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Trying to find the Christmas spirit

Well, folks, it's less than a week until Christmas, and I am simply not in the Christmas spirit. I am actually eager for the holiday to just be over, because it's stressing me out! I am feeling a little "bah-humbug"-ish. I know I'm not the only one. I've read the blog posts from friends and talked to a couple of other moms at both of the kids' schools today, and I know it's a common feeling right now. But that doesn't make me feel better!

First, it's work. I've been super busy this week, which is a good thing for business but a bad thing for my sanity. Everyone is planning for vacations and not wanting projects to carry over (payment wise) into the next year, so everything was due at once...all of them on Thursday or Friday this week. I had nine big deadlines this week, which translated into about three times my normal billable hours for this week (and last week, too). I had to ask for two deadline extensions (which I hate doing), and I nearly killed myself meeting the other seven. I'm not done, but the weekend gives me this illusion of being able to relax tonight, so I am.

I enjoy my job, so just being busy isn't a bad thing. However, when I am working every single free moment, from 5 a.m. to midnight five days straight, everything else on the to-do list suffers. Most of those things were Christmas-related. Christmas cards—for both clients and friends/family—postponed another week. A Christmas party missed. Christmas shopping put off again, forcing me to now suffer the consequences of having to fight last-minute crowds.

And when all four of us have been sick—three of us missing at least one day of work or school...on different days—in the last week, that doesn't help either.

Of course, Christmas means lots of Christmas activities for the kiddos. I love 'em and stress over 'em all at the same time. Today was a Christmas musical program and two Christmas parties between the two kids, along with a mad-dash trip to go find a Christmas present for my hubby between events...all before 3 p.m. We finished the teacher gifts last night (I was trying to be a little frugal, but that translated into needing to spend more time making things. I think I'd rather have spent the extra money to buy something ready-to-give!). We finished most of the family/friends Christmas cards last night. But I still have loads of shopping, errands and gift-making to do. When will it end? Not soon enough, I'm afraid.

And of course the money issue around the holidays never helps anything. How is it that we can spend hundreds—even a thousand, pushing two, or more—dollars on gifts, and they still seem like we're not giving enough? I hate the pressure of feeling like we didn't give someone enough, or our gifts don't look like much compared to other people's. I really hate that. We have a large list of people to shop for and can't do as much as we'd like for everyone, and that stresses me out, too. It shouldn't. I know. But it does. Everything stresses me out this time of year. And it's supposed to be a joyous time of year, right?!

So there's my story. I know I'm complaining, and well, I just needed to get it off my chest. So thanks for listening (if you're still with me). My next posts will hopefully be a little more positive or at least entertaining! Sometime soon, I'll fill you in on our adventures with loose teeth, a dog that rolls around in cat poop (so not kidding) and other fun stuff happening around here. It's been a joyous December so far!

I am looking for the Christmas spirit. Anyone have any inspiring stories to share? Any good advice to boost my spirits? Anything at all?

PS Still looking for a last-minute, easy gift? Here's what we gave the teachers this year.

It's a CD calendar that props up just like this on a desk. We bought 10 empty CD cases for $4, purchased the calendar PDF for $4 (hey, it's on sale today!), downloaded it immediately, cut and assembled. $8 for 5 teacher gifts. Not bad! (Although, with 12 calendar pages and a cover, four cuts per page, and five sets printed, it does require 260 passes through the trimmer! Thanks, Chad, for helping me out on those!) I'm going to design my own next year and get off even easier (unless I run out of time, of course, which is a good possibility)! Plus it's a really cute calendar. I'm going to print one for myself, too. Love it!

Miscellaneous Monday

Hi all! Hope you enjoyed a short Thanksgiving break and are back to your normal routines today. We had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and weekend, but it is good to be back to work today. It helps that I've been playing with pictures all morning (for a work project), which is something I really enjoy!

Thanksgiving was split as usual between my mom's side of the family and Chad's. I was a little disappointed that my sisters weren't at my mom's family's celebration (lunch) at the same time I was, especially since the only reason we were planning on lunch there was so that we could have Thanksgiving together. In the past year or two, many of my cousins have been coming later for dinner, and most everyone who's there for lunch stays for dinner, too, so we would have seen more people for dinner if I had known ahead of time that my sisters were coming later.

Because we were having lunch at my family's Thanksgiving, we were 4/7 of Chad's family that was gathering for Thanksgiving, and they didn't want to have to cook a big meal for the remaining 3/7, we ended up eating out for Chad's family's Thanksgiving. I could tell Chad was a little bummed by it, and I imagine others in the family might have been, too. But what do you do? It's not my sisters' fault that they weren't there for lunch. We just didn't talk to each other before plans were made on Chad's side of the family, or we would have done things differently. Next year, we're going to let Chad's family pick the big meal (lunch or dinner) and we'll go to my side of the family's for the other. I feel like Chad's family got the shaft this year. And because my side of the family is significantly larger than Chad's, Chad's family often does get the raw end of the deal. It's just easier to shift things around when there are less than 10 people total in three small groups, compared with 30 or so in seven or eight groups. Add in the steps and in-laws on everyone else's parts, and it's ugly. Sorry, guys.

(There's a lot more I could say about the joys of splitting holidays between families, but I'll refrain for now. It's never fair for anyone.)

Anyway, at Thanksgiving, we did play a fun game of LCR (Left, Center, Right). I really thought my grandma was going to win, but it turns out it was my aunt, Dick's Kathy. (We say that because I have two aunts named Kathy, both by marriage, so we distinguish them by their husbands' names. She's married to Dick.)

As you can see, there were big bucks at stake ($60!). My uncle Mark (I have two uncles named Mark, too; this one's the one married to Jane) won the first round. He got a cool $54! I was hoping to win, of course, but no such luck!

I love the look on my Grandma's face here, when she realized Kathy won. (Forgive the funky angle and poor-quality photo.)

Thanksgiving evening we went to Cracker Barrel with Chad's family, then went to his brother's house to hang out. A nice day over all.

Friday was fairly relaxing in the morning. It was so good to be able to sleep in and just hang out. Seems like we did do something in the morning, but I can't remember what! Maybe shopping? Anyway, Friday night I took photos for the Downtown Danville Partnership at the town's Christmas tree lighting. It was really fun, and the best part about it was that we didn't have to fight the enormous crowds that we normally do when we go to the downtown Indy tree lighting. Anyway, I got this shot of the kiddos...just a great, real moment. I love that E's sticking her tongue out, seemingly at no one in particular, but rest assured, it was meant for G.

When you live in a small town for any period of time, you're bound to run into people you know at events like this. I ran into several, but the one that resulted in the most excitement was my old neighbor, Mike. He works for the town and got me up onto the top of the courthouse roof so I could get some good pictures for my client. What a cool thing that was. My legs were like Jell-O (I'm not a huge fan of heights), and there was a rather wide lip around the building to keep people like me from falling off, so I couldn't get my camera at the most ideal angle. But I did get a few good pics, I think. Here's one, of our little town's claim to fame, the Mayberry Cafe.

And here's the same restaurant from ground level.

Of course, the main attractions that night were Santa and Mrs. Claus.

And when they lit the tree, well, that was the highlight of the event for some. (By the way, this photo was shot under the absolute worst shooting conditions possible -- horribly low lighting, Christmas lights that need to shine, a long depth of the photo that needs lit, lots of movement and no ceiling off of which to bounce the flash. There is no easy way to get a good picture with all of these variables. The only thing that could have made it worse would have been rain. Thank goodness there was none of that! The pressure was on for me to get a good photo or two for my client. Ugh. The ones that best stopped the motion were dark in the background and had really bright faces from the harsh flash. The ones that had the best lighting naturally showed movement due to the flash setting required. I couldn't shoot in both modes at the pivotal moment, when the switch was turned to ON, because there wasn't time to switch settings on my flash and camera. So I had to choose what I thought would work best and go for it. It was a no-win situation, really. But I did the best I could. This one showed the least movement by Santa, which was most important.)

The rest of the weekend was spent at home. I can't say that it was wonderful, because the kids were, well, not so good. In fact, E lost every single toy she owns (including crayons, markers and scrapbook paper) for three days. It's all in the garage until Wednesday. Let's just say she was a challenge like none we've ever seen. But we did get some crucial things done, like getting our family Christmas photos taken, getting the kids' photo taken with Santa, and doing some serious shopping for the kiddos for Christmas. If we had had everyone's lists by Saturday, I think we could have wiped the whole slate clean! We were on a roll!

But the highlight of the entire weekend for G had to be the fact that he finally got to use his hard-saved money and buy himself a Webkinz eagle. He's been dying to play with him online, but we only let him have an hour a week of video and computer game time. So he's eager for next weekend. (We did let him play for an extra hour yesterday, but now we have to stick to our rules!)

By the way, E got a Webkinz penguin with her money, but not one minute after we paid for it (in fact, it was just enough time for us to turn away from the counter where we paid), she threw an enormous fit in Penney's saying she didn't want it. Things went downhill from there. It doesn't matter much...she lost her chance to play with it by the next day, anyway!

Hope you enjoyed your holiday, too! :o)

Sometimes my job takes me to the most unusual places

Like here:

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, yesterday I was stomping the grounds (or, more accurately, being escorted around by a motorcoach/tour bus!) of the local landfill. Joy! It was actually fairly interesting to learn more about the place that has been somewhat annoying me lately, just due to the whiff we've been getting as we enter our town on cloudy, cool days. (I'm guessing the clouds are trapping the smell close to the ground? And thankfully we don't smell it throughout town or anywhere close to our house!) I learned that it will be around for 30 more years (likely eventually consuming our town golf course, Boy Scout cabin, soccer fields, police shooting range, archery range, skeet and trap shooting range and a state forest—all of which is owned by Waste Management—before it's done). But I also learned that it traps and converts enough methane gas to heat 5,000 homes. I don't know if that's per year or per month or what, but that's a lot of methane gas. And it is paying our town a chunk of its profits, which have helped build a new fire station and helps keep our property taxes relatively low. And I learned a little more about what happens to all of that trash that we put out on our curbside every Tuesday. Makes me want to recycle even more religiously!

Anyway, just wanted to share that from yesterday. That was actually only one stop of three that we made as part of an introduction to the Hendricks County Convention & Visitors Bureau's newest tour. I am not sure they're ready to officially announce the tour to the world, so I'll keep some of the other details hushed for now. But rest assured that the landfill is an educational stop along the way on this non-traditional tour, and the tour as a whole includes some fantastic stops at several other "prettier" stops along the way. Stay tuned to www.tourhendrickscounty.com for more details in the future!

OK, on to today. I started my day as I usually do, with a quick check on my friends' blogs. Two of them made me stop and say a little prayer for my dear friends this morning. One friend is facing some financial uncertainty as her husband lost his job and unemployment benefits have run out. Another is facing physical exhaustion from having just given birth to her fourth little one and having to care for three rambunctious and busy others at the same time. Another friend of mine just had a memorial service for her grandmother and lost her stepdad within a week or so. Just wanted to let them know that I'm thinking of them and keeping them in my prayers. You guys are strong women, and I admire your ability to keep moving forward. Hopefully things get better for all of you very soon.

Their experiences have made me stop and take a reality check this morning. I am so thankful for our family having two incomes, for having a home, for having our families, for having some energy and the ability to sleep a regular schedule. But it makes me sad that that's not true for everyone.

These are tough economic times for many Americans, but sometimes hearing that on the news every day doesn't bring the reality home. Having friends (and family members, too) facing economic uncertainty makes the reality of the situation too clear. My thoughts are with all of you facing your own challenges lately. Keep the faith. Hang on to hope. Things will get better eventually.

***

PS The economic crunch hasn't skipped over us, either. I have lost two clients so far—two of what I have considered my five major clients—in the last month due to economic problems on their ends. It's a scary time. I'm trying to focus on the positive: I also gained two clients (including one national one!) and have another possibility yet to be confirmed. They might be short-term, one-time projects, but they're projects, and for that I am thankful.

Missing my work buddies

(Sorry, no picture today. Don't have time to find and edit one. But I'll try to keep the text short so your eyes don't go crazy and get bored on me.)

Yesterday, as G was finishing his after-school snack and I was trying to squeeze in some more work time, he walked over to my desk, sat down on my pile of scrapbook travel gear next to my chair and asked me, out of the blue, "Mom, sometimes do you miss your friends at work?"

What a wise little comment to come out of my 6-year-old's mouth. I was kind of taken aback.

I told him I did (more on that later), but this was the perfect chance for me to explain why I work at home: to have more time with him and his sister, to be able to get him off the bus, help him with his homework and get him a snack. He recently told me, "You always have to work," and it was clear to me that, even though I'm at home more often than his daddy, in his eyes, I'm the one who's "always working." Of course it would seem that way. After all, the 2.5 hours after school that he's home before his daddy, I have to work. I take a break for an hour to get him off the bus, get him a snack and get through homework, but after that, it's to his room for quiet time while Mom works. Then I frequently make comments on the weekends about having to work during the kids' nap times, and I frequently say stuff about having to work after they go to bed at night. So of course that's not helping, either. It's made me wonder sometimes if this is the best arrangement for him. I know it is for me. But I don't want him growing up thinking Mom was always working. What to do?

Anyway, his comment yesterday has had me thinking today. I do miss my work friends. Many of them I still see occasionally or talk to on a regular basis, but working at home frequently gets lonely. There's only so much personal interaction you can get through e-mail and phone calls. I miss hearing my coworkers' idle chatter in the background while I work. I miss going to lunch with my work buddies. I miss being able to take a break and walk around the corner for a pick-me-up gab session. I miss talking with people who have the same frustrations and who get the same highs as I do with this job.

Still, I have to focus on the positives. I love my job. I love being able to avoid the gossip and politics (at least for the most part) that come with any office environment. I love being able to focus my energy and my time on the creative side of communications -- the design, photography and writing, especially -- that I love, without having to spend so much time in meetings and doing budgets and dealing with employees and interns. So there's plenty to enjoy. Sometimes, though, focusing on the positives is tough. And that's where I am today.

So that's all for today. Just jotting down my thoughts. Some day I'll look back on my blog like I do my scrapbooks, and I want to be sure it reflects more than just my kiddos (although I love them to pieces). I want it to be a real documentation of my life. Today, what feels oh-too-real is being lonely in a quiet house ... although Molly, Cole, Lucy and Jack (my animals) are welcome company.

Probably not going to hear from me for a while...

...I'm SWAMPED! It's a good problem, I know, especially after my two or three weeks of near-boredom. That's never fun. So it's good to be back in the very busy swing of things.

Except that I don't know how it will be possible for me to do EVERYTHING on my list by Monday. Probably just won't be possible. Why does everything have to hit at once? No Wednesday-night scrappin' tonight. No lazy weekend for Corie. I can feel it.

The good thing is, I got to go visit my old place of employment, the Indianapolis Parks Foundation, today. Even though my good ol' pal Donna isn't there anymore, it was still a good time. Lori had me cracking up a few times. I would have enjoyed working with her, had she been there when I was there. (Thanks for the laughs if you're reading today, Lori!) Yes, it was work, but it was good to get out and have some social time with adults, you know? And I love my drive in (now that I don't have to do it every day). An hour each direction -- just me, my music and my scattered brain. And, if it hadn't been for the 92-degree weather, the wind in my hair. I needed that.

Now back to more scattering. Have a good one. You'll probably hear from me next week, assuming I dig myself out of this hole I have here.

15 ways you can support my business

I've discovered that personal blogging is a lot more fun (and therefore more likely to make it onto my personal agenda) than blogging about work stuff. But it's time to take a break from my family postings and get back to business for a minute.

Last week, I was fortunate to visit the Avon Plus chapter of BNI as a substitute. (One of the "real" members couldn't make it, so I took her place for the day.) It's my old former networking group, and I always walk away with something inspirational or motivational from the meetings. Last week, Ryan Sebree, an account executive with Merritt Hall Insurance, gave his 10-minute presentation titled (something to the effect of) "15 ways you can support my business." It was excellent, and he's agreed to let me share it with all of you.

(I should note that his presentation is an adaptation of an article by Ivan Misner, the founder of BNI, and Robert Davis, titled "15 Ways Other People Can Promote Your Business," found on the Networking Now Web site. You can download the full article, along with descriptive narrative, if you subscribe to the site's member list.)

If you have your own business, are considering starting your own business or are just wondering how you could support my business, read on for some great tips. Thanks for sharing, Ryan.

*****

15 Ways You Can Support My Business

Presented by Ryan Hall, Merritt Hall Insurance, to BNI Avon Plus, June 19, 2008
Adapted from an article by Ivan Misner and Robert Davis, www.networkingnow.com

1. Display my literature and/or products (on a counter or bulletin board).
2. Distribute my information (include in your welcome packets, invoices, etc.)
3. Make an announcement about me at one of your seminars OR invite me to speak at one of your seminars.
4. Invite me to attend events or other networking groups that you belong to.
5. Endorse my products and services (simple “Word-of-Mouth” tactics) OR written testimonials.
6. Nominate me for recognition and awards.
7. Provide me with leads (for example, a rumor about a new company moving into the area).
8. Provide me with quality referrals.
9. Make initial contact with prospects and sources on my behalf.
10. Introduce me to prospects.
11. Arrange a meeting on my behalf (if possible, attend the meeting with me).
12. Follow up with referrals that you have given me (this builds more credibility with the referral and provides valuable feedback to me for improvement).
13. Publish information about me (newsletters or other editorials).
14. Serve as a sponsor to a program or event I’m hosting.
15. Sell my products and services.

*****

Obviously, some of these don't apply to my business directly. (For example, I don't host seminars.) But they give you some ideas for how you can promote someone else's business without much trouble. A little can often go a long way for helping someone out. And those of us who have small businesses really appreciate it!

A year of freelancing: Lessons learned

Here's a blog post I just came across while waiting for a return phone call. I drafted it a while back but somehow never got around to posting it. Enjoy.

***

A year ago, I took a plunge into the world of small business ownership without having one realistic clue what was going to happen. From a work-life perspective, I had idealistic visions of part-time work from home, casual dress every day, time to walk my dog on my lunch hour, evenings free for family time and a weekly working log of 90 percent billable hours.

What was I thinking?!

Not only have all of those dreamy visions crashed to the grass with a heavy thud, I have also learned a few lessons about how to run a business in the meantime. Do you run a business? I’d love to hear what lessons you have learned as well. Or, have you ever dreamed of owning a business or working from home? Hope these little insights can factor into your decision in some small way. (It’s just my two cents, after all.)

So here goes.

One year of freelancing: Lessons learned

1.    Not everyone will pay you. This has been the most frustrating lesson, I think. Who would have thought that in one year, I would have two clients either completely ignore my invoices (for three projects) for completed work, or only bother to pay them several months late…without the late fee. I have been tempted to share these clients’ names in my blog to see if that would spark a fire under their checkbook-writing hands, but so far I have resisted. That wouldn’t be professional. But it’s tempting.

2.    Always under-budget. I had this idealistic number in my head for the amount of money I had hoped to make in my first year. It was based on something like 20 hours of billable time per week, with about four hours, max, of time each week spent doing non-billable things. (Wonder what I could possibly be doing? See my blog entry, "Where does the time go?") What I didn’t realize was how much time I would spend – especially in getting my business off the ground – doing things for free. That is, there were several weeks when I was doing 50 percent or more of my work without being able to bill anyone for them. As an ugly result, my income came in significantly under what I expected. It’s a good thing I had under-budgeted for our personal finances. But still, I didn’t under-budget enough, I don’t think.

3.    It costs a lot more than just paper and ink to run a business. I read a book, The Well-fed Writer by Peter Bowerman, in which the author – a freelance corporate writer himself – suggests that the only costs required for this line of work is a computer (which he assumed everyone has already), notebook paper, computer paper, file folders and pens. Well, there’s a heck of a lot more to it than that, especially when you add photography and graphic design to the mix! Think several-thousand-dollar, high-end computer; several-hundred-dollar, high-end graphics software; thousand-dollar, high-end camera (which, thankfully, I had already, but I’ll eventually have to replace); color laser printer and a few hundred dollars worth of toner; fonts for design projects; professional memberships; accountant fees; printing fees; meals and meeting fees; parking fees; gas; travel and conference fees (if you’re lucky enough to be able to afford to go…I’m not, yet)…and then you can add your supplies. I spent nearly $1,500 on supplies alone last year.

4.    Never, ever, under any circumstances, burn bridges. I had visions of having lots of clients covering lots of different industries and non-profits in Indianapolis, but the reality is, my three former employers make up more than 75 percent of my business. About 20 percent of the remaining business is someone with whom I worked closely at one of my former jobs. Only the last five percent are those new companies with whom I had not previously had any contact. If I had burned bridges anywhere along my career path, I would not be able to be doing this job today. There were a handful of opportunities when it would have been easier to speak my mind and shout out some inappropriate comments at those former jobs. (I loved my jobs, but everyone gets frustrated sometimes.) But I held my tongue, behaved politely and professionally, and have very positive relationships with all of those clients now.

5.    Focus, focus, focus. If you’re going to work at home, a nice pair of blinders would come in handy. There are potentially dozens of distractions at every single minute of every day. I have to be able to tune them out, ignore them and keep my focus on my work if I’m going to meet deadlines and keep my clients happy. I have four animals who need fed, petted and let out to potty. There are mounds of laundry in the house at every given moment. And Dr. Phil, Ellen and the news are just a remote-control click away. No one’s here to see me take a TV break. But no one will pay me for taking a TV, laundry or doggy break, either. So I have to keep chugging.

6.    Have a bank that’s close to home. Years ago, I started banking with a credit union in Avon. It worked wonderfully when I had direct deposit. Now, I get a check and make a trip into town to deposit it. Two days later I might get another one, and even though I just made the 21.7-mile round trip to the bank, I feel the need to see that money in my online account summary immediately, so I’ll drive in again. Granted, I typically do this “after hours,” but it’s still a healthy chunk of time. I haven’t made the switch to a Danville bank yet. I have good intentions.

7.    Ask for what you’re worth. I know that freelancers in my area charge anywhere from $75 (average, some newer writers charge $50) to $125 per hour for doing the same kind of work I do. I charge less than that. Significantly less than that. And I’m paying for it. It was a strategic move at first. I knew it would be an attractive price to people who have outsourced before. And I know that it earned me some clients. The problem now is, I am realizing how much it costs to run this business — and how many hours are non-billable — and I’m losing money before I have it. I know I need to charge more. But now, making the leap from the current rate to a more reasonable rate is an uncomfortable move for me —and my clients. I just haven’t gotten up the courage to do that yet. It would perhaps have been smarter to earn the clients slowly but get what I’m worth from the get-go. Of course, then we would have been in some deep water soon after I quit my full-time traditional job and dove head-first into freelancing.

8.    Be thankful. As many stressors as there are with this working lifestyle, it’s a pretty lucky thing to be able to live it. I know that. It’s important to be thankful for those who have helped you get to where you are. Without the support of my family, I wouldn’t be here. I would have cracked long ago, I think. But my husband, especially, never once doubted that I could do it (or at least he never let on). He was behind me 100 percent, reminding me constantly that I made the right decision to start this business. So were my mom, dad, stepmom, mother-in-law, aunt, uncle, sisters and friends. Let people know you’re thankful. I don’t show this as much as I feel it. I am constantly aware of this. I know I don’t tell them enough. (Chad, Mom, Dad, the Anitas (both of you), Erin, Margo, Michele, John, Colette, Alyssa…thank you.)

Updated my Web site...finally!

It's funny; I know the importance of updating one's Web site frequently - both for the purposes of making and keeping it useful, as well as keeping it in good standing with the search engine robots (and therefore improving your rankings in search engine returns).

Yet somehow, I don't seem to stay on top of my own Web site like I should. It's one of those projects without a deadline, one that can be pushed to the end of the to-do list over and over again, until suddenly it's been three months since it's actually been an active project.

That's where I am today. I finally took some time out of my schedule and started updating my Web site, hitting the most pressing areas with the most improvement needing to be done. So, if you have a second, take a peek.

Here are the pages I've updated (to save you the time in wandering through old pages):

• Portfolio: Writing
• Portfolio: Design
• Portfolio: Advertising
• Kudos for Corie
• What do I charge

Yes, there are other areas that need work, but those will have to wait!

Maybe I need to outsource my own Web site updates to someone else, to ensure they're done in a timely manner. :-) How's that for pitiful? But hey, at least they'd be on someone else's more timely to-do list, deadline and all.

It never fails...in search of new clients

It never fails. I struggle for months with a personal decision of whether or not to add a fourth day to my work schedule and therefore give up that day with my kids. Then I finally make the decision to go for it, and practically the minute I do, my workflow takes a dramatic plunge.

Ugh.

It turns out one of my four "major" clients (for whom I do work every week) has finally hired a communications director, filling the position I left more than a year ago. While I am very happy for them and know that it's a position they desperately needed to fill (considering the person who was pinch-hitting is also the number-two in charge and has a million other responsibilities on her plate), I have to admit that it makes me a little sad, too. Not to mention the fact that I will soon be a little poorer!

So, I'm on the hunt. Does anyone know of any organizations that could use a little outside communications help? I am particularly interested in not-for-profits, but am open to all kinds of work. I'm not ashamed to admit it; I'm looking for referrals. For anyone who refers new clients to me that turn into regular business (more than one assignment), I will be happy to provide you a discount of $5 per hour on your next project (or month of projects, for regular clients for whom I bill by the month). If you're not my client, maybe I'll take you to lunch!

(It's not bribery, really. I like to think of it as incentive.)

I would be also pleased as punch if you could just offer a recommendation or kudos for me to post on my Web site. Those always make my day and can go a long way in getting new clients. Just post a comment here (click below) or send me an e-mail at Corie@CorieCommunications.com.

Thanks to you all! If you're reading this, you are a very valued client, friend or family member! I appreciate you all!

Why I left BNI

It’s been more than a week now since I announced to my beloved group of BNI members (Avon Plus chapter) that I would be leaving them. And while I sincerely enjoyed “sleeping in” until 6 a.m. this past Thursday as a result, I am already missing them.

BNI is a team of professionals representing all kinds of businesses, both business-to-business and business-to-consumer. Members meet each week with the goal of getting to know each other well enough to feel comfortable making referrals to each other, thereby supporting each others’ businesses. It’s a chance for each member to expand his or her reach in glorious numbers, banking on the fact that every other member in the group knows dozens of people, and hopefully he or she is willing to encourage their contacts to use the services other members offer.

It’s a wonderful concept, and it was a significant boost to my freelancing career for my first year out on my own.

But, for several reasons, I decided to leave the group, and I wanted to share my thought process behind that decision, for anyone who cares!

• REASON #1: THE BASKET. I was fortunate to have a somewhat steady stream of new business flowing due to other members’ referrals. However, fulfilling my end of the deal was not easy for me, and it was somewhat unfair for other members for me to be taking and not giving as much as I would have liked. I had every intention of making referrals…I wanted to give as well as gain. (The BNI motto is "givers gain.") But I found that referring people to the kinds of services one uses more on a personal level (plumber, realtor, water services, title insurance, mortgage lender, general contractor, etc.) was difficult for me. My network of people I interact with regularly are more business-related. I don’t talk to my clients about their plumbing needs, and so I was really forced to rely on friends and family members to make my referrals. In that regard, it was sort of slim pickin’s. Each week, we are to “put something in the basket” as it travels around the room – whether that be a one-to-one request, a referral or a thank-you for business. It was difficult (even stressful at times) to be sure that I had something to put in every single week. It was required, and I wasn’t comfortable forcing myself to put in referrals for friends or family who might not be comfortable with me referring them to my fellow members. This is one thing I wish BNI would reconsider, requiring something in the basket each week. It's a big part of why I left. I know I would not have been able to fulfill that requirement for another 52 weeks.

• REASON #2: FAMILY. This, in all actuality, is actually Reason #1 in my book (but I wanted to put a BNI-related reason first in this list, so people would be sure to read it!). I started freelancing with the ultimate goal of being able to spend more time with my family. Unfortunately (and fortunately) I have had more business than I can handle in what I had hoped would be a 24-hour schedule. So, I needed to slim down by eliminating “extra” and non-billable hours. BNI was a pretty significant time commitment for me – with meetings, one-to-ones, power team meetings and volunteer projects - and the non-billable hours racked up quickly.
  

• REASON #3: BUSINESS PRIORITIES. From a strategic business-building standpoint, I need to be focusing on communications directors and related professionals in larger churches, not-for-profit agencies, health care organizations and possibly some larger companies. These are my “prime” clients. They need help for a variety of projects on a regular basis. They need more than business cards. And they are more likely to turn into long-term, regular clients than the kinds of businesses I was connecting with through BNI. Don’t get me wrong: I have loved creating business cards and brochures for the companies I have been fortunate enough to work with through my BNI referrals, and I sincerely hope I continue to get some of those kinds of assignments. I love working with small businesses, because I know where they’re coming from and want to help them communicate well. But from a simply strategic standpoint, in reality, my time is more efficiently spent reaching out to companies that would be more likely to turn into “regular” clients. My networking time might be better spent with PRSA, which brings me to my next reason.

• REASON #4: PRSA. PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) is a primary way for me to connect with other communicators in town, build my network of potential clients and also stay connected with my profession in terms of professional development. I just rejoined the Hoosier chapter, and I am excited about getting involved. My first meeting is coming up next week! It also only meets once a month, rather than weekly like BNI, so the time commitment will hopefully not break the bank for me.

Are you still with me?

All of that being said, I do encourage other people to join BNI. Here are just a few of the reasons.

• INCREASING YOUR NETWORK. I have met a lot of wonderful people in Hendricks County whom I might never have met otherwise. Each of them has connections to other people I might never meet on my own, but I might have the chance to meet someday as a result of this group.

• FRIENDSHIP. I work alone, and I have no staff. This is a potentially lonely combination, especially for someone like me who likes to socialize a little! This group was essentially my “staff” – professional adults I saw on a regular basis and whom I got to know well enough to chit-chat about families and other casual topics.

• LEARNING TO NETWORK. Being part of this group taught me how to make small talk with people I don’t know well, prepare a 30-second and 60-second sales pitch about myself and my business, and how important and powerful networking can be. These have been very valuable lessons for me!

• LAUGHTER. I laughed every single week with that group. There were just some hilarious individuals and other people whose lightheartedness was very welcome early on Thursday mornings. I’ll miss the laughter the most.

So there you have it. I know I’ve taken much more of your time than you had hoped, but if you read it all the way through, I thank you.

And I thank you, BNI Avon Plus, for all of the laughs, the memories and the business. I hope you’ll keep me on the sub list, and I hope to see you soon. Take care.

(Want to know more about BNI? Check out this Web site: www.bni-indiana.com)