Blogging at its root is simple: it is words on a (web)page, put together and reachable by anyone with internet and your blog address. There are life bloggers, business bloggers, mommy bloggers, pet bloggers, food bloggers, pretty-much-anything-you-can-think-of bloggers, and every single one of them is doing the exact same thing: putting words on a screen for their readers to see. Blogging is not segregated. There is no restrictions to whom can have a blog. It is not picky on what is written or how often. It doesn’t require advanced degrees and (judging by some of the posts I have stumbled across) doesn’t even require a firm grasp on the language it is written in. Blogging is open to the world, and because of that, bloggers seem to be taking over.

But, because there are no set rules for joining or leaving, and there is almost no limit to what can be done with a blog, I often struggle to explain what blogging really is about.

Everyone has their own ideas – Ask 5 people and you will get a different answer every time, depending on whether or not they have a blog, what type of blog they have, or the types of blogs they read. The only comment I hear regularly is that a “blog is a way to communicate quickly with a large group of people”. Which, of course, tells us nothing. Even my own explanation – “A blog is a means to communicate with an audience who is interested in you, your service or your products. It creates a 2 way communication, opening the conversation and allowing you and the reader to learn” – isn’t perfect because it doesn’t incorporate all types of blogs, only the ones I know.

So let’s get talking, I want your thoughts! No matter which type of blogs you read or write, your voice needs to be heard. So tell me…

What do you think blogging is really about?

*image credit to The Glamorous Life’s Shirts

Recently, I have attended a bunch of great networking events, and in the next few months, I plan on attending a lot more. I know that making a good first impression is important, so I always make sure to be on point, and act properly. Overtime, I have learned a lot, both from watching what others do and my own experience with people. With that experience, I have put together a great list of networking advice. Here are the 10 steps you should always follow to make sure everything goes just right:

1. Tell anyone and everyone who will listen your personal life details. They really want to know everything about you.
2. If you have to give a presentation, don’t practice. People expect you mess up, and forget what you were saying.
3. Leave your phone on loud, then answer it as soon as it rings, no matter who you’re talking to already. Don’t worry, they’ll wait.
4. Drink as much as you want, and eat as many appetizers as you can. It may be awhile before you get more free food and discounted drinks!
5. When other people are telling you about them is the perfect time to think about what you will say next. You’ve got to be prepared.
6. Start every conversation with how amazing your product/service is and why this person you just met needs it. Because you know best, and need to tell them.
7. Don’t email or call people when you tell them you will follow up. They should contact you if they are interested.
8. Wearing whatever you want is perfectly acceptable. There is no reason to follow common dress code courtesy. After all, sweats can be ‘business casual’, right?
9. Talk about your business at every break in the conversation, and sometimes, interrupt to remind them about it. You don’t want people to forget what you do.
10. If there is someone there who you don’t really get along with, make sure everyone in the room knows about it so that they can help you avoid them.

If you follow these steps, there is no way you can fail at your next networking event!

Of course, if you take any of them seriously, you get what you deserve

A few weeks ago, we covered strategy questions. Those questions were created to help you determine more about your business in general. But, your business is not just work, phone calls and clients. Your business is you, your good things, your bad things, your personal life and your business life. Learning more about who you are and who you are in your business will help you to figure out how to make it grow more effectively. After all, you are the most important piece of your business puzzle! IN order to get you to open up and learn more about yourself, I am giving you 20 questions to answer. The questions span from personal to business, as you need to understand both sides of you. I would love for you to share the answers you come up with, as many as you feel comfortable sharing.

1. Where do I want to be in 6 months in my personal life?
2. Where do I want to be in 6 months in my business life?
3. What does my ideal day look like?
4. What is my biggest strength?
5. What is my biggest weakness?
6. What part of me do I love the most?
7. What do I dislike about myself?
8. Which tasks to I perform the best?
9. Which tasks should I be delegating?
10. How do I act at networking events?
11. What would my friends say about me?
12. What would my enemies say about me?
13. Does my business make me happy?
14. What is my favorite thing to do outside of business?
15. What is my favorite thing to do in my business?
16. Do i feel supported by my family?
17. Where do I want to be in 10 years in my personal life?
18. Where do I want to be in 10 years in my business life?
19. What do I need to learn about me?
20. What can I change today to make tomorrow better?

Now onto my answers (it’s only fair if I ask you to answer them, that I need to too!):

1. Where do I want to be in 6 months in my personal life? Still happily married, working on 4 days a week, finally getting all my school and debt paid off.
2. Where do I want to be in 6 months in my business life? Hiring an assistant and building my business to the next level.
3. What does my ideal day look like? Sleeping in, breakfast with my hubby, an hour and a half massage, a relaxing afternoon and then dinner at Mastro’s with my hubby.
4. What is my biggest strength? My desire to succeed in my business.
5. What is my biggest weakness? Being afraid to fail so I don’t take a lot of risks.
6. What part of me do I love the most? My personality – I’m strong, and stubborn but also very loving and caring.
7. What do I dislike about myself? My need to please people.
8. Which tasks to I perform the best? Writing, when I have the freedom to write about what I want.
9. Which tasks should I be delegating? Coding and new client phone calls.
10. How do I act at networking events? The same way I act everywhere. What you see is what you get.
11. What would my friends say about me? That I am dedicated and caring, sarcastic, stubborn, very outgoing and a lot of fun.
12. What would my enemies say about me? That I am stubborn, pretentious and a little too sarcastic.
13. Does my business make me happy? Absolutely!! I love it!
14. What is my favorite thing to do outside of business? Spend time with my hubby, family and friends.
15. What is my favorite thing to do in my business? Talk with other business owners and write!
16. Do I feel supported by my family? Yes, they are all awesome and all very willing to help.
17. Where do I want to be in 10 years in my personal life? A mom of two, enjoying time with my hubby, helping with sports and school.
18. Where do I want to be in 10 years in my business life? Still running my business part time, but having my staff mostly manage it for me, just doing the pieces I love.
19. What do I need to learn about me? Where my limit is. I often overwork myself and regret it later.
20. What can I change today to make tomorrow better? Learning to compartmentalize a bit more so I can spend more time with my hubby without work getting in the way.

Are you ready to share?

Steve Woodruff talked last week about is social media circles: audience, acquaintances, friends and intimates (inner circle) and what they mean for business. He explained that each of the levels serve a certain purpose, and that we need all four to really get the most out of our social channels. Of course, as you go down in levels, the people do become more important. For example, it would be better to have high quality intimates than just a bunch of audience. His final thought in the article (which is a great one) is that we need a way to filter these people more effectively…being able to separate them out and monitor them all differently would make connections and conversations much easier.

I know that I have all of these levels, but I have never really thought a lot about who exactly is in them. If I were forced to answer right now, I could probably name 30-40 people in my inner circle. Would it be all of them? No. Would some that I mentioned not actually be in my inner circle if I really thought about it? Yes.

And I think this needs to be remedied. I need to know my lists, I need to understand who I can trust, and I need to know that they can trust me too. I need them to know that I think they are part of my inner circle. We need to be on the same page because not knowing where you stand with someone can be dangerous. What if I think someone is on my inner circle, and I share with them a business idea that I have. They love it, we chat about it, share lots of details and brainstorming. Then a month later, I see them using my idea without asking me. Why would something like that happen? It happens when you don’t actually know your relationships – when you think someone is inner circle and they don’t.

Today, I want you to take some time and think about your inner circle. Who do you trust with your business ideas? Who would you turn to if you needed help promoting something or a new client recommendation? Once you have determined your list, I want you to send each person that you believe is part of your inner circle an email. Let them know why you have chosen them, and what they mean to you. It doesn’t have to be long, and it doesn’t have to be over the top. Make it simple and straight to the point.

After you have sent the emails…come back here. Don’t share your list (as that is a little personal) but please share your thoughts and experiences in building that list. Was it easy? Did you find people you thought would be inner circle that really weren’t? Did someone you expected to respond not respond? Were you greeted with any especially surprising results?

Discuss.

This photo was taken by an LG eNV2 at ACCHB while the photographer from the OC Register was showing us the pictures he had taken of  myself an Annmarie for my Accidental Entrepreneur story published online today (and in print tomorrow).

I often have topics I think I should cover, but sometimes I like to relinquish control and give it to my readers instead. So, last week, I asked my friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter to share some topics they would like to see me cover on my site. I got some incredible ideas, and this first post is courtesy of @healthOC! She asked me to share how the market has affected my business, and others in my industry.

To start, if you are a new reader to this blog, you probably wondered how my business actually got started. Well, my business is actually a product of the horrible economy. In early 2009, I was working for a company as their marketing manager, overseeing 4 different smaller businesses. Wright Creativity was just a blog, I shared my ideas and business creativity. I had a few people I had helped with blog management, but it was very small, and my prices were very low. I was doing it more for fun than for business. But then, the economy hit the company I was with, and I was looking down the barrel of unemployment. It was that point that I decided I no longer was happy working for others and took the *huge* leap to become my own boss. Because I was a small business, just starting, my pricing was much lower than those who were set in the industry. I worked like crazy, and made every single minute count. This hard work and lower pricing helped me to get clients who needed help but couldn’t afford the big firms with the market problems. In addition to keeping me busy in the beginning, it allowed me to build a strong portfolio, great referrals and so now, when the market has started turning around, I am able to bring my pricing up to market level and still have all the clients I need. The economy downturn turned my blog into a business. I am thankful every day that the market took a downturn, and am hoping every day that it continues to go back up!

As far as other companies, I have chatted with quite a few people about the economy, and there seems to be two responses. Those who are active in social media, blogging and participate with their community are still finding success in their industry. They were able to take on smaller projects to subsidize their income from the big clients lowering the amount of help they needed. They could find new clients less expensively, and could create a network of referrals. The other group? Those who are sticking with traditional marketing on the other hand, seem to be struggling a bit more to keep themselves busy. These are the companies that only take on the large projects, and the ones that are feeling the heat when the large corporates cut their marketing budgets to almost nothing. I think that everyone can do well even if the economy is down, it just requires changing the way you work to fit the way that others need you. People need small help, and companies who can take on the small work will be better off in the end. If you can be there now, they will call on you when they can afford large projects.

Trying saying it and see what happens today…

Unless you’ve been away from your computer and on a beach in Hawaii for the last week, you’ve probably seen a tweet or two showing how poorly Southern California handles “weather”. It’s true, us Southern Californian’s are pretty pathetic when it comes to wet and windy.  We are avoiding the roads, staying inside, and have been complaining about how awful all this wind/rain/etc is for days. While I agree that the rain does make driving a little precarious, and I would definitely prefer the sun, the rain does provide some interesting inspiration.

Normally, I reserve phone photos for Friday’s, but these two, sent to me by my husband were my motivation for this post. Each photo is of a grease spot on the ground of his shop (he’s a Volkswagen Tech), untouched by humans and manipulated only by the rain.

At first glance, while these are very cool images – they’re only that, just images. But, if you take some deeper analysis, you start to uncover some new opinions.

The first image is not just a “spot”, it s a flying meteor aiming towards earth, the edges slowly burning up as it enters the atmosphere. And the second picture – an young Phoenix, its head facing down, tail plumage beginning to show the colors of adulthood, and growing in strength.

Or, for those of us in the design world, we can can look at the images and pull out some colors.

(image 1 colors)

(image 2 colors)

What could you do with these colors? Website design? Email advertisement? Twitter background? New bedroom theme? A clothing line? Office decor? The usage of color is unlimited, and with unique palettes, you know it will turn out beautifully.

One of the most important things I try to remember when working on a new project is that we are only limited by our own creativity – if you looked at the photos and saw grease spots, that would be all they ever were. But, if you could separate yourself from what they are and instead, figure out what they could be, you have opened an entirely new world for you to play with.

What can you be inspired by today?

Hey everyone! It was wonderful to see you all last night @CafeMozart. I decided to share the list this way so that not only can you click to follow whomever you like, but we can also have a chance to re-introduce ouselves so we can remember who everyone is. So, in the comments, please tell us:

• Your Twitter Name
• Your Real Name
• And a bit about who you are and what you do

For example:

• I am @kirstenwright
• Real name: Kirsten Wright
• I do blog management, copywriting and wordpress design for small to mid-size businesses.

Also, if you wanted to get one of the awesome twitter badges – contact @RicDizon. They are $12 each and take about a week.

(the full list of attendees – in alphabetical order by twitter name)

@alanhaft
@ArnesonLock
@BikingBrian
@BillMGodwin
@bloomsandkisses
@BryanTepus
@carinazimmer
@cfleury
@CostaMesaBlog
@daNanner
@DeanSoto
@dianedevore
@DrapesGirl
@elecsecurityguy
@expocall
@fitcarrot
@GlitterfulFelt
@guitarmansoxfan
@hbdan
@HealthOC
@hensel
@jaimegochez
@jenlklein
@JoelTanner
@JaunaAnderson
@jwalery
@KamaainaInOC
@Karbutler
@kathyklingaman
@KathyTillotson
@kirstenwright
@KKsWebs2
@Kphamsmiles
@kspangenthal
@lorennason
@lukemysse
@lyn_cox
@marensutton
@MarkGundlach
@maryannewendt
@melissakeyes
@MichaelHsiung
@michaeltdoan
@modlandUSA
@monicaholbrook
@myshinysoul
@NealSchaffer
@OCMomActivities
@OCRealtress
@OC_Monica
@Pamela_Dizon
@PaulTTran
@pcam
@peYloan
@PhoenixHouseOC
@ReidTFSM
@RicDizon
@RobertMoranLA
@ShannyMay
@Shelley_Rae
@somfan
@SvenJohnston
@tanyaahedo
@thepixelmom
@TravelCostaMesa
@UncleVicDeals
@VeggieGrill
@vetlovingpetshb
@wellsuited
@zzztimbo

What do you do?

When someone asks that question to most people, the response is simple: they do what they are paid to do…their J-O-B. But, for a small group of people, what they do and what they get paid to do are two very different things. A growing trend has formed, people who have a day job that pays their bills, and a secondary job, one that they are passionate about but doesn’t make them much (or any) money.

The following 3 women all have real jobs, they all work very hard in their companies but all have a passion for something else. They want to do something bigger than just work in an office…

In order to learn more about them, and what they do vs what they are paid for, I interviewed each one. Below are their answers, straight from them, about what they do, why they do it and what they hope for in the future…

Kristin Ausk, Meringue Bakeshop

1. When did you first realize that you loved to bake? I was going through some really stressful times 5 years ago. I’d just gotten married, moved to a new city away from all my friends and family, changed jobs, bought a house, became a landlord, and I was becoming overwhelmed by it all. I found that baking gave me an opportunity to forget my stresses and just be in the moment while I was mixing and testing and tasting recipes. It helped relieve some of my stress and I felt really relaxed and comfortable in the kitchen. And the best part was being able to share my creations with others. I loved the way it made me feel to make someone happy even for just a moment.
2. When did you decide to turn it into a business? I decided to turn it into a business when I started getting asked by coworkers, friends and family if I could bake them cupcakes and cakes for their personal events. I started to get more serious about my baking – recipe testing, learning more about the chemistry of the ingredients, started to look at what I was doing from a business perspective. I also really enjoyed knowing that my little creations were helping to make someones day even more special.
3. What has been the biggest frustration with your business? The biggest frustration hands down has to be finding a county approved commercial kitchen to use that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Los Angeles has a great program called Chef’s Kitchens were small businesses can rent out kitchens based on their needs -hourly, weekly or monthly. I found that there is nothing like that in Orange County. It’s a shame too because I get so many emails from other people like me in Orange County wanting to move their home kitchen hobby into an official business. Candy, cake pops, cakes, homemade jams, salsas, snack mixes. All this opportunity for new small food businesses in Orange County (and nationally really if you consider online food sales) and we can’t find a space to make our businesses grow.
4. What is the biggest accomplishment? Hmm…. can I say it hasn’t happened yet? I recently decided to participate in the LA Cupcake Challenge, Feb 20 at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood. It’s a daunting task but I think it will be really fun and a great opportunity for me and my business. I will be competing against some other great cupcake bakeries and other smaller custom cupcakeries from Orange County and LA County. They are expecting to get over 550 attendees with media from OC Register, Orange Coast Magazine, OC Weekly, LA Weekly, LA Times, Metromix, LA.com, Eater LA, Foodbuzz, Flavorpill, Gayot, about two dozen food bloggers and possibly KTLA. I think it is going to be a real challenge for me to pull this off but well worth it in the end. Definitely using some of my vacation days for this one! If I can pull this off, that will definitely be my biggest accomplishment to date.
5. What do you do IRL, and when can you imagine doing this more full time? My day job consists of me sitting at a computer in an office working on SEO, SEM, our company websites (4), doing research, and email marketing for my company and our franchises. I am a Marketing Manager. In a perfect world, I’d be able to run Meringue Bake Shop full-time within the next year but in reality, that isn’t going to happen. My current job is just too lucrative for me to give up at this time, in this economy. I’d love to be able to work par- time so that I could participate in local farmers markets but again, not going to happen. Do I think I would succeed as a store front? Yes, definitely. But I don’t have the financial backing that I would need to make that dream into a reality right now.
6. What else can you tell us about Meringue Bakeshop? I know that there is a lot of buzz out there about cupcakes and how it’s just a fade. And quite a few people open up shops just because, it’s the latest trend. I am not that person. I truly love baking, whether it’s cupcakes, cookies, cakes, muffins, bars, biscotti, pies, etc. I like working with my hands, the sound of the mixer, the smell of the ingredients. I strive to make Meringue Bake Shop that place you come to for all the great moments in your life – your graduation, your wedding, get that great client in your business, birthdays, your baby shower, then baby’s first birthday. That is what I love about baking the most – sharing these moments with you. When I open a store front, I want to be that neighborhood business, a business that is involved in the community and knows their customers. I know someday it will happen. That is why I chose to name by business Bake Shop, which I know can be confusing for some people because I don’t have a store front. But I am a forward thinker see?

B the Gossip Girl

1. Why did you decide to start the site? I hadn’t been able to find a site that supported community amongst women, while still embracing the feminine. I wanted a site where women could go to detox and let their hair down a little bit. That’s what Gossip Girl B offers, a place where no topic is off limits. Gossip Girl B provide an environment where women can have fun, laugh, while supporting each other. So often I think women forget we are on the same team, we are always competing with one another. Gossip Girl B provides the best girl talk you will find online, you can compare it to having drinks or coffee with your best gal pals.
2. What has been the most powerful article you have written? I have a section called on my mind and it’s my own personal soap box. I try not to stand on it too often, but it does happen from time to time. Hula Dancer Pilgrim Girl was an article that really got me to thinking. The woman I wrote the article about inspired me in a way that no one had in a long time. She made me stop an evaluate how serious we take our lives and how much fun we are really missing out on.
3. What about email you have received? E-mails can get pretty interesting. My favorites are the ones where I get asked out on dates. I get about 20 of those a week from people across the country. It’s sweet and I always reply with a very gracious, thanks but no thanks. I would say the “love letter” type e-mails have picked up since I started writing The Dating Diaries and everyone knows I’m back in the land of the singles. I do love to travel so who knows, maybe if I happen to be in the area of one of my “love letter” e-mails I will taken them up on their offer for dinner. Love in the blogosphere, now wouldn’t that make for a good article.
4. What do you do IRL, and when can you imagine doing this more full time? In real life, I’m a writer. It’s a little more cut and dry, press release and web content, stuff like that. It pays for my shoe fetish, but doesn’t really light that fire in my belly. I also just finished a novel that I’m wrapping up with edits. Fingers crossed I will be able to find and agent who believes in it as much as I do. Gossip Girl B however is where my heart is. It started out as a hobby and has grown into a passion. If my projections work out within the next year and a half the blog will be a more full time gig.
5. What else can you tell us about B the Gossip Girl? I’m simply a 25 year old woman with a dream and I want to get there in fabulous shoes. I drag my laptop and camera with me everywhere I go, but most of my writing is done from the comfort of my sofa with my long haired Chihuahua, Edward, on my lap. Everything to me is a potential blog or storyline, so it makes life even more interesting. Everyone in my life knows the disclaimer, if you are around me there is a very real chance you are going to get blogged about. I am who I am and I never make apologies for that, and that’s the exact philosophy I want my readers to have. I live my life, I make mistakes, and I keep learning every single day. If at the end of the day while I’m lying in bed I can say I learned something or I’m a better person, then the days events no matter how hard were worth it.

Trish Forant, eMailourMiliatary

1. Why did you decide to start eMailOurMilitary? I was working a mundane job in IT and 9/11 made me take a hard look at myself and ask “what difference am I making in the world?” “What legacy would I leave behind if I died today?” “Who have I REALLY helped?” I wanted to do something to help after 9/11 but like many people I had to work full-time so flying to NY and volunteering wasn’t an option. When I heard the DoD canceled the “Any Service Member” mail program due to force protection concerns, I knew I could step in and fill the void. It was perfect for anyone who wanted to more but couldn’t spend hours volunteering.
2. What has been the most powerful thing you have seen happen because of the site? The building of a community that doesn’t take party affiliation, race, religion, nationality or logistics into account. I’ve seen our community band together to help wounded warriors, veterans in need, and active duty military far from home.
3. What has been the toughest thing about this site/passion? Disconnecting can be really tough. My heart breaks each time I see the statistics on how many of our service members aren’t making it home or are coming home physically and mentally wounded for life.
4. What do you do IRL, and can you imagine making a profit from eMailOurMilitary? I don’t know what the future holds financially for eMail Our Military but I haven’t taken a paycheck in 9 years so I’m sure I would start now. When I’m not in the eMOM office I’m working my social media mojo as a social media consultant and of course, I’m a full-time mom to a 4 and 5 year old. (I also have one totally cool 20 year old too!)
5. What else can you tell us about eMailOurMilitary? eMail Our Military makes it easy for anyone who wants to support the troops to do so from the comfort of their computer chair. We’re always looking for service members who are in need of support and civilians to support them.

I want to say a big thank you to these women for their time and answers! After talking with each of them and learning more about what they do, I learned something very important – if you love something enough, a paycheck doesn’t matter as much…

Do you do something for the pure passion? Share your story in the comments as well!