doing so would be like giving myself a virtual high-five or pat on the back). 

Once I went through and “liked” old posts, I’ve noticed that I’m back in the loop and the Club’s posts are appearing on my personal News Feed again.

Obviously if you’re posting for your business, there’s no reason to be modest! Be sure you’re liking your own posts and you’ve requested that your employees do so as well (commenting would be even better!). Every time they do so it helps generate more visibility for your organization.

If you feel you're missing stories you'd like to see or seeing stories in your News Feed that you don't want to see, something else try besides interacting, is to go to News Feed controls and check out your settings.

To adjust the updates you see from your friends in News Feed:
1.      Go to a friend’s Timeline.
2.      In the top right, click Friends.
3.      If you want to see that friend’s stories in News Feed, make sure Show in News Feed is checked. Uncheck it if you don’t want to see their stories.

To choose what types of stories you want to see from that friend, click Settings. From there, you can:

•  Choose to see All Updates, Most Updates or Only Important stories from that friend.
•  Check stories that you want to see, like Life Events, Status Updates or Photos. Uncheck any story that you don’t want to see in News Feed.

If you’re a Facebook “creeper” and you “like it” that way, I get it. But know your creeping could be much more fulfilling if you hit that little “like” button more often.

It's Official!

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Ok-- now I've really gone and done it. I took the plunge and published my own website today. Phew!  

Creating a site really takes a lot of hard work, concentrated time, thought and effort. Of course I knew this intellectually but emotionally I didn't think I'd feel this nervous about "putting out my own shingle." I've been working for myself for about ten months now, but launching the site really makes things "official."

Thank you to everyone who has given ideas for the site and who have supported my professional efforts to date. 

And thank you a million times over to DJ Long for all the long hours you put into njkmarketing.com. So. Very. Appreciated!

Let me know what you think of it when you have a moment... ciao for now!

Congratulations Milestones!

Very excited for my client, Milestones for Kids Success. Their brand new website launched over the weekend and it looks terrific. Professional, approachable, well-organized and chock-full of great information and beautiful photography. Way to go Janet, practice founder and owner and nice work Vision Friendly-- the Naperville agency she hired to re-create the site.

All site content was written and/or edited by yours truly.

Milestones is an outstanding therapy group in Downers Grove with dedicated professionals, an amazing facility and now even more services, including holistic care.

Check out their site and all they have to offer, or pass the information along to a friend.

I'm looking forward to working on more projects with this great client.

Happy Monday!

Mental Mistakes

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I used to regularly work 40-60 hour weeks juggling multiple clients, six conference calls a day, while managing a diverse group of accounts, co-workers and multi-million dollar budgets. To say I worked error-free would be a complete fallacy, but I managed pretty darn well juggling it all and making what I believe to be an average number mistakes along the way. (Some more major than others, like cc’ing the client on a reply that he really shouldn’t have seen…) But my point is I was a busy, busy bee with the ability and opportunity to make MAJOR mistakes all the time, but luckily, this didn’t happen.

Now, my work is quite a bit less demanding. I still have clients who need stellar work done and I certainly have deadlines to meet but my calendar is mainly my own. If I’m lucky I have 3 client calls a week. With this new work life I know I’m in a great place, helping businesses with their writing, marketing and communication needs while still juggling the demands of my family, but I’m also recognizing that I’m in the middle of a weird work phenomenon…

The less busy I am, the more mental mistakes I make.

I wonder why this is? Is it physical? Perhaps I just can’t perform as well because I don’t have a constant stream of adrenaline running through me as I jump to project to fire drill to giving a presentation? Or is it a brain issue? Am I just not as sharp as I used to be because I’m not putting in the same work hours?

I hate making mistakes. Of course I'm not alone, who likes to make them?

When googling phrases like “the less busy I am the more mistakes I make” and “less busy at work, make more errors,” I come up with nothing. Not even another blogger like myself stewing on the topic.

Has anyone else faced this issue before?  I’d be interested to know...

Now it's time for me to get busier!

How I Did It

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One of my favorite online columns is a regular feature on Maria Shriver's website. It's called "How I Did It."

Reading these stories from women business owners, both large and small is very inspirational. A few of the articles have even spurred me to take action (like directly contacting the author to network/discuss business opportunities) and they definitely help me reaffirm my in-progress work philosophy of "do what you love & be sure you like who you're doing it with."

A re-occurring theme that I see again and again is the integration of our work lives and personal lives. Technology has made this inevitable over the last few years (much to some people's dismay) but I've really been doing it for more than ten, with one year-and-a-half break in time when I worked for a very large company.

I'm definitely back in the integration mode now. I have clients who are friends, neighbors and acquaintances. I also have "strictly business" clients, but I strive to get to know them a little on a personal level as we work together on creative communication efforts and I let them get to know me too. It brings so much more respect and texture to a business relationship. 

I've decided very definitively over the last year to only work for and with people I admire and those who have the respect of the key people around them. I know this may seem like a luxury, but it's one I hope I can retain throughout my work life.

In this week's "How I Did It" one of the things Jessica Herrin, Founder & CEO of Stella & Dot says about her management style is this,

"If you don't allow people to live their best life they'll opt out, and you'll lose their talent for good."

I really love this business philosophy. I know firsthand how powerful and effective it can be when it's truly followed by management in today's 24/7 accessible world. People will work hard for you, even during their "personal time," if you give them true flexibility and respect, not just lip service.

If you want to work for yourself, make a job change or gain a different perspective on how to run your business, take a few minutes to read some of the "How I Did It" pieces.

If you follow Maria Shriver on Facebook, they are linked to on a regular basis.

Time for me to get back to more work for clients I really like working for. Yes!

The Best Ever...

“This is the best day ever…” This is the best day of my life…”  Whenever one of my children says one of these phrases, it never fails to make me chuckle. It's one of my favorite kid sentiments. As adults so many of us have put up roadblocks and “excepts” that stop us from letting the best moments sink in.

But I know that I did something right while working for a wonderful boss and company for nearly ten years. I recognized and really honored so many times in the weeks and months while working at Media Options Inc. that I had “the best job ever.”

It was the best job ever for so many reasons. I was lucky enough to experience autonomy, respect, lots of laughter, great minds, travel to interesting places, delicious meals, creativity, excitement, agony, drama, odd moments, little victories, big victories, major losses. Over the last two years since the company closed I’ve often wondered if I’ll ever have that type of work life again.

I and literally hundreds of people around this country have experienced a great loss this week, the passing of founder and chairman of Media Options Inc., Philip Press. It’s too hard for me right now to try to describe the type of person Phil was, but I’ve never met anyone like him and I doubt I ever will again. He was a mentor and great champion to many.

I once told Phil while chatting in his office that working for him was “the best job I ever had.” He smiled big time when I told him this and I remember chiding myself about it a little afterwards… it wasn’t exactly the shrewdest thing to say when I needed to negotiate my position or salary later on.

But in the end, that stuff didn’t matter. Phil and his beautiful, wickedly smart wife Beth became more than my bosses, they became my friends. I knew I could count on them for anything and often did. The two of them have given me countless hours of caring, good advice over the years. When you worked for Phil work wasn’t just a job, it was an experience. He wasn’t always easy on us and he made a point to focus on both your strengths and your weaknesses. He was consistently encouraging.

Last Wednesday was Phil’s birthday and instead of sending him a Facebook message I decided to try to reach him by phone. His life has been extremely full and busy the last few years so I was thrilled when he answered right away. Even though he was on a train he took the time to talk with me for 25 minutes. I will always, always treasure that conversation.

When I hung up the phone I did go on Facebook and posted a message on his wall, something along the lines of “Happy Birthday to the best boss I could ever have (and maybe ever will have).” I remember at the moment thinking it was cheesy but I was sure he’d get a kick out of it. He private messaged me back a wonderful short note just a few minutes later.

When you feel the urge to call someone, write someone, tell someone what they mean to you—just do it, don’t hesitate. Phil did this almost every single time he spoke to his close friends and colleagues over the last few years. That was just one of his outstanding qualities. 

Let every best moment, best experience, best person permeate your being and your soul. Rest in peace dear Phil. You were indeed the best boss I ever had.

Pondering Loyalty

Loyalty—it’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. What drives loyalty these days? With such a huge amount of choices, opportunities and changing social mores in our society today does the concept still exist?

Our neighborhood is literally across the street from Jewel-Osco, a food/pharma chain owned by Albertson’s with a couple hundred stores across the I-states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa). I know I should be more cost and health-conscious and shop at different stores for different deals and products (i.e. organic produce, produce that doesn’t suck, k-cups for my beloved Keurig, mass quantities of cereal, toilet paper & syrup) but time has a way of getting away from me and I end up at Jewel often, good intentions be damned. 

Considering my husband or I are in the place a lot, I was taken aback recently when I was cheerfully told by my cashier they have permanently done away with their Loyalty Card program (Preferred Card) and I could go drop mine off in a basket at the customer service desk for a chance to win $100.

According to Phil Rosenthal’s article in the Tribune (which is the best one I’ve read on this topic), Jewel couldn’t figure out how to really use the data they were gleaning from us beyond offering a discount on a type of product we were already buying. They’re now offering the “same low price to everyone.” Sounds fishy to me… I’m quite sure there’s more to the story than that.

Jewel's card program may have started out with a goal of building loyalty, but it evolved into a price-reduction program after they started letting cashiers swipe a generic card if you’d forgotten yours or if you never signed-up in the first place.

It seems short-sighted to me that they caved that way a few years ago. Because even with the tough economy and the proliferation of choices when it comes to everything, I do actually believe the idea of loyalty still has appeal. Inherently people want to belong to a club, a group, a faction where they feel they are getting a better deal and are valued.

Loyalty is something that’s not talked a lot about anymore because I think it seems like an old-fashioned quality. Only boring people or suckers are loyal, right?  Savvy people are risk-takers…experimenters…situation-hoppers.

I don’t believe I’ve ever talked to my children about the concept. I also can’t remember a recent time when a boss or client has mentioned or insisted on it. But in thinking about it more lately, I believe loyalty is getting a raw deal. 

"Loyalty cannot be blueprinted. It cannot be produced on an assembly line. In fact, it cannot be manufactured at all, for its origin is the human heart-the center of self-respect and human dignity. It is a force which leaps into being only when conditions are exactly right for it-and it is a force very sensitive to betrayal."

— Maurice R. Franks

Loyalty needs to be earned, appreciated and nurtured but perhaps our world would be a little bit better if people went back to focusing on this concept a little more. It certainly isn’t everything but loyalty is one of the most important assets a company, club, marriage, team, friendship, or family can have. Does your organization focus in on loyalty as a priority? Do you as a person? What do you think?