My husband and I got married at Jester Park Lodge on November 1, 2008. Can you believe we never made it past the lodge to the park???
It wasn’t until Stammtisch – Des Moines German Club had an outing there the last weekend of October that I actually had the chance to visit just a portion of the park.
We met at Campsite 4 and walked both north and south along Saylorville Lake. If you can remember, it was the last gorgeous Fall weekend of 2014.
When we returned from our hike, we picnicked and enjoyed s’mores around the fire!
Get out and explore what Des Moines and its surroundings have to offer. I’ve lived here for 13 years and there’s much more to discover!
A few weeks ago, I attended a fundraising event organized by Friends of the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women called “Women You Know, Women You Want to Meet“. I’d been meaning to attend for the past several years and I’m glad my schedule was open.
What an incredible group of women! These fundraisers are held in a member’s home and this year, we met at Susan Judkins Josten’s home which made for an intimate, cozy feel. There was amazing food, wine and networking. This event has the added benefit of connecting notable women who are making a difference in the community with women who are interested in becoming more engaged.
It was great to see some of my Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute 2013 class members and to reconnect with them as well!
The Friends is the not-for-profit organization that supports and assists with the charitable and educational activities of the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women. The Iowa Commission on the Status of Women (ICSW) is a state agency dedicated to advocacy, education, and leadership programming to benefit women and girls. The ICSW is the lead organization in promoting the full participation of women in the economic, political, and social life of the state.
Contemporary Business Solutions is holding a monthly series of Lunch and Learn workshops at the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce in 2014. Attendees are invited to bring their own lunch and laptops. Since this will be a workshop format, attendance is limited to 15.
This workshop, on Thursday, December 4, from 11:45am – 1pm, will focus on how to supersize Linkedin profiles. Most Linkedin users joined the social network because they were invited to connect with someone…and they haven’t done anything with their profile since then. Bring your laptops and we’ll work through your Linkedin profiles from the top to the bottom to make sure your profile looks professional and is ready to work for you.
I gotta say, life is good…
I officially filed my business incorporation documents with the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office on November 19th. I’ll never forget that day; it was cold and rainy and I couldn’t believe how easy it was (legally-speaking) to start a business…
The past 5 years have certainly brought its ups and downs. I certainly wouldn’t change a thing, though. My boss is great!
Year 1 goal was to earn a living and convince my husband that this could actually work! Done
Year 2 goal was to develop a strategy and identify the best way to position my business for long-term success. I became involved in Social Media Club of Des Moines and continued to hone in on my ideal Client. I got a better feel for identifying a Client’s needs and offering a customized solution.
Year 3 goal was to expand my marketing outreach by joining the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce. Best marketing dollars I’ve ever spent! I also started producing some of my own events to help market the event planning/promotion side of my business. DSM Sushi Roll, Iowa Craft Beer Tour and Iowa Wine Tour have been huge successes. This year, I also took on the roll of President of the Social Media Club of Des Moines and worked with an amazing ad-hock board to become an official chapter with the national organization, adding a sense of legitimacy to our local Club.
Year 4 goal was to make sure existing Clients understood my skills. While they may have hired me for one service, I made sure they knew all of the ways I could help them and their business. To further my business exposure and leadership experience, I was a part of the leadership team of the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce’s young professional group, genYP. This was the year that I also graduated from the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute’s Community Leadership Program. What an experience! A lot of work while making friends for life!
Year 5 goal was to incorporate more events into my service offerings. Earlier this year, I was hired as conference coordinator for the Iowa Governor’s Conference on Public Health. It’s a big conference for me and I’m really enjoying working with their conference planning committee. I’m still keeping my eyes out for international conferences (wink, wink). Myself and a few other individuals have also been working on a substantial community project for the better part of this year, so stay tuned to find out what it is because it’s going to be pretty amazing!
Thank you to all of my current and past Clients, mentors, colleagues and friends for making this lifestyle possible. It’s amazing to be a part of such a great community of like-minded and supportive individuals!
I read another great book which I would recommend to anyone interested in exploring Free Agency and monetizing their passion. In Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk, you’ll learn how to use the power of the Internet to turn your hobby/passion into a real business.
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I took a call this morning from a gentleman with Oxford Film & Television who is making a “state of the nation” film looking at big issues facing the US in light of the impending Presidential elections. He’s interested in my work with Unemployed in Des Moines, will be in Des Moines in a few weeks for research and may or may not decide to use us in his film…we’ll see.
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I’ve had Trust Agents for a while and have just now had a break from other books to get it read. And boy, am I glad I did.
What I enjoyed about this book, compared to other books about social media, is that the authors didn’t talk about specific platforms, i.e. Facebook, Twitter…since specific platforms may come and go over time. They created a timeless book by focusing on how organizations can get the most out of social networking by building Trust Agents, or networks of influence. This strategy is at the heart of leveraging social media for business.
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