Can you promote yourself anytime, anyplace?

stay ready

Stay ready, so you won’t have to get ready. That’s a favorite saying of a friend of mine and over the past couple years it’s become a favorite of mine, too. If you’re a writer, blogger or small business owner, staying ready not only means keeping your website updated and your business card stash replenished, it also means being preparing to talk about your blog, book, or business anytime, anyplace. Can you do that?

Last year, that ability was put to the test in a way I never expected: I had to pitch my business in the middle of a gynecological exam!

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Do You Want It More Than You Fear It?

more than you fear it

“I wanted it more than I was scared of it,” Mattie James of Mattieologie.com said recently when asked about finding the courage to pursue her dreams against all odds and about being bold enough to be her own boss. I jotted down those words, knowing I’d need them one day.

That day came sooner than I thought it would.

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Where Are Your Eyes? : Reflections on TEDxBirmingham 2016

tedx stage

Where are your eyes?

This was a refrain in the talk that writer Tammy Harper gave at Saturday’s TEDxBirmingham 2016. This was a question she asked as she challenged us to spend less time looking at screens and more time looking into the faces of our loved ones. And this question stuck with me throughout the day.

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Talking About Money Makes Me Sick

tracie2
Tracie B. Threadford, My Money Makeup Artist

Talking about money makes me sick — literally. I once threw up before a trip to H&R Block to get my taxes done. (And I typically get a refund!) As an entrepreneur, I obviously have to deal with money a lot. I get heart palpitations and shortness of breath just thinking about doing the bookkeeping for my business. 

When I was growing up my parents had very little money. We were no stranger to eviction notices or having the gas or electric services turned off. And money woes often led to heated disagreements in our household. 

Today I am a proud homeowner and my bills are always paid on time, and yet I still don’t want to talk about money — EVER. 

Enter Tracie B. Threadford. 

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How to Keep Your Personal Brand “Popping”

tanesha and tiffany

One of my favorite Birmingham-based businesses is Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn Co. I’m a fan of this company not just because the popcorn is delicious and not just because the company has been supportive of See Jane Write, signing on as a sponsor for our Scandal watch party and for our upcoming 5th anniversary party. I also admire Tanesha Sims-Summers and Tiffany Turner, the women behind Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn, because they’ve done such a great job developing their brand.

If you’re not familiar with Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn, don’t worry. You will have plenty of chances to get to know them (and taste that delicious kettle corn). This weekend on Saturday, March 12, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, they will debut a new flavor at Shamfest at the Red Shamrock Pub in Mt. Laurel. What will the new flavor be? You’ll have to be there to find out!

Also you’ll find Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn Co. at Oak Mountain State Park on March 26 for its 9th Annual Easter Egg Hunt and they’ll be back at the Pepper Place Farmers Market starting April 9.

And if you attend the See Jane Write 5th Anniversary Party on Saturday, March 19 at aloft Hotel’s wxyz bar, you’ll have a chance to win a Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn Co. variety snack pack (which will include the new flavor).

But before you go to figure out what you’re going to wear to the party, here are four tips I think we bloggers and writers can take from Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn Co. as we’re building our personal brands.

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