Why You Should Hire Me to Manage Your Social Media

Social media is a daily time commitment. If you, or your company, isn't willing to commit the time, then one of two things need to happen. Either limit the number of social networks you use to something that's manageable, or outsourcing your social media marketing. If you are choosing the latter, partly because you don't just want to use Facebook, then consider hiring me to do the rest! Here's why you should hire me to manage your social media:

I Have Proven Results

One of my social media marketing clients is a nitrogen tire inflation company called Nitrofleet99. When I started working on their social media presence, all the company had was a Facebook profile with about 15 fans. This was in June 2012. To date, November 2013, Nitrofleet99 has 383 fans on its Facebook page, an accomplishment based on some Facebook advertising but primarily on a content amplification and promotion strategy that focused on consistent and regular engagement. Part of consistent and regular engagement is updating your social media profiles every day while planning this content in advance. This strategy enables me to spend the day-to-day work engaging with followers while the research of appropriate content takes place well before this content is scheduled for sharing.

Since June 2012, I've also added a Twitter account and a Google+ account for the company. Not only do these presences exist, but both the Facebook page and the Google+ profile have ranked on the first page of Google for the term, "nitrogen tire inflation."

I Understand that Social Media Can't Work in a Silo

Part of what makes social media marketing difficult and time-consuming for businesses is that they consider it separate from the website and other marketing efforts. This is a huge mistake, as isolating social media means that your marketing efforts can't drive visitors and leads to the website (and the company), while eliminating a huge opportunity for the business to amplify the content and promotions happening on the website or in the email newsletter. My previous employer, for example, has a lot of great videos on its blog featuring different customers and services of the customer. However, these videos can only be found on the blog and can't be found anywhere on social media, YouTube in particular. Why my previous employer won't share these things on YouTube, or any other social network, is beyond me. Why are you creating this content if you don't amplify it through social media? By keeping these things to one or two platforms, instead of strategically using all of them to reach as many people as possible, you are essentially leaving leads and visitors on the table for your competitor to grab.

If You Need Content to Share on Social Media, I Can Do That Too

There's a 50/50 rule in social media marketing: 50% of what you share needs to be your own content, while the other half is the content of others. Most companies are surprised that their social media marketing efforts aren't entirely about the, but others do realize that your social media marketing doesn't matter too much if all you're doing is sharing other people's content. No one is going to be come a fan or follower (and they certainly won't become a customer) if you don't have any original research, or thought leadership, or helpful information of your own to offer. This is where I can come in. I can create blog posts, white papers, press releases, newsletter articles, essentially anything that would be awesome to share on Facebook or Twitter that you can slap with your company's branding. After all, the goal to accomplish with social media marketing is to show that your company is the one that can address the needs and pain points of your customers. By only sharing the content of others, you're really saying that it's your competitors and these other thought leaders who really know what they are doing.

I'm not an intern or college student whose a good fit for a social media role because I'm young or a digital native. I'm a good fit for the social media role because I know what I'm doing, and I've been doing this long enough to know how to understand a brand so that results happen on social media. I know how to use Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/Google+ to achieve the results the client wants to see.

Why You Should Hire Me to Write Your Content

Blogging for others is my bread and butter. It's how I've made a living and have built my professional reputation over the past few years. If you need content, whether it's web content, blog posts, eBooks, or white papers, then consider Allison Reilly as an option in getting those things done. Here's why you should hire me over anyone else to write your content:

I've Covered a Wide Variety of Industries

If you look at my portfolio, you'll see that my five years of writing and editing experience includes everything from identity theft to social media, from business answering services to small business technology. Even if I haven't covered your industry, or have only covered something similar, don't let that stop you from hiring a great writer. Industry experience is just one indicator of talent and success, and it's by no means an honest indicator of talent and success. My variety shows that I can be successful in any industry and that I can bring a fresh perspective to your content needs and content marketing strategy. Also note that most articles in my portfolio are at least 500 words, showing that I don't write short, fluffy articles that don't say anything at all. With every piece of content, I strive to provide something of value to the reader.

I Can Do Many Types of Content Marketing

Business blogging may be my bread and butter, but I'm not a one-trick pony. I can write things besides blog posts, such as press releases, white papers, case studies, web content, and email marketing campaigns. Although you may only need one type of content, it's best to have one versatile writer you can rely to do any type of content you may need in the future. It's better than hiring someone to do the blog, only to hire someone else to do press releases, and someone else to do SEO and web content. After all, content marketing is about all of the above, as you need multiple types of content across multiple platforms to maximize the strategy. You can get more out of your content if you do a series of blog posts, then turn that series into a white paper, then turn that white paper into a webinar.

Clients Love Me

My oldest client has been with me for almost three years! In that time I've written blog posts, press releases, and white papers with plans for additional content as well as no plans of stopping to write content anytime soon. Most of my clients have been with me for over a year, although I do have a few that have only become my client in the past two months. My clients wouldn't be my clients for this long if they didn't think I did good work and if they didn't think I could be trusted to deliver content on a weekly basis and to contribute to the business. To show you how much my clients love me, I have a testimonials from Nathan Strum, president of TelAssistant - Allied Offices:

I have been working with Allison for close to a year now and am extremely happy with her work. I was seeking a writer for our company blog about a year ago when I first contacted Allison. In the past when hiring a blog writer I have spent almost as much time helping the writer come up with ideas for the blog articles as it would take to write the article myself. Allison took charge very quickly and learned about our industry. She has been creating interesting articles for a year without the hand holding that most writers need. Our readership has increased and the arrangement is an overall success. We have doubled her work and will be adding more work to her plate soon. Her articles can be read at http://www.alliedoffices.com/blog and http://www.telassistant.com/blog.

The sooner the words are written, the better. Contact me today if you have a writing project for me!

The Little Things I Need to Do (So I Don't Forget)

Once again, I'm doing another one of these big fat to-do lists so that I can keep track of myself and not forget a whole bunch of little things. I'm already losing track of the days of the week because my sleep schedule is completely off, so the fewer things I have to keep track of in my head the better. Here's my big fat to do list of the little things I need to do so I don't forget about them:

1. Finish Up My Grocery List - I finally planned my meals and went to the grocery store, which put me on a strong path toward my goal of avoiding eating out for an entire month. However, I wasn't able to buy everything on my list. So, I haven't actually made any of the meals I actually planned, and I now have some vegetables that are going bad with each passing day. I need to purchase the last eight or 10 items and get to work cooking some great food.
2. Eat Soup - Several days ago, I made a big pot of soup with a soup mix that I've had for many months now. I ate some on the day I made it, and that's about it. Now, I have a big pot of soup in the refrigerator that will eventually spoil if I don't eat it (it would seem that there is a running theme here). I even wrote on the refrigerator door to eat more soup. I know it's too hot for soup, but I needed a fiber-rich food with fiber-rich ingredients I don't eat a lot of, and this soup mix counted. Now that I've written this here, I can commit to eating the soup.
3. Come Up with a New Goal and Action Plan - This one isn't too little, but I am almost done with my goal of preparing the Stirring Media website for the direction change and the upcoming networking event. I have a few more days of actions and then it's all done. I have no idea of what my next goal is going to be, let alone how to get there, so I need to think about that as I wrap up my current project. I could go for another goal with Gateway Grounds, but I do want to think about it and see what needs to be accomplished first before making a decision on a direction.
4. Purchase New Business Cards - I've been needing to do this since the beginning of the year because I changed addresses, and I admit that I've been putting it off because I don't like the idea of throwing away several hundred business cards. Now that I could use them as cards for my inferno of productivity game, I can now purchase new business cards. This is also crucial toward preparing the business for the networking event, so I also have that as additional pressure and incentive to get this done.
5. Revise Marketing Plan - Haven't looked at it in a while. Revising it could help me come up with a new goal or action plan. I can't think of anything coming up, which is another reason why it needs another look. For all I know, I could have a few things listed to go for. Also, if I don't have anything coming up, I can set a few more milestones since more things are in place and I can think about taking things to the next level instead of worrying about creating a strong foundation.

Now, what I need to do is turn these tasks into points and set them aside over the next several days. That's doable. I expect to get paid over the next week, so things should turn out fine.

5 Top Priorities in Life Right Now

For today's SuperBetter quest, I am to list the three to five top priorities in my life right now. There are things that, today, are the most important to me in the world. So, I'm doing that, and here are my top five life priorities right now, in no particular order.

My Business

This is a top priority (and the top time suck) in my life right now, if not the number one priority. Every day, I am doing one thing to continue moving Stirring Media into the direction of a digital media company. I finally ordered a few roasts from my affiliate partners yesterday, so once those come in and are reviewed, I can finally open up that avenue for income. My goal is to be ready for August 22. There's an amazing networking event happening that night, and I've already bought my ticket, so my plan is to make that the first night that I network and present Stirring Media in person as a digital media company.

Eating Healthy

Naturally, this is a huge priority right now since I am doing my daily quests to get better at eating healthier and to knock two things off of my life goals/bucket list. I am currently focusing on abstaining from eating out for an entire month (eating out includes restaurants and fast food as well as frozen dinners. It does not include buying a coffee). I am a week into that one and still going strong. I have tons of food ready to be made into meals, and it's going to be delicious and exciting. Once this month is over, I'm going to then focus on going vegan for an entire year. Part of the reason why I didn't commit to both at the same time is that I needed to eat all sorts of meat and dairy products that were already in the house. Since they will be gone by the time the month is over, going vegan will be easier and I won't have to waste food to do it.

Human Rights Activism

Twice a month, I meet with the St. Louis Amnesty International chapter to plan events, to write letters on issues, and to build awareness for human rights issues. Three times a week, I write a blog post for the chapter's blog covering chapter activities, the latest human rights news, and tips and tricks on how other human rights activists can be more effective activists. I am also currently reading the book Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor (It's a good read, but not an easy one). My human rights activism is my way of helping others and giving back to the community. It also can be very marginalized and stigmatized work, which means that it's work that needs to be done but that few people want to take the initiative to do.

Poker

Poker is a definite life priority, as once I finish my current goals in SuperBetter I'm going to set a few quests, bad guys, and power ups to help me get better at poker and to commit to building my bankroll. Once I finish the healthy eating bucket list goals, I'm going to work on the poker ones on the list. I think these goals will take the longest and the most work to accomplish, as no one gets to play in Bobby's Room or win a World Series of Poker bracelet over night. That level of skill takes a lot of time and discipline.

Reading Books

I'm making it a point to finish my summer reading list and to continue reading books on topics that interest me. It's been a LONG time since I've read for fun regularly. I am pushing myself to finish Pathologies of Power, since it is a long book that's very dense and somewhat long-winded. The content is interesting, but the book is designed to be a college textbook and not a good old non-fiction book that you can get through in a few days. I have tons of books waiting for me, and I'm pushing myself to get through this book so I can read all my other books. There are so many things I need to learn!

Bonus Priority: Playing Rogue Legacy!

As I've been saying this whole week, I finally purchased Rogue Legacy today! I redeemed my points and was able to get it, as well as The Cave and the Grand Theft Auto pack. I was able to get three games instead of two (well seven games instead of five since the pack came with five games) because the pack had an additional discount today on Steam. This made enough room in the budget for one more game. I have enough gaming to last me the rest of the year. So, I'm going to get to work on that gaming and play more Rogue Legacy!

Where Did This Evening Go?

I have no idea. It felt like I sucked into Facebook at 8 p.m. or so, only to look up and realize that it was 10:30 p.m. already. Now, there's 35 minutes left in today. I'm hoping I can get this blog post done before midnight, or else I technically would have gone two whole days without blogging. That's not good, especially since I do have some really good numbers right now (at least good for the blog. There's nothing really to brag about here). I need to keep the momentum going.

Gateway Grounds

I should announce that Stirring Media has changed direction and its first media property is finally up and running. Gateway Grounds is dedicated to finding great coffee and sharing it with you, whether it's in St. Louis or around the country. Right now, I'm focusing on getting a new article up every Tuesday and Friday as well as opening up my revenue streams. I have a few affiliate partners in place, but now I need to review some of their coffee so I can put those links in place. I also might consider banner advertising, but that's a little farther down the road. In the meantime, check out Gateway Grounds! Hopefully, you'll find something work adding to your morning cup!

So Much Work to Do!

I've totally screwed up my sleep schedule and I am now more night owl than ever, if there are degrees of "nightowlness" or "circadian rhythm disorder", or what not. I"m still getting all I need to done, partly because I'm going to be up for four more hours (at least) and will spend that time working, so on that note it's not really a bad thing. However, I feel judged for this behavior. It stresses me out a little because I can't as easily go to Lab1500, even though they should have 24-hour access soon. Once they start the access, I'll be a little less stressed out about the whole thing. My productivity will go up, and I won't worry so much about being judged, even though no one who really matters who really cares that I'm doing this. I'm getting what I need to done and I'm doing my work well. I have the peace, quiet, and privacy to do things. I also have the freedom to get myself into this position in the first place. I'm not getting up at 6 a.m. because I have to.

I've gone through this whole debate in my head before. Several times in fact. I think if I can maybe mimic most of my day after the day in the life of an Inc. 500 CEO, I'll be okay. The guy who runs the company at number 26 on the list goes to bed at 4 a.m. and wakes up at 10 a.m. He's number 26, too! Running on six hours a day each day seems tough. Although, typical behavior of these CEOs is to spend about five hours per day on personal time (primarily exercising, relaxing, and spending time with family). Nothing says I can't throw a nap into those five hours. Yeah, I think I'll be okay.

I Missed the Midnight Mark

Oh well, probably just another thing that no one really cares too much about. I mean, the blog did originally go like three months without a post, and here I am worrying about two days without a post. I'm getting things done, as I've made clear in my previous paragraphs.

All right, I hear a cat meowing outside. I see it. I am going to investigate. The neighborhood has had several missing cats in recent weeks, and besides, cats are cute.

How to Choose an Online Marketing Firm

This is one of those posts that got rejected by a client because of "overall writing style". I have no idea what this means. I've posted a comment on the client's profile to see if I can receive additional clarification and information on this rejection reasoning. Hopefully, I'll get a response in a few days (Zerys needs to approve the comment. Once that's done, the client will see it and respond, ideally). How do clients expect people to improve with feedback like this? If you don't like the darn article, just tell me that it sucks. If you didn't like the writing style, then tell me what you would have liked to see, or what you didn't like about the writing style. Since the client rejected the article, it's mine now and I'm going to publish it here. Nearly every business needs help with online marketing to some extent. Since it's hard to get by without engaging in some form of online marketing, there are tons of companies out there ready to offer services and to provide this solution or that solution for your Internet marketing woes. How do you sort through all these companies and pick the one that can best meet your needs and deliver the best results? Here's how to choose an online marketing firm that's right for your business:

Know What You Want to Achieve

Before starting any research, know exactly what you want to achieve with the help of an online marketing firm. Knowing what you want to achieve increases the chances of success. If you don't have set goals that you can communicate to a potential partner, then it will be difficult to determine if they've really helped you or if they are doing what needs to be done to improve your online marketing.

Knowing your goals also makes your research much more purposeful. If you need help with social media, for example, then you want to research online marketing firms who have had success in helping clients with their social media marketing. You also want to find companies who do a good job managing their own social media efforts as well (if they can't keep their own profiles updated, how will they treat yours). It's okay to ask for samples if a company doesn't have them readily available on their website or for download. Sometimes, a company won't want to put too many details about their clients on the web for the entire world (including their competition) to see.

Strong Support

Once you find a couple of online marketing firms that could work for you, contact them and see how long it takes to get back to you. Does the firm engage in an ongoing conversation, or do they just reply to your original email? This is an indicator of the personal service and attention you will receive from the company, and if they are willing to be helpful and to learn about your business. If they go straight for the sale, or if it takes a few days just to get any sort of response, then you know that firm isn't worth your time and money. However, if they offer pointers and explain how certain online marketing tactics would help you achieve your goals, then it's a better fit.

Experience in Your Industry

This isn't crucial for every business, but would be important to those in very niche or technical industries i.e. healthcare, financial services, technology. It also might be a good factor to use to narrow down your list of online marketing firms. Experience in your industry can be incredibly helpful because these agencies can take less time to get things done simply because time isn't needed to do additional research, to source an expert, and to learn about the industry. Their services are more expedient and will reflect a strong understanding of your industry. The company already has the information to execute a campaign and/or to offer services that can reach your target audience.

Don't Be Cheap, and Don't Pick the Cheapest

Sure, you can pay $5 an article or $20 a month for SEO services, but this doesn't necessarily mean that you'll receive the best online marketing services out there. There are too many stories out there of people who took this route, only to get hurt by Google's Panda and Penguin updates and are still struggling to reclaim their former glory. Yes, know your budget and stick to it as much as possible, but also make sure that your budget is competitive. With online marketing, you get what you pay for. If you're not wiling to pay for it, then you risk having the junior staff assigned to account or pushing away quality talent that would be worth those few extra dollars.

Choosing an online marketing firm isn't easy. There are so many to choose from, each offering different services and pitching a different solution to your needs. To choose the one that's best for you, know what you want to achieve and find a firm who's willing to learn what you want to achieve and to provide the solution that does that. If you can find a company that's worked in your industry and has a good price, then all the better.

I Have My Computer Back!

After a day and a half with no laptop, I finally have something operational! The only problem I have is that the laptop keyboard doesn't work, but I am still able to use a wireless keyboard with my computer to get things done! I am so happy! I didn't lose any files or information. I don't have to buy a new laptop. I don't have to spend an exorbitant amount of money to get my computer back. My only costs are the wireless keyboard and the repairs to the laptop keyboard, so at most I'll spend about $150 on the whole thing.

I Even Have a New Setup!

Since I have to use the wireless keyboard, I actually have a new work arrangement on my desk, and I wish I would have thought of this sooner (it would have actually prevented this whole mess in the first place). With my laptop on the top shelf, and the keyboard on the desk area, I actually have room to write and to eat! That has been one of my biggest complaints with my previous setup, as I would have had to write on the laptop or move it entirely. Eating was also a little troublesome, as who knows how many crumbs have gotten in there. It was also a little uncomfortable as the food was on the side of the computer, so I had to sit at an angle in order to eat and it wasn't quite the same as sitting in front of a television to eat. That's not the case anymore! I do wish my screen were larger, but that should get fixed eventually as I do have a new pair of prescription glasses waiting for me. I still need to do some rearranging, like figure out where my drinks should go and where my lamp should point (it's kind of pointing at the corner of my eye right now). But, I don't think there's a way this could have come out any better.

I Can Do Work Again!

I don't need to use my fiance's laptop anymore, which was kind of awful to use because it didn't have any of my bookmarks. It didn't have any of my passwords. He shuts off all the scripts so none of the pages load properly unless you turn them on, and then you do turn them on and each page comes full of ads and pop ups. Google Reader doesn't quite work. Plus, it's all set up for someone who is 6'2", and I am nowhere near 6'2". I am just so glad to be back with my computer, where everything is already a few clicks away and I don't need to waste time finding my links and my passwords just so I can do my client work. I already had to delay some client work because I didn't have a permanent workstation, and I didn't want to take something on while figuring out a new permanent, functional, work environment. But, now that everything is 98% back to normal, I can get work done! I can make progress toward my upcoming online publications! I can get my Business Breakthrough homework together! I can write about something other than a broken laptop and feeling tied down as I wait for the thing to dry and for everything to recover!

That's enough rambling. I need to create more viral blog posts and get articles up for the coffee publication and the maternal health initiative. I also need to work on my other website, do keyword research again and redo the About Us page, and all that other good stuff. You know you love your job when you are actually relieved and excited to get back to work.

How Speech and Debate Has Been Crucial to My Career

I just finished a trial article for a potential client, a Boston non-profit that works with public and private partners to improve the parks and green spaces in the city. The client wanted an article about Portland, Ore. park system, and how they handle public and private partnerships. I've never been to Boston, and have never worked with any system park system. I have minimal experience writing and covering government projects and funding. Usually, in this line of work, such expertise might be preferred but it's definitely not required. What's required is that you can write well, understand the format you're writing, deliver results with your work, and not need any hand holding throughout this whole thing. It's harder to come by then you'd think. It's also tough to come by if you don't communicate what you need all that well, but that's another story for another day.

What does this have to do with speech and debate, an extracurricular activity from high school?

Well, I finished the trial article in just over an hour. It was 700+ words, and that hour included research time. I'm worried I might be too efficient, hurting only myself because I'll only get paid for an hour of work, instead of the five the client originally budgeted for. I suspect I am able to be so efficient because of my speech and debate experience.

My Speech and Debate Experience

I did speech and debate for three years in high school, primarily competing in international extemporaneous speaking. If you don't know, in international extemporaneous speaking, you have 30 minutes to prepare a seven-minute speech about international current affairs. You don't know you're topic until the start of your 30 minutes. With a time constraint like that, you have to do the research and analyze what you are reading the research at the same time. Is this information even useful? How does it answer my question? How does it fit in with what I've already researched and learned? How credible is it? You can't waste time.

On top of that, you have to work with the articles and information you brought to the tournament. You can't use the Internet or go on the computer. You can't ask your teammates for help. You have your head and those hard copies, and you have to make it work. You can't learn everything, even if you wanted to. It's also best that you leave yourself some practice time, so although you have 30 minutes, you really have 15-20 minutes to do the research and to compose the speech. You don't want the first time you're delivering the speech to be the one that counts toward your points, if you can help it.

Research Skills are Necessary, Especially in this Google Era

I remember that I took a public health class the second semester of my senior year. Thought it would be interesting. We had to do a 10-15 page paper as our final. Could've been worse. I remember some of the students complaining that they had too much information for their papers, that 15 pages wasn't enough and that they had no idea how to reduce the overload. I don't understand how this was such a problem. I mean, you're not going to do 20 pages. You're a college student during the last few weeks of school. You should be happy that 15 pages are going to come so easily.

Another lesson I learned from speech and debate and all that research: you gotta know when the stop. I'm not writing a 20-page paper here, so although I want more than enough research to write 10 (I don't want to be stuck with less than I need), I also want to give myself room to leave something out. I want enough to form a cohesive 10-15 page paper from start to finish. I have to narrow my topic from the beginning. I have to construct the narrative in my head as I read each piece of research and organize all the journal articles and sources I've collected. It's college. There's not necessarily a right conclusion, just a solid one based on sound logic and argumentation.

I'd say the cohesion came from speech and debate too. There are only consequences to preparing an eight minute or a 10-minute speech, so you learn the amount of research necessary to deliver a seven-minute speech (by the way, it's introduction, three main points with two to three sources per point, and a conclusion). As someone who's been writing to 600-800 word posts for at least a year now as part of a professional standard, I know what that looks like and I know what that takes. The hard part is accomplishing what a 800-word post can in 400 or 500.

Another Big Fat To-Do List

I need to do another one of these because I'm at that point where I have a lot of things to do in life, and a lot of things to do for work, so it's getting very difficult to keep track of all it. The only time the personal stuff actually gets on a list is on the weekend, since I do less work on the weekends, but usually the personal stuff is the same. There's always laundry, vacuuming, grocery shopping, bathroom cleaning, and video game playing. But, I have to remind myself to mail my father's day present, and to work on Half the Sky stuff, and to organize my social outings (I'm going running on Thursday. Can you believe it?) I have no idea why I agreed to that idea.

The To-Do List

Anyway, here's the big fat to-do list, a general list of bigger things I need to do. Things that can't be done in one day or would need to be broken down into smaller steps. I've segmented it so that it's a little more organized and easier for me to track, to use, and to have everyone keep me accountable on these things.

Business

• Type/Scan Business Breakthrough Homework - I need to send Tiffany my debt document, my brand identity, my CEO identity, and my list of strategic partners.
• Research Ideal Client Avatar - This is the next step in my business breakthrough homework. I need to do the research on who my ideal customer is. I need to find out how many "ideal customers" are out there and if I would be satisfied with a one percent market share. I also need to figure out the market value and the lifetime value of one customer. This might be hard because I'm doing the coffee blog, and the definition of customer might be wonky. It also might differ depending on the kind of customer I get from the blog (purchasing something vs. speaking engagement vs. fan vs. other service/product)
• Do at least one coffee blog post next week  - I am going to do the coffee blog. It is going to be great. I am going to review the coffee shop within walking distance from my house.
• Microsite activism challenge - My business coach has issued me a CHALLENGE! For one month, I am to make progress on building one site based on my activism idea, and to report back the results that I have. My first step is to get the site together.
• Make Changes to Stirring Media Site - I have a whole list of pages that need to be redone, added, and deleted. I need to get on this since I am changing direction with my business, and I don't want my site generating new leads or advertising something that I no longer want to do. I'll delete first, then add and redo. Some of the pages that need deleted can simply be rewritten too.

Personal

• Continue reading books - I have two or three chapters left in The Business of Baby. Then, I'll move on to The Road of Lost Innocence.
• Get my Father's Day gift ready for the post office - Father's Day is coming up already.
• Do first Half the Sky newsletter - I created the email list, and that's about it. I said the first issue would come in June too.
• Reschedule and plan Half the Sky screening - I planned one, and then didn't do anything to advertise it and prepare for it. I need to get on this as it is a huge part of being an ambassador.
• That Fun Facts list I mentioned - I did say in a previous post that I need to do a fun fact list of sorts, so that I can write a really good bio for this blog. It's one of the last things I need to do for this blog, besides write every day. I do need to do this for the coffee site as well, and perhaps for the Stirring Media site so that the "About Us" page has a little more personality and originality.

Today is Going to Be the Day

It's getting really close to midnight, so "today" could actually be up for debate here. But, today is going to be the day that I make a few changes for the better, that I do what needs to be done to build myself a successful business and to be recognized as an expert in my chosen fields. I need to get myself going and to make some progress.

I'm Going Back to the Office

It's been weeks since I was at Lab1500. I've been there once in the past month, and that was to do my VIP day. Other than that, I've been staying home and working. The biggest reason for this is that my sleep schedule is all screwed up. I've been going to bed at 1 a.m. for at least a week, which makes it hard to get up at a reasonable hour the next morning. Getting up late means that it's tough to get down to the office because they close at six, and I don't want to go down there for just two or three hours. Lab1500 did just announce that they were going to do 24/7 service, but I do think I need to get my sleep schedule fixed. It does mean spending one or two days completely tired, but I just need to bite the bullet and get it done. I also feel really guilty about being a night owl, sleeping when everyone else is working. Then again, I am working when everyone else is sleeping. I don't quite know what to do. I'll ask my business coach.

Working on My New Business Ventures

I haven't made much progress on my upcoming coffee blog either. I created a contact page today, and did research on how to write a review policy, but that's it. I will get the first coffees that I'm going to review, and find a good shop to review as well. However, I am starting to think that I might have to do a few reviews first, and then develop a policy. You know, figure out the system first and then put it into writing. Haven't had the funds to get everything started on the right first. I do need to buy the domain name, and figure out the hosting stuff. I also need to catch up on all the great stuff Sean Ogle has sent me.

Speaking of which, I do need to start migrating my pages off my site from HubSpot. I need to cancel my account because I can't afford it, but I don't want to lose the work that I've done so far. I'll put that on my task list for the weekend. I think I'll move them all either to my Stirring Standard blog or to my current Stirring Media site, which does need revamping also since I will be changing the direction of my business. I think I need to make another giant To-Do list.

This is What I Need to Do...

And today is going to be the day to do it. I've been slouching around a little too long, and perhaps I needed a bit of a break or impromptu vacation, but it's gotta end sometime cause I can't be this way forever. I don't think I'm going to get that successful business or accomplish any of my goals with this kind of schedule and this kind of pace. I'm getting things done, but I'm not getting enough done. Just doing what needs to be done and I'm going to end up running in place again. I don't think I got far with my previous business because I spent too much time doing what needed to be done today, instead of doing things that moved the business forward and put it in a position to grow.