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.
Read MoreAs 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.
Read MoreMLMs FASCINATE me. While this is purely my opinion, which I share with a growing community of others, I believe MLMs take advantage of people in more ways than one. This blog post will aim to shed light on the dangers of MLMs if you find yourself flirting with the idea of joining one or know someone who is part of one and want to give them ways to escape. Or it could begin to give you your own script to politely decline to support someone’s MLM “business.”
Read MoreMany small businesses can still maintain operations during the COVID-19/novel coronavirus pandemic. While our normal ways of life and business have been disrupted, thinking outside of the box can aid small business owners as they still attempt to market themselves during this trying economic time. Here are three ways you can still operate your business and utilize strategies and tactics during the pandemic.
Read MoreAs many people know, I started my small business, Hourglass Media, in March 2015. At its inception, it existed only on my MacBook Pro, Nikon D5000, iPhone and a few odds and ends of backed-up files. I started this company while sitting on the floor of my childhood bedroom, with my cat, Oreo (my guardian angel cat now) stepping all over my newly established business license and IRS form printouts. I knew I had a company within me, so I started. Let me take you on a journey into my personal headspace and give you my reasons why I wanted to start my own company.
Read MoreOver the course of my decade-long career, I’ve found myself in different cities for one common goal: to learn something new to bring back to my daily PR toolkit. I’ve traveled from St. Louis to Atlanta and Orange County, California, to New York City. I’m not going to lie: I love business trips. Business trips combine my loves of working and travel. So, it’s a match made in heaven. As a lifelong learner with a penchant for experiencing new environments, it’s a match made in heaven. Here are five things I’ve learned to implement on business trips.
Read MoreAs an early adopter of the Internet wave of the 1990s, I never imagined I would someday have my own website. I’m a child of the ‘90s, fully embracing midi .wav files, .gifs, AOL Instant Messenger and bad font choices (Papyrus and Comic Sans, anyone?). Now, we’re almost entering a new decade (*gasp*), and I couldn’t have envisioned the world we now live in: augmented reality, chatbots, foldable touchscreen phones and new advances every day. You may be interested in creating your own website for the first time or are undergoing a personal rebranding. Here are 10 fundamental components to consider for your personal website.
Read MoreI have been brand-obsessive since I was a child. I donned Disney Princess attire and had to have the latest toys each time a new movie hit theaters. These were the days of “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” -- an entire treasure trove of amazing Disney movies that I still love to this day. Long before I ever saw “Mad Men” and fell into the rabbit hole of a communications career, these campaigns launched my love of branding. Here are five of my favorite brands with a splash of nostalgia.
Read MoreA growing number of Americans work from home. GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com estimates that more than 3 percent of workers in the United States opt for at-home positions and self-employment, with that number only to increase within the next decade. The allure of flexible part-time, full-time and freelance work is all the rage, but what is it really like to work from home? Here are six ways to ensure that you maintain your highest levels of productivity while working from home.
Read MoreIt’s the start of a New Year, and you’re probably hyper-focused on your goals and objectives for 2019. In today’s world, Return on Investment (ROI) and Return on Expectations (ROE) drive PR professionals and the C-Suite to want to learn more in the Evaluation phase. That’s where SMART objectives come in.In the world of public relations and other industries goals are comprised of SMART objectives, which include: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound.
Read MoreThe season of Thanksgiving is upon us, and we must say, thankfulness is contagious. The end of each year is filled with planning for the upcoming year and reflecting on what happened throughout the current year. We stepped away from planning an exciting 2019 to write a list of what we are thankful for. Reflection is a vital part of our public relations processes and business practices. So, here are 10 reasons we are thankful on this Thanksgiving 2018.
Read MoreSome of us may struggle to realize our passions. We know we have likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses and more, but we may not know how to leverage that in our personal and professional lives. In some cases, we may not even know we have a particular passion or could decide to build upon a childhood daydream. Here are five ways you can help build your passion.
Read MoreI’m currently reading Grace Bonney’s In The Company of Women, a compilation of sage advice and inspiration from more than 100 women in various walks of life and careers. Reading this book has allowed for a certain nostalgia as I approach my tenth year in my chosen field. This milestone won’t officially occur until 2019, but since embarking on my Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) journey, I’ve been hyper-focused on my own successes and missteps. I chose my 10 favorite interview questions from The Company of Women and answered each with my own “spin” (not to use a cliche PR word).
Read MoreI wrote and released my first eBook, The Top 5 Things You Should Know Before Starting a Communications Business, because I wanted to help others make sense of some behind-the-scenes business endeavors before taking the leap. Or if you have already started your business, you can use this eBook and workbook, too, of course. All of us are lifelong learners (or should be), so my hope is that you can learn from these tips as well.
Read MoreDuring the month of February, Hourglass Omnimedia posted #lovenotes about the business. See the gallery of images and read this blog to see some of our main loves. Despite the ebbs and flows of the business, there are three main reasons why I love having my own business. Special appearance by our baby muse!
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