#AMWRITING Are You? You should be! I’m not sure if it’s the advent of self publishing sites or not, but lately it seems like everyone is writing a book…and I love it! I’m writing a book…you’re writing a book…Wait! You’re not writing a book? If you’re not, stick around because in a little bit, I’ll tell you why I think you should be. I’m telling you the truth right now though when I say that I am writing a book. I’m not sure if it will ever get published. I sincerely hope that it does, but right now, that’s not the main reason why I am writing. If at first you don’t succeed… Currently, I’m fleshing out my second…
If you do anything in life You risk making a mistake – so let them happen We’ve already discussed how to craft your emails, going through the planning, the writing and the proofing, but what about the sending? Clicking send can be daunting What if you’ve made a mistake and failed to catch it? What if you’re too close to your own righting that your eyes correct what your reading? (See what I did there?) You have two options. You can allow your fear to paralyze you and never send your email. Or, you can send a test email or two, accept that mistakes are a part of life, and then let your email fly. Mistakes Happen We spend so much time working on this one email that we forget what it actually is. We forget that it’s just one of many…
One Lesson All Bloggers Learn Patience, Young Grasshopper Every blogger eventually learns an important lesson. No matter how excited you are about your website or blog, or how great you think it is, will take time and lots of hard work to become successful. The internet is not longer an “if you build it they will come” platform for content marketers and authors. Yes, there are more people using the internet than ever before and this means that you potential target audience is larger than ever…but, there is so much more content vying for their attention that you also now have more competition than ever. Now, I tell this to you not to discourage you, but rather to help inspire you. I want you to learn this less early, so that you can accept it and get to work without the false hopes and dreams that…
Believe in Yourself And the power of your blog Or no one else will That sounds pretty doom and gloom right? But why are you blogging if you don’t believe that there is a value in what you are doing? If you really take some time to think about what you are doing, you will find the value and maybe if you think about it long enough, you’ll believe in that value. What am I talking about? There is an important theme that keeps coming up in running my own business and when I’m speaking to other female entrepreneurs about running their’s. I’m not being sexist and leaving the guys out – Right now I’m just speaking to a lot of #bossladies. Guys can definitely be self conscious or doubting as well. Maybe the reason is that we…
Featured Blogs Series And the McKeating Message to Entrepreneurs Most entrepreneurs don’t start their business overnight, and they definitely don’t start it in a vacuum. They think, dream, plan, network, seek guidance and learn from others before setting out to achieve their dreams. I am luck enough to have connected with some incredible people along my journey toward starting my own business. I hope to be one of these mentors, these guiding lights along the way for others as these creative professionals have done for me. To say thank you but also to help new entrepreneurs meet and engage with those who have helped me start McKeating Solutions I’ll be starting a Featured Blogs Series. I’ll Interview them here on the blog but also list them in an entrepreneurial resource center on the site. In this Featured Blogs Series I am reaching…
Why Do I Keep Yarn at my Desk? I’m so glad you asked Some people who have worked with me will spy my desk and give me a funny look or ask “Why do you keep yarn on your desk?” and the answer is very simple. It’s not because I like to procrastinate. It’s not because I’m that obsessed with knitting, although my boyfriend might tel you that I am. It’s because, when I hit a mental block, doing something that allows my active or conscious mind to take a break, allows my subconscious mind to keep working on what ever it is that is causing the mental or creative block. Mental and creative blocks happen – its an infuriating little fact of life. But that doesn’t mean that you have to continuously suffer or bang…
It may sound like a simple task… But more people struggle with properly building a professional email. In my last post I talked a lot about an email that I sent out when asking for products to review. That email was very carefully crafted and everything in it served a purpose. Being in marketing and working with different companies, I both receive a lot of emails and see a lot of people craft emails that make me cringe. Why? Because they crafted in haste, overly casual and aren’t given the respect they deserve. Here’s the thing – And I’m not the only one that feels this way, there are a ton who do: If you are going to ask me to give you time out of my day, which is what you are doing when you send an email, then at least take…
Learning to Ask Despite the Fear of Rejection A few years ago, I started my first website. It was a very exciting time for me. I was turning a very negative time in my life into a very positive and productive one. I started the website with the intent of sharing my journey as I fell in love with yoga, became a teacher and brought balance back into my life. As I blogged, I wanted to offer visitors more, more than just my story – information that could help them in their practice. So I started researching and writing articles, and decided to start reviewing products on the website. When I started practicing, I didn’t have a clue what the difference was between a Jade or a Manduka and I was sure that there were many others out there like me. I didn’t have the money…
How Is Writing, Like Brewing Coffee? This question elicits visions of the Mad Hatter asking the question about ravens and writing desks in my head. Sadly its much less philosophical and much more metaphorical. Writing, in my mind, is very much like brewing coffee. This might sound silly or absurd, but give me just a few moments of your time and I’ll elaborate. How is writing like brewing a cup of coffee? Taking Your Time is So Much Better Than Instant. Having a Refined Process Delivers a Better Result. The Best Things Are Done By Hand. It Should Be Savored. *Friendly Write-In: 5. Know who drinks your coffee and keep them in mind! Brewed is Better Than Instant Have you ever had instant coffee? We take it with us when we go camping or backpacking because there is so much less involved, that it saves precious room…
Trust A Lifelong Practice Over the past two weeks, I’ve noticed a theme that has been occurring…We like to act like or maybe think that trust is a skill that once acquired, one has for life. I’ve got news for all of us – myself included. It’s not. It’s much more like a muscle that we work to build up, but without the proper exercise, that muscle grows week again. Or another way to think about it might be to liken it to a yoga practice. It’s not something that you ever really master. It’s a lifelong practice. One of the reasons that I love working with the team at Idea Hunt, (aside from having an inclusive and supportive global community that is awesome) is that they take their company culture seriously. One of the main…