CEO of GrowBiz Media & SmallBizDaily.
WHAT LED YOU TO START WORKING IN DIGITAL/MEDIA PUBLISHING?
About 9.5 years ago I decided to quit my job and start my own company. I knew that digital publishing was rising, while print was declining, so it was a no-brainer to go digital.
All my clients have digital platforms.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
I work from home. Usually, start by 7 am. Always check email first, to see if there’s anything I need to deal with immediately since I’m in CA and many of my clients are on the east coast. Time zones can be tricky sometimes to navigate around.
I then check Twitter.
Some days it’s all about writing; others it’s about editing. But I repeat that pattern all day.
Email>social>write/edit>email>social>write/edit etc.
Somedays I have interviews to do. Other days out of the office meetings.
Always connected though.
WHAT DO YOU DO TO GET INSPIRED?
The work I do – help people start & grow their businesses is inspiring in and of itself. No outside stimulation necessary.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF WRITING OR QUOTE?
One of my favorites is something I wrote–not particularly original but it’s: “If you believe…and if you persist…All things are possible.
I also love Eldridge Cleaver’s; “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.”
And George Bernard Shaw’s: “You see things; you say “Why?” But I dream things that never were; I say “Why not?”.
WHAT IS THE PASSIONATE PROBLEM YOU ARE TACKLING AT THE MOMENT?
Having enough time in the day to do everything I want to do.
IS THERE A PRODUCT, SOLUTION, OR TOOL THAT YOU THINK IS A GOOD MATCH FOR YOUR DIGITAL PUBLISHING EFFORTS?
I use a variety of tools. I love Pocket, to save articles I want to read later. I am a huge fan of Office 365, (I like writing in Word) because it’s cloud-based.
I use Hootsuite, Buffer, Tweetbot to wrangle my social media. TweetDeck to, though I wish Twitter would invest in it. We’re on all social platforms, but Twitter is my favorite.
Finally, I use Microsoft Flow and Loadr, a Chrome app, to help me remember to post to social.
ANY ADVICE FOR AMBITIOUS DIGITAL PUBLISHING AND MEDIA PROFESSIONALS JUST STARTING OUT?
First, understand digital publishing is the same as print in the aspect of – you need to find your niche.