One of my favorite yearly rituals is reflecting on the past year and choosing a theme for the year ahead. Last year, I was all in on leveling up. But if I’m keeping it real, my biggest level-up turned out to be in my ability to overthink. So, yeah, not great. Despite my overthinking, I still managed to have some BIG WINS in 2023, even if it wasn’t as straightforward as...
Reflecting on my 5th Year In Business: Top Highlights and Lessons Learned
1,825 days. Or, 5 years. I’ve been running a business for 5 years now. That’s longer than any single individual job I’ve ever had. In fact, I have clients that I’ve been working with longer than any individual W-2 job I’ve ever had. This year was the weirdest year I’ve had in business full of as many – if not more – ups and downs as my first year in business. I had...
The No-Fluff Founders’ Guide: How to Avoid 8 Content Marketing Traps
I’ve partnered with close to a hundred companies in the last decade, and these are some common traps that I see founders run into when they are ramping up their content marketing efforts. Problem: Hiring an agency or solopreneur that can’t execute quickly Hiring an agency that spends 2 months or longer on strategy and research. You need a strategy to give you focus and direction. However...
My process for ghostwriting thought leadership content
Let me preface by saying I’ve easily ghostwritten thought leadership posts for hundreds of founders and executives in my career. (I’m even working on some posts as we speak!) In my experience, most people approach thought leadership content all wrong and then they get turned off by it and think it is not worth doing at all. First, great thought leadership content is all about...
How to Write a Great B2B Blog Post Intro
One would imagine that blog post introductions need to be tighter, more interesting, and more relevant to the reader. Instead, most intros sound like college research papers—dry, generic, and repetitive. And, unfortunately for these brands, I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Every time I attend a conference or launch a thread on social media, I receive tons of comments from marketing peers who...
My Theme for 2023 – Level Up
For the past 9 years, I set aside time in late December to reflect on the past year and choose a theme for the year ahead. Last year, my word was Adventure.For 2023, my theme is Level Up. ✨ In December, I realized I’ve now been working for myself longer than any individual job I’ve ever had. 🤯I sent my newsletter consistently each month (Barely) 📝I...
Reflecting on my 4th Year In Business: Top Highlights and Lessons Learned
Four years and one month . . . this is how long I’ve been running my content marketing business. I’ve now been working for myself longer than any individual job I’ve ever had. When I went out on my own in November 2018, my goal was to build a sustainable business for the long haul. This goal remains unchanged. Here is a recap of some key highlights and lessons...
I taught an ai robot to write blog posts like me. Here is what I learned.
As a copywriter and content strategist, I have two choices. I can either be quick to dismiss the new tools that claim they can replace writers or, I dive in headfirst to learn them. Such is the case with AI writing tools. However, tweets, like this one, only add to my skepticism. But, I put aside my skepticism and embraced learning the ins and outs of a few of these AI tools. To date, I’ve tried...
My word for 2022 – Adventure
For the past 8 years, I set aside time in late December to reflect on the past year and choose a theme for the year ahead. For 2022, my word is Adventure. Note: I’ve shared my theme for the year in a blog post since 2014. My theme in 2014 was change and resiliency. In 2015, it was vulnerability. In 2016 it was mindfulness. In 2017, it was honey over vinegar. In...
Reflecting on my 3rd Year In Business: Top Highlights and Lessons Learned
I’ve now been in business for myself for over 1,100 days. As I enter my 4th year in business, I’m going to share some of the key highlights and lessons learned from my 3rd year in business. Since day 1 when I went out on my own in November 2018, my goal is to build a business for the long haul. Now in my 4th year, that mission remains the same. In my first year in business, I was obsessed with...