Recently I attended a conference in Utah, the Evolution of Women in Social Media or EVO. This event was jammed packed with information, networking and FUN!
One session that stood out was “Doing Business in a Social Media World. The amazing panelists were Liz Strauss, Carol Roth and Ghennipher Week. They asked us to write a post about what made us irresistible and what we learned from the panel.
Carol Rothe & Ghennipher
MURKY WATER
The session echoed many of the thoughts that have been running through my mind & dancing through my notes during the past few months. It challenged us to; OWN our irresistibility, really define our goals for our businesses, and it reminded us not to underestimate our worth.
The statistic that a female owned business’ earns an average of $88,000 while a male owned earns an average of $1.3 Million was a shocking reminder to pay attention, especially given the group primarily comprised of women.
MY OWN DIRT
Pure Natural Diva is a website dedicated to information about greener, healthier living. It did not start out as a business. It was simply my place to share what was working in my home/family with my friends. Carol would define that as a “jobby.”
As I learned more about blogging and social media – I realized this passion project could become a viable business. Since that time it’s been a race to figure it all out.
I say a race because of the marathon hours I have dedicated to building the site, writing, social networking, writing a book proposal, creating an outline for a live show, fielding pr pitches, attending events and on and on and on.
PND is truly a case of the cart coming long before the horse…therefore now I’m working to ensure that the time I’m investing will have a financial payback in addition to being personally satisfying.
EVEN MURKIER
The challenge has been navigating uncharted waters. Creating an effective business plan in a new media world. Not to mention, creating a plan that will generate enough revenue to satisfy my own personal expectations. Not an easy task.
I know I’m not alone fireside/playroom chats I’ve had with some of my favorite local blogging friends. We know our value, we know our worth – we just haven’t fully dialed in on how to maximize revenues and capitalize – yet.
Personally – my focus has been on building a great site and a strong brand. I do promotional work, but more as it comes my way as opposed to spending time on sales.
DOWNRIGHT MUDDY
What do I want from Pure Natural Diva?
I would be very satisfied to continue to grow my site and happily stay in the OL domain OR there is the bigger dream where I can see PND as a full line eco savvy brand…. think greener, nic– more approachable, Martha Stewart.
Everything I know about goal setting and achieving your dreams seems to require a clear driving vision – which has left me wondering about my goals and my thought process through this journey.
The wonder comes from the fact that my life won’t end if the “big” dream never comes to fruition – I love my life and I’m happy. I don’t feel a burning need to build an empire. That said, I feel called to do the work I”m doing. I am driven to build the site and the PND brand to make it the biggest success it can be.
THE CLARITY
So there it is… after stirring up muddy waters: My intention is to build my site and the Pure Natural Diva brand to be as successful as I can – Success that will be measured by earnings & the positive impact we can have on peoples lives. While doing this I will remain true to my family and my values. I will work smart, value my time, and require those I work with to value it as well.
THE IRRESISTIBILITY
Liz’s big question: What makes you irresistible?
I am irresistible because I am passionate about helping people live greener healthier lives without tossing our Manolos and moving into a yurt – nothing against yurt dwellers.
ALMOST AS GOOD AD BEING AT EVO
Stephanie Smirnov was part of a panel on monetizing your site that was truly outstanding. What’s more… she compiled an online presentation so we could share her wisdom! If you missed it you’d be remiss not to take the time to check it out!
Thank you to Shelle Blok for the photo!
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