I didn’t anticipate saying goodbye to my company as I have known it for seven-and-a-half years. I had been flirting with the idea of making a drastic change for a while, but I couldn’t jump off the ledge into the deep, unknown waters – the waters that gave way for me to begin my company in the first place. Here I am, sipping cold coffee at a mid-century modern desk with accolades, hourglasses, and clutter surrounding me. I have to wonder, “Where did I go wrong?” The answer is that I didn’t go wrong. I am just evolving, as most healthy, self-informed humans tend to do.

What Hourglass Media Will Look Like Going Forward

I recently turned 34, and there is something about birthdays that invites moments of reflection – at least for me. I spent much of this year, and April onward in blog posts, mulling over what I want my career to look like. I’ve done a lot of work I have truly loved, with clients and partners that continue to do life-changing work in their spaces. However, you know when a change is afoot, and that change happened for me when my son was born.

Hourglass Media's New Direction and Purpose

EP4 of The Wholeheartedly Podcast revealed something I am currently struggling with: purpose and change. I just don’t want my career to look the same way it has for the last 13 years. Realizing that is scary. It’s an internal crisis of the highest order, especially for someone like me, who has it “all figured out.” It’s hard to undo what you have been doing, to knock down the beautiful structure you constructed out of blood, sweat, tears, love, vision, and so much more. I know, deep in my heart (and even in the logical parts of my mind), that I have to pivot in my career.

Seven Lessons I’ve Learned From Seven Years of Hourglass Media

While I have had my fair share of successes, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing on the road less traveled. I cannot tell you the number of times I have told my husband I want to just give up, that I am not “good” at this, that it would be easier if I just got a “real” job. At the end of the day, I know that is not part of my narrative. I am not meant to give up a company that I have worked so hard to build. At the end of the day, there will be trials and tribulations, moments of success, and everything in between. Without this company and its kaleidoscope of moments, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. In my true reflective fashion, here are seven lessons I have learned in my seven years as CEO of Hourglass Media.

Taking the First Steps To Create A Career You Love

While my career in public relations isn’t just writing, I use my written and other communication skills to build a company I love. I realize this process doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and I also know that a lot of us don’t have these aha moments at 13 years old. These five nuggets of advice will help you discover more of who you are so you can find or create a career you love.

Recalibrating your personal and professional goals for the new year

While I do not have recalibration figured out in its most cohesive form, it is the major theme of 2022. Whether you have a “Word of the Year” or not, it can be helpful to think about your work or an overall feeling you would like to achieve this year. What are some ways you can incorporate recalibration into your everyday life?

Five takeaways from another year #behindthehourglass

While the pandemic and other factors have impacted our lives in and out of the office, Hourglass Media continues to meet opportunities right where they are. 2021 was no different. While we had a banner year and have met nearly all of our goals and objectives, we have learned just as much from our missteps (if not more, as it usually goes).

Here are five takeaways as we wrap up another year and look toward 2022.

How I Found My Dual Purpose as a Mom and CEO

One year ago, my life completely changed forever. I do think my company was made for this moment. It’s the reason I created Hourglass Media: so I can live my own version of a successful life. What have I learned after a full year of being a new mom, the CEO of an always growing company, and a communicator (and human) in an ever-changing landscape? Here are three takeaways.

Healing Your Heart After A Pregnancy Loss

I honestly wish I didn’t have to release this book. Today marks a bittersweet moment in my professional -- and personal -- life. It’s the release date for my latest book, Healing Your Heart: A Prompted Journal for Pregnancy Loss. I wrote this book because suffering two miscarriages has changed the trajectory of my life. The eBook and print versions are now available.

Basics That Will Drive the Success of Your Project Management

It’s the beginning of a new quarter, and if you’re anything like me, you sit at your desk and wonder, “Where did Quarter 1 go?!” Each of us is busy trying to further our clients’ goals and objectives, grow our companies or careers in general, and attempting to achieve our own versions of work/life balance.

All in all, it can get relatively exhausting when you you’re grasping at straws with project management. This month, we’re focused on resources that will help you better plan for your goals at hand.

Happy 150th Birthday, Huntington!

Huntington is where I spent my formative years and learned about life, love, and everything in between. To celebrate Huntington’s 150th Birthday, this is a master list of my experiences in Huntington and what it means to my narrative. Huntington, you’ve been so good to me. I am forever grateful to you. Happy Birthday, Jewel City. You shine brighter every day. ❤️

How To Prepare For A Successful Year Ahead

Business, Public RelationsKaylin R. StatenJanuary 21, 2021kaylin, kaylin staten, kaylin r adkins, kaylin r staten, kaylin r staten apr, hourglass omnimedia, hourglass media, behind the hourglass, #behindthehourglass, maison de hourglass, public relations, planning, small business, entrepreneur, mental health

Five Lessons I Learned in 2020

Not to stress pandemic-induced cliché words and phrases, but most of us have been forced to pivot since March 2020. We have experienced lockdowns during a pandemic, social injustice conversations, the ups and downs of an election season, and more. I think I echo everyone’s sentiment when I say this: bring on 2021!

Ways To Express Thankfulness With Your Brand

As another year is coming to a close, I’m sure most of us are ruminating about what we are thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day. While 2020 hasn’t panned out like most of us have hoped in myriad ways, you can still look for silver linings through all of the curveballs this year has thrown at us. Here is how you can add thankfulness to your brand’s personality and modus operandi.

Questions To Ask Yourself If You Want To Start A Small Business

If you have that deep desire burning in your heart to start your own company -- or at least a part-time side venture -- I have some tips that helped me carve my path along the way. Here are three qualitative questions you can ask yourself to see if you’re ready to take the plunge into company ownership.

What Is Empathy Mapping?

A few months ago, I came across this article about empathy mapping from Shopify. While I lead Hourglass Media with an empathetic heart and mind, I used empathy mapping to revamp my customer avatars. You may want to use an empathy map to learn more about a target audience and really get inside their minds and emotions. You may know about your audience, but perhaps an outside factor has influenced how they think and act now (just like the pandemic and racial injustices have done in 2020).

What I Learned During My First Five Years in Business

In March of this year, Hourglass Media turned five. Five years of blood, sweat, tears, sleepless nights, wins, losses -- and everything in between. Five years of this crazy ride I started as an official LLC side venture to protect myself as a communicator. To celebrate these five years (well, more like five-and-a-half at this point!) and to share more of my story with you, here are five insights I carry with me from each year of business.

How To Politely Say No To MLMs

I wanted to give you my own version of how to say “no” to an MLM, both from a customer and a consultant standpoint. (I am a PR practitioner after all, and I’ve written a great many scripts.) If you’re uncomfortable with supporting an MLM, these scripts, tailored to your own messaging as well, will hopefully help you be able to say a firm-but-fair “no.” The goal isn’t to hurt someone’s feelings or to lose a relationship in your life, but you have to remember that your thoughts and feelings matter, too. Always speak up for yourself!

Ways To Eliminate Toxic Positivity

You’ve seen that crazy-in-love couple on your social media newsfeeds who always post about how great their S.O. is. They may even have a combined Facebook account. You see influencers on exotic vacations, using expensive products, and collaborating in dream partnerships. You see the milestones, success stories, smiling selfies, and inspirational quotes; however, what you don’t always see are the hardships, missed opportunities, regrets, and other negative emotions. Even if you’re not in an MLM, how can you live a more authentic life and then portray that in your real and digital lives?

Ways To Diversify Income Streams

As a business owner, you should always think about how you can scale your company and build wealth. Work smarter and not harder, right? Why should you think about diversifying your income in the first place? Here are some benefits of diversifying your income streams.