Knowing When to Grow

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When I tell you life’s been busy, that’s an incredible understatement.  In five weeks, I spent two weekends at home, with a mix of business and pleasure occupying that time.  We’ve  named my suitcase, since she’s my constant travel companion.  (Russ decided “Victoria” was appropriate, and I decided that I was too tired to brainstorm names for a green L.L. Bean product.  Victoria it is.)

I’ve been to South Florida.  I’ve been to Vegas.  I’ve been to Amelia Island.  I’m heading BACK to South Florida again soon, with possible trips to Vegas, Cape Cod and Jersey City before the summer’s over.

I’m not complaining.  As far as travel plans go, there are far, far worse places for conferences and birthday celebrations.  But ultimately, I’m looking forward to having a clear agenda for a few weeks in a row.

But I have realized, thanks to a recent post by Ali Brown, that it was time to ask for help for The Leone Company.

I’m excited to be working with a few different people, growing The Leone Company in a way that, six months ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed possible.  I have someone helping with administrative work and research, a brilliant marketing strategist assisting with projects I know are her personal strengths and another person assisting with a community relations and outreach project.  It’s an exciting time to be a business owner.

The best part?  All three of these wonderful players were already within my network.  One is a former intern from my days with the Florida Film Festival, the other two women I had met and come to admire over the past seven years as a Central Florida resident.  We’ve kept in touch, over a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, and, when I knew it was time to grow The Leone Company, I knew exactly who to reach out to.  As I have mentioned before, I never stopped networking… and neither did they.

And being able to contract out pieces of projects, or just the research that needs to be done to do a project WELL, is just the thing that is going to allow me to take on more clients and grow the business.  Because, as Gini Dietrich so brilliantly put it, I need to remember to remember to take time from working IN the business and put aside time to work ON the business.

And I’m thrilled to be growing with a great team.

Birthdays, Beaches and Brand New State-of-Mind

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I started writing this blog post while facing the ocean last weekend.  With no internet connection, I was thrilled to be able to get back to a bit of writing for my blog, neglected with the daily needs of fantastic clients.  While that’s a great problem to have, I’d broken the cardinal rule of working ON the business, not just IN the business.

I started writing from Amelia Island, to be exact. Other than the fact that I’d spent the weekend with a few extraordinary ladies, who utilize powers I can’t even fathom possessing, what you need to know about Amelia Island is this:

It is one of my mother’s favorite places in the whole world.

My stepfather, a loving, caring, brilliant man (and marketing genius) who has treated me as his own daughter for more than half of my life, reserved this very penthouse (and, therefore, oceanfront balcony) as our escape from reality. The weekend was reserved for my mother and her friends; she says that she considers me one of her very BEST friends, which is how I came to find myself listening to the waves.  Henry joined us on Monday, making the drive with my grandmother, their suitcases… and an extra bag just for her wrinkle creams.  When you’re 87, you, too, can have an entirely separate bag just for wrinkle creams.

And we did all of this for one simple reason.

My mother’s birthday.  She’s forbidden me from telling most people how old she is, although, between us, it may just rhyme with schmixty.

And so, in honor of my mother’s birthday, I forced myself to take a deep breath and think about exciting things for the future.  As I waited for Carla, Joan and Patti to return from their day of facials, haircuts and shopping excursions to Chico’s, and for my mother to rise from her mid-day birthday nap, I’m grateful I made the three-hour drive and stepped away from an internet connection for a few days.

I received clarity on my next steps with The Leone Company from these extraordinary entrepreneurs… and I got back to a calm place that had long since fallen to the wayside.  Any small business owner can relate, I’m sure.

I’m excited to be back home, rejuvenated, centered and ready to improve this year.

I’m excited to have spent time with some of the most inspirational ladies I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited waking up to the sound of the ocean.  And that Swedish massage.

How Do You Define Your Identity?

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I love superheroes.  Perhaps it’s because I grew up stepping on my younger brother’s Batman figures.  Perhaps its because my cousin’s oldest son wholeheartedly believed, at the age of two, that his father looked just like Superman.  (For the record, while he does have dark hair and flies…planes, John is not Superman.)

As an adult, I notice their abilities to keep their two identities completely separate.

Often, as an entrepreneur, small business owner, large business owner or, honestly, just someone who adores his or her job, we wrap our identities into our careers.  (Ali Brown does a fantastic job of discussing the subject here.)  For years, I was “Mara Shorr, Radio Producer,” “Mara Shorr, Fundraising Producer,” “Mara Shorr, Director of Development and Community Relations” and so on.  And now, indeed, “Mara Shorr, President of The Leone Company.”

When I started The Leone Company, I had a goal I wasn’t sure I could accomplish.  I wanted to represent “The Leone Company” when I was out on business, but represent “Mara Shorr” when I was persuing activities that relate to my personal life.  For example, at networking events, business meetings and strategy sessions with clients: Mara Shorr, President of The Leone Company.  Grocery shopping, wine with friends and dog park trips: Mara Shorr, Lover of Wine, Dogs and Friends.

The more I have attempted to keep the two “Mara Shorrs” separate, the more I realize this may not be possible.  After all, potential clients and opportunities for business are always just a conversation away.  At the grocery store, over wine and at the dog park.

I am, after all, the proud daughter of a father who is known for never having met a stranger, a man with the gift of gab.  It’s been a successful strategy for him, as even when he’s out with my stepmother, a brilliant doctor, playing poker, they meet potential new patients holding the hand next to them.  It’s not abnormal for my stepmother to examine a stranger’s skin right then and there, handing them a business card.  And then receiving a follow up call scheduling an appointment at the office the following day.

My biggest strength, and what sometimes turns into my biggest weakness, is my ability to build strong relationships.  Relationships with family, with friends, with clients and with potential new supporters for said clients.  I enjoy constructing new way to work with the people I admire, including some of my closest friends.  But, does doing so blur the lines between personal and professional identity?

I believe, more and more, that while it’s healthy to have two separate identities, chances are high you’ll have to quickly transition from one identity to the other, acknowledging a potential new client from someone you just met at the grocery store… and knowing when to show a bit of yourself in a business relationship.

I welcome your thoughts: how have you handled your two identities?  Do you believe you should have two… or perhaps more or less?

(And in case you were wondering, this past Halloween, I was absolutely a rockin’ Batman.)

3 Tips: Free Software

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As a small business owner working with non-profits and small businesses, The Leone Company’s goal is always to keep costs down.  I print on the reverse side of scrap paper.  I keep electronic files as often as I can.  And I always look for free (and yes, legal) versions of software.

Three of my favorites:

PDF To Word: I discovered the program this week while editing work for a client; I’ve already fallen in love.  It does exactly what is claims to do: converts the PDF document (that you may-or-may-not have had an intern retype) into a usable Word document, and e-mails a copy directly to the specified e-mail address.

YouSendIt: Create a free account, and upload your too-large-to-send-without-clogging-up-your-boss’s-email document, presentation or high resolution photos.  A link to a secure FTP site will be sent to your e-mail address, as well as the recipient’s.  I’ve been using this gem for years.

MailChimp: Free e-mail marketing software that allows you to send up to a certain number of messages each month.  It allows you to segment lists, provides templates.. and even has a great monkey logo.  Love it.

Now give the intern something else to do instead.  But let me know your thoughts.

What free software could you not live without?

Pookie’s RescueFest (and Video of Puppies)

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Life’s been busy.  Incredibly busy.  But last weekend, I was lucky enough to have been invited by Centers for Animal Therapies to speak on “Fundraising For Your Animal Non-Profit” at Pookie’s RescueFest, located here in Central Florida.   The crowd of inteligent, hard-working founders of rescues, was incredibly engaged and interested, and I was able to combine my passion of pets and non-profits.

Public speaking is something I’m always excited to do, and this local opportunity was a win-win.  (On a side note: The Leone Company actually established its first client from a similar lecture!)

See below for a short video on the day, and enjoy!  After all, how can you NOT love moving images of puppies in strollers?

Video by Henry Maldonado

If you’re interested in assistance with your animal (or human) non-profit, don’t hesitate to contact me at Mara@TheLeoneCompany.com!

This Week: Guest Posts at i.seeKissimmee!

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If you’re wondering where I’ve been this past week, that’s easy.

You can find me at i.seeKissimmee.com.

Having heard from a good friend, Sarah Sekula (@wordzilla), months ago that the Kissimmee Convention and Visitors’ Bureau welcomes guest bloggers each weekly, I was thrilled to have been accepted to write for them.  You’ll find posts about the Florida Film Festival preview party, happy hours on Park Avenue, and a great upcoming series on a few of historic downtown Kissimmee’s offerings.

Wander over and check it out.  But come back soon for more posts here.

If you’re interested in my writing a guest post for YOUR blog, feel free to contact me at Mara@TheLeoneCompany.com.  After all, collaboration is better than competition!

New Year’s Resolutions: Vitamins, Dishes, Lists and Happiness

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Almost everyone I know has New Year’s resolutions.  Before she had her daughter, in fact, my friend Lyndsay, used to have a series of them which she grouped by category and then deadline.  If you know Lyndsay, believe me, this makes sense.

In fact, this blog was the product of a 2011 New Year’s resolution, before The Leone Company even existed, when Heather Whaling at prtini.com let me know that, like, Nike, I should “Just do it!” and get blogging already!

And so, more than a week into the new year, I’m laying mine out there.  Hold me accountable, please:

  1. Always put my dishes in the dishwasher before going to bed. (Dad, you’d be ashamed at the piles that we woke up to some mornings!)
  2. Take my vitamins every night.  (Yes, sometimes I count chewable Airborne tablets as my vitamins for the day.)
  3. Always work with clients and projects that make me happy. (Check out that rockstar list of The Leone Company’s clients here.)
  4. Keep a daily, running “To Do” list that, each day, must have items that have been crossed off.

The clients? This is more to keep me on track. I’ve been fortunate to work with a number of wonderful clients through The Leone Company this year, ranging from fundraising to community outreach to marketing projects.  Even contracts that have ended did so on a high note, and something I pride myself on.  Going into the new year, I always want to keep a focus on this.

The “To Do” list? It’s working out well!  Each day, I start out with a freshly printed list (on the reverse side of previously used paper, of course!).  A clean list makes me feel like I’m not bringing yesterday’s baggage into the next morning.  Each list has four categories:

  1. To Do: The Leone Company. (Remember my post about Dedicating Time For Company Growth?  Those are the items on this list.  Updating my website.  Working on potential new clients.  Blogging.  )
  2. To Do: Insert “Client Name” here.  Each client has their own list.  This gathers all of the social media notes, random thoughts I had in the shower, phone calls to return and tasks that require an action item in one place.
  3. To Do: Errands. Taking client packages to the post office.  Picking up dry cleaning.  And yes, even returning two lampshades to Lowe’s because, well, why not just buy three and decide on your favorite at home? (Don’t judge me.  Or my dishes.  Or the fact that I have the vitamin habits of a five-year-old.)
  4. To Do: Personal. You know what goes in this list.  Really, just send your cousins’ holiday gifts already!

After trying apps and other electronic options, I’ve found a hard copy of the list just makes me happier. But I’m always up for new things!

What are your resolutions this year? Send me a note, a tweet at @marashorr or leave a comment below!

This week, I’m a guest blogger at i.seekissimmee.com, the website for the Kissimmee Convention and Visitors’ Bureau.  Check it out!