2022 reflections from The Porch are in!

I enjoy seeing where the commonality lies each year between each of the Rockers as we all offer our reflections on our individual lives. This year, slow and steady was the name of the game. We need the steady years in life – years without major personal and/or professional events or milestones.  They are the rebuilding years. They allow us to identify areas we’d like to see change, to set goals upon a solid foundation, and to take a breather for those years that catch us by surprise.

We hope you had the 2022 you wished for, and that our reflections foster a connection to your own.

Alison Moreno – Rock Collector

I feel 2022 was finally “back to normal” following the height of Covid in 2020-2021. My son began learning how to drive, my daughter began the decision process for which high school to go to, my husband moved up in his company, and we added a new dog to the family. My family was making advances and I kept things steady.  Professionally, I felt comfortably steady, but not did not experience any growth. Some years are meant for a “steady pace wins the race” mentality and this was one of those years. With the freedom from being my kids’ chauffeur, I am excited to set and focus on my own professional and personal goals moving into 2023.

Vanessa Hickman – Rock Star

Recently, someone mentioned a “covid blessing”. A covid blessing could be a lot of things. For me, it became a positive outcome from the unusual and unprecedented circumstances everyone weathered during the previous two years. The 2020-2021 timeframe created a lot of change for my family. My now teenage boys started at a new school. We attended a new church. Also, we found new ways of working. And, we are grateful for the people those changes have brought to our lives, but I am also thankful for 2022 which allowed us to focus on restoring something old to make it new for our family.

At the end of 2021, we acquired a lake property. So the beginning of 2022 was spent renovating that property. We rebuilt from the ground up, floor to ceiling. We even raised the roof (which still brings me much joy to say)! I draw similarity between the lake house renovation and the year. Reflections on 2022? It was a year of setting new foundations, rebuilding, reinforcing, redesigning, and raising the roof!  

Natalie Rosga – Rock Enthusiast

Thinking about 2022, I’ve tried to make a conscious effort every day to remember to slow down! One step at a time, one task at a time, one breath at a time. It’s ok if not every task is checked off the list at the end of the day. It’s more important to call it a night and wake up feeling happy and rested and ready to tackle the new day. 

This year has also been about carving out time for myself. As a mom, taking care of yourself typically falls to the bottom of the list. I’m learning that making time for myself is ok. Whether it’s a run on the treadmill, a pedicure, drinks with girlfriends, or a night out with my husband…it’s important to focus on myself. 

Slow and steady wins the race! Let’s also not forget that the house is happier when mom is happy! 

Lea Ann Allen – Swiss Army Rock

2022 has been a year where I definitely felt the notion of “the older you get the more you become yourself” take hold. I was more able to focus on important things and simply drop everything that I didn’t need in my life any longer: the naysayers, the time sucks, the unnecessary complications. I felt able to experience some of the joy of my early career in the work that I do, and constantly surprised myself when I found more patience, more stamina or more appreciation that I thought I had in me.

Last spring, my family replaced all the siding on our house which made it stronger and more able to withstand whatever the Texas weather plans to throw at us. At the same time, I honed self-care, exercise, and nutrition to make myself stronger and more able to withstand whatever life plans to throw at me next. Reflections on 2022 make me look forward to 2023 as a better version of my 2022 self!

Christine Finnegan – Media Rocker

In 2022, I practiced gratitude more than any other time in my life. It truly allowed me to view life through a positive lens. My thought process became increasingly optimistic and focused on solutions rather than problems. In the new year I am going to continue on this track by noticing simple pleasures and acknowledging everything that I have and having an awareness on a continuous basis of how I have been given. 

Julie Porter – Chief Rocker

Speaking of gratitude; in our 11^th year, I continued to be humbled by the amazing, talented, genuine folks I get to work with, those who entrust us with their branding and marketing, as well as the leaders who refer us to their contacts. Thank you to each of you.

This year my son, while also venturing into leadership roles in college, was able to intern on the Porch, where he too, received the gift of working with the Front Porch Marketing team, clients, and advocates.

I had the pleasure of once-again managing amazing volunteers, assisting with event coordination, and working with an amazing committee so the Jesuit Women’s Auxiliary Christmas Bazaar can steadily grow bigger and better each year.  I have had the honor of regularly spending time with my daughter in her quest to volunteer helping animals. Our experience at Dallas Animal Services (DAS) has enriched our lives and relationship.

I am also grateful for the opportunity to take on a physical building project this year. The beach is my happy place.  It is a consistent vacation choice for my family because it allows me to rest and reset. In January we purchased a beach condo. We envisioned saving money on trips to the coast and creating a revenue generating rental experience. As these endeavors often do, the condo process has not gone as quickly, as smoothly, or as cost-effectively as I hoped. However, I cannot help but be grateful for reflections on the lessons I’ve learned and the people I’ve met along the way.  I have also been able to view first-hand the awe-inspiring tenacity and resilience from the people of Florida as they rebuild following a catastrophic hurricane season.

On a Steady Path: Reflections On Gratitude

Some seasons are awash with major developments, milestones, or life-altering events. Some are meant to keep us on a steady path. I have learned there is a lesson in all of them and to find gratitude in each.

We hope that you had a relaxing 2022 holiday season with family, friends, and we wish you steady growth in 2023.

Welcome Debbie, or shall we say “Rock Climber”!

It’s time to welcome a new team member to the Porch. We love adding members (and their fun rock-based titles) to our team, and we’re so excited to introduce you to Debbie Stern. You can read her deets on our team page, and we’ve asked her a few questions so you can get to know her better. And then you can send her a big “howdy!”

What is the biggest misconception about marketing today?

People often say they don’t have the time or the money to do any marketing. This naivete is typically due to a lack of facts, education, and information that impedes growth. First, there are countless professionals available to assist small businesses with maximizing their resources most effectively. The right agency or team can develop a strategy to meet your needs on a limited budget. Even some smaller, inexpensive initiatives (such as online promotions, press releases, email marketing, and social media campaigns) can be implemented without spending a fortune and still demonstrate a successful ROI.

What advice would you give to younger Debbie Stern?

Sometimes taking risks and making mistakes is the best way to learn.

What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned in your career?

There is value in networking, building, and maintaining relationships. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know that makes the difference.

What does good marketing look like?

Good marketing engages or educates your target audience in some manner. If you can also demonstrate a ROI, then it’s even better.

If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?

Sipping a glass of wine in a piazza in Florence, Italy

If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead, who would it be?

My teenage son, whom I never see at dinner, or anywhere else, for that matter.

If you could describe Debbie Stern in three words, what would they be?

Persistent. Resourceful. Thoughtful.

What is your favorite thing about Front Porch Marketing?

The commitment, dedication, and shared expertise.

Tell me about a major milestone in your life?

A major milestone is occurring right now. My 17-year-old son is applying to colleges while I am transitioning my parents from their lifelong home in Houston, to Dallas. A lot of change at one time.

In what ways do you see the team at Front Porch Marketing have aligned values?

We are all devoted to moving the needle for our clients, whatever it takes. We enjoy the process of research and discovery and developing the most creative, competent, and cost-effective solutions for our clients.

How would you describe the culture at Front Porch Marketing?

Collaborative. Flexible. Authentic.

From your perspective, how does Front Porch Marketing differentiate itself from other marketing companies?

Projects are assigned to the right person for the right job. Front Porch Marketing plays to the expertise and strengths of our team, ensuring that each person is the best match for the assignment. This allows each team member to contribute most effectively to powerful branding by making connections, informing, educating and generating engagement.

What is a fun fact about you?

I am addicted to a plethora of TV shows and was once a contestant on Wheel of Fortune for College Week.

Our new high school interns Abby and Anna will be joining us on the Porch this summer.

Everybody say hello to our interns from Ursuline Academy of Dallas. Every summer we host interns from this high school, and give them a little taste of what a professional marketing career might look like. They’ll be visiting clients, creating content, researching topics, preparing branding documents, learning some analytics and PR skills, and we’ll even have them write a blog post here on our blog. We are proud to support and mentor the next generation of Ursuline Academy students, as we have for the past seven years.

We asked our Ursuline interns Abby Sanders and Anna Wilson a few “get to know you” questions, so y’all could learn more about their GenZ perspective.

Ursuline Intern Abby Sanders

1. What makes you want to have a career in marketing? I have always been really creative and have a playful sense of humor. I believe that marketing may be a good way for me to be able to express these traits while pursuing a career I enjoy.

2. What is one of the biggest lessons you have learned so far in your life? During the pandemic, I learned the value of not stressing out over the small things and how much I should value the time I have with others. 

3. If you could describe yourself in three words what would they be? Friendly, Optimistic, and Hard-Working 

4. What are your goals for your time at Front Porch Marketing? I am really excited to learn about what a profession in marketing would look like and develop skills that will be helpful throughout my life. 

5. If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead, who would it be? I would choose Walt Disney because he followed his dreams and pursued his passions to become immensely successful doing what he loves. My family and I love to go to Disney World, so I would love to meet the man that made those bonding experiences possible. 

6. What is a fun fact about you? I love to travel with my family and I have been able to visit 7 different countries!

Ursuline Intern Anna Wilson

1. What makes you want to have a career in marketing? I want to have a career in marketing because I love social media and understanding people. Marketing is always growing, especially with the influence of social media. It allows people to gain so much information all in one place. I also find it fascinating the way people consume information and how one Tik Tok can immediately make someone buy a product.

2. What is one of the biggest lessons you have learned so far in your life? One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that balance is a necessity is all aspects of my life. Whether that be between school and my social life, or making time for myself, I feel the best, and do the best work when I do not overwhelm myself with one thing. 

3. If you could describe yourself in three words what would they be? In three words, I would say I am enthusiastic, caring, and determined.

4. What are your goals for your time at Front Porch Marketing? My main goal at FPM is getting exposure to the marketing world. Seeing as marketing is not a class in high school, I want to learn as much as possible through real world experiences. 

5. If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead, who would it be? I would go to dinner with my grandma to hear her advice and understand her life from my current, older perspective.

6. What is a fun fact about you? One fun fact about me is that I love cows and think they are really funny!

Two Rockin’ Additions to the Front Porch Team!

This week, we’re welcoming Andrew Porter, our newest intern rocker, to the team!

1. What makes you want to have a career in marketing, Andrew Porter?

I’ve grown up watching my mom create this awesome company from the ground up and achieve so much in little time. It really motivates me to be successful seeing her achieve her dream and work so hard to obtain it. I want to be able to do what I want in the future as well and achieve my dream. Marketing has a special place in my heart and really does interest me in my future career endeavors.

2. What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far in your life?

There are many obstacles in life, but you end up gaining more from these obstacles than you have lost, if you choose to conquer the obstacles.

3. If you could describe Andrew Porter in three words, what would they be?

The three words I’d use to describe myself would be hardworking, funny, and committed.

4. What are your goals for your time at Front Porch Marketing?

I really want to get my foot in the door with this marketing internship, and get some real life business experience for the future. I have 5 specific goals that I’d like to conquer while at Front Porch:

1) I will be able to professional handle myself according to the certain business or personal situation that is present. And learn from those that have more experience than I do.

2) I will be able to communicate with clients and strangers effectively for the benefit of me and others.

3) I will be able to effectively navigate the internet accordingly while also being proficient in Microsoft 365.

4) I will be able to successfully balance the many activities that go on in my everyday life with my multiple jobs, hanging with friends, and sleeping.

5) I will be able to build a basic understanding of marketing principles to assist clients in attaining their long-time goals.

5. If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?

One person I’d definitely want to go to dinner with would be Chris Farley. He is my favorite comedian and is literally so funny. I’d love to see him in person do his Matt Foley: Van Down by the River skit from SNL.

6. What is a fun fact about you?

I am currently the Vice President of Recruitment of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) at Rollins College and the Brotherhood Chair of SAE.

Altruism is a core value at Front Porch Marketing, and being community connected is at the forefront of our decision making, both as a company and individually. Our team gives back to the communities in which we live and serve. Our team gives our resources — in time, knowledge, and dollars — because we believe to whom much is given, much will be required.

Where might you see us when we’re not on the Porch?

We spend time in our children’s schools volunteering. And they are broad and wide because we are all in different communities. Some of the schools we support are public. Some are private. But the goal is the same: paying it forward to the next generation. Right now, we are hosting two amazing high school interns for the summer as we do every year!

Some of us volunteer at our churches. Others serve non-profit organizations including the Faith Family Education Foundation, and the Grant Halliburton Foundation, among others. In addition to filling our tank, we serve a greater cause. And, organically, it benefits our business by building brand awareness, and boosting brand engagement. We are known as community helpers. We not only help the community ourselves, we help our clients align their businesses with a cause where they are passionate to make an impact.

Community connections are important.

In addition to schools, non-profits, churches and the other organizations our team members spend time with, there are networking organizations for which we are aligned. They help communities on a much larger scale and we are honored to be part of their missions. They connect us to community and beyond. We are grateful for the Fort Worth Chamber, GS10KSB, NAWBO and WBENC, just to name a few.

Is being community connected important to you and your business? Looking to make a difference in your area? Strategically need to align business with a cause? Want to talk to us about anything? Email us here.

Media relations results require more than luck.

As a public relations professional, there’s no better feeling than seeing a client featured in a news story. There’s an exhilaration when an idea you’ve pitched appears in a magazine, newspaper, radio or the coveted TV spot. An earned media placement will impact a client’s awareness — and hopefully — their bottom line.

However, pitching isn’t easy. With fewer journalists, swifter news cycles and an extraordinary number of media outlets, communicators need to be savvy and strategic about formulating and targeting pitches. Muck Rack reports that there are now nearly 6 PR pros for every one journalist.

A 2021 Muck Rack survey stated that 34% of PR pros said finding and interacting with journalists is one of their biggest challenges. And 59% of journalists view their relationship with PR pros as mutually beneficial, but not quite a partnership. This decreased from 64% in 2020. Only 6% view it as a partnership.

Why is there such an inequity between PR professionals and journalists?

It’s no mystery that PR pros can’t do their media relations jobs successfully without journalists. And journalists depend on Public Relations outreach, too.

“I get roughly 300 emails a day. Most of the time, I read a subject line and that’s it. There’s just simply too many emails every day from publicists to be replying to each one. I can probably count on one hand the amount of general PR pitches I’ve responded to over the past few years. What they all have in common is they were targeted at BuzzFeed and me specifically. The publicist knew who I was, what kind of stories I write and was able to speak to this and why their pitch fit in line with that. They also know what BuzzFeed News is (hint: it’s not the same as BuzzFeed!) and why their story was of interest to our readers. It’s all obvious stuff, but you have to tailor your pitch like you would a cover letter for a job application.”

—David Mack, deputy director for breaking news at BuzzFeed News (source Muck Rack)

Personalization is key to getting a reporter’s attention.

It’s important to remember that each reporter is unique. In order to successfully connect with members of the media, know who they are and what they prefer when it comes to pitching. In Muck Rack’s Annual Journalist Survey, reporters cited lack of personalization as the number one reason they immediately reject pitches.

Writing the ideal pitch will not have “legs” if it is not strategically targeted. A political writer does not want to profile a new restaurant (unless the chef is a former president). An investigative journalist probably will not respond to a pitch about what’s trending in the fashion world. Educate yourself on a reporter’s areas of interest and get to know their point of view. Familiarize yourself with their writing style and how they communicate with their audience. Make each email distinctive to the individual. Remember that the ultimate goal is to establish or continue a relationship with the journalist.

Customize your pitch to their medium.

A wide-ranging PR campaign can be incredibly time consuming. Sending an initial mass email to all news outlets is, at times, the only course of action. However, this approach does not embolden coverage unless it is a very widely known product and/or personality. If possible, customize the pitch to the medium. When pitching a television producer, send clips or b-roll and include camera ready art to a print outlet. Reference the assets and describe how the visuals will enhance an interview or feature. If you want a reporter/editor/producer to accept your pitch, it needs to intrigue them — and contain something that that will engage their audience.

The media relations process — what happens next?

After sending a pitch, be respectful and allow the reporter enough time to decide if they are interested in covering the story. Give them a few days to review the pitch, and then follow up via email. If you don’t hear from them after a follow-up, assume they aren’t interested.

If a pitch is accepted, be sure to thank the reporter and share their story online. A share goes a long way, especially in a world where more reporters are being evaluated based on the success of their stories — 62% of journalists say they track how many times their stories are shared on social media.

Setting up and running a successful marketing internship program is an important step to the future success of both your company and the next generation of marketers. Bottom line: what’s in it for you as a company is the creation of a skilled employee pipeline. You’ve taught them, you’ve trained them, and they know your business. All of those attributes will most likely make these interns your best next employees.

How to start your internship program? Start small with the intention of hiring one intern for one semester. With a 5-6 month window for the internship, you can more easily structure what the intern will do during their tenure with you. Be sure to ask your intern what they want to learn, and what they would like to get out of the internship. Also, take the time to coordinate with their college if need be, so that they receive college credit for their internship if that is an option. And most importantly, pay your intern a fair hourly wage for their contribution to your business.

Marketing Internship 101 – Training.

Begin an intern’s employment with introductions and training. Have a blog and/or website? Add them to the team and write an introductory post so clients, customers and the general public can get to know your talented intern. This also gives the marketing intern a link that they can include on the LinkedIn profile, legitimatizing their career before they graduate. In turn, introduce the intern to each person in the company, and ask them to explain what they do and how it fits into the big picture.

Ideally you’ll want your marketing intern to spend some quality time shadowing different people in your company to get the full picture of marketing: PR, copywriting, design, social media, analytics, etc. Encourage the rest of your company to be supportive of your intern in their language and actions. Make sure their first experience in marketing is a positive one!

Interns learn by doing, so show them how to do it.

Then, help your intern get comfortable on the platforms you use to do business, whether that’s WordPress, Google Analytics, Buffer, or any of the social media platforms. For a marketing internship, shadow days can help with this learning. After initial shadow days, interns can be given compartmentalized parts of jobs to complete: image search on a stock site, compiling social media stats monthly on an Excel spreadsheet, and even writing blog posts on topics that they are learning in school. The more you teach them, the more they can run with something and help you!

Set them free and watch them succeed!

Once your intern has mastered some tasks, give them something that they can own: a specific client report, a research project, a white paper, or an organizational project. They could also own a role like proofreading or coordinating employee content for blog posts. Your intern could then teach everyone what they’ve learned at the end of the project.

When you help the next generation of marketing students gain access to a “real” job by offering them an internship, you are paying it forward for everyone that helped you in your early career. And at the end of the internship, you’ll most likely have a successful full-time employee ready to hire. At Front Porch Marketing, we regularly hire one or more college student interns all year long, and add high school student interns from Ursuline Academy of Dallas. We love working with interns and highly recommend adding them to your staff.

Recent readings over Spring and Easter Breaks provided four great reminders for me as a business leader. And I hope they do the same for y’all too.

For those of you who do not know, one half of my heart – my son – attends Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, right outside Orlando.

We stayed at one of my favorite beaches over Easter, New Smyrna Beach, which is a hour drive from my “son~shine.” And, where I purchased a beach condo, aka short-term rental investment property, earlier this year. It is affectionately deemed the “money pit.” But that is a blog for another day. I digress.

Reminder One: Be a GD Cheetah

A beach read was Glennon Doyle’s Untamed. She shares a visit to the zoo and the Cheetah Run. The cheetah, Tabitha, is tamed. She performs on queue.

A little girl asked, “Doesn’t she miss the wild?”

Zookeeper comes back with a BS answer.

Doyle writes that Tabitha would sigh and say, “I should be grateful. I have a good enough life here. It is crazy to long for what does not even exist.”

“I’d say: Tabitha. You are not crazy. You are a GD cheetah.”

That had such a profound effect on me. I later cried as I read the excerpt aloud to my daughter. Without the GD, of course. And I asked her to promise me to always be herself. To be a cheetah.

Reminder Two: Finding Leverage

Not as an emotional experience for me, but profound none the less. Reading the latest issue of Entrepreneur Magazine.

Time is our inventory.

An article by Adam Bornstein explores business growth by not necessarily adding more people. Rather, exploring this. “Smart growth is not about spending more time, nor is it about maxing out your time. It is about finding leverage.”

Reminder Three: Damn the Sycophants

I cannot remember what the article was about. It was the word. The word I had to look up.

I was reminded, although sometimes painful, I treasure those around me who are not this.

Surround yourself with talented people. Those who are smarter than you. Formidable team members push back. They may not think like you. But they make the organization better. These folks fill in for your short falls.

Reminder Four: Being Too Efficient

In a past life, I was ultra-organized. I am a Franklin Covey Planner Training Course graduate for heaven’s sake. Organized all the things in my office and life.

Then, I started Front Porch Marketing. And, had my second child at an “advanced maternal age.”

Words quoted from Edward Tenner in another Entrepreneur Magazine article spoke to me. In summary, big business always has the advantage. However, entrepreneurs combine technology with connection to people. Something big companies cannot do.

Jason Feifer, author of the article, cited Blockbuster and Netflix as an example. Early in my career collaborating with folks at Blockbuster and Viacom shaped me into who I am today. And I am eternally grateful for those experiences. I saw how they tried to evolve. As well as saw what was attempted and did not happen. These learnings were invaluable.

So I hope these four reminders for business that I learned this spring will resonate with you too!

Are you assessing your brand right how? Recently I was invited to sit in on a brainstorming meeting about marketing and growth. Here I was able to pick up some powerful marketing tools needed for growth. These tools may be applied both for personal and business growth.

Assessing Your Brand: Assets

In growth, we learn powerful information. So look at and determine your growth, and the path you took to get there. Assess the road your brand has taken – whether it’s a personal or business brand. Revisit where you have been and decide where you’re headed. Assess your brand’s strengths and weaknesses by asking yourself these questions.

• Present your strengths and weakness so that you stand out, sell your brand.
• What is new with you? Determine what you have learned and how it matters.
• Why does your business exist?
• Who are previous clients and why did they hire you?
• Evaluate your goals: where do you see yourself long/short term?

Target Audience Evaluation

Your target audience are the people you want to work with, your customers and potential customers. The internet provides resources to reach your target via platforms such as blogs, newsletters, social media, and alumni groups. Use these resources to be present for your customers, and assess your brand’s voice on these platforms.

• Who are you targeting? Who’s the decision maker that could benefit from your expertise?
• What are the hot topics? What’s trending in your brand’s space?
• Protip: Subscribe to platforms that your target audience subscribes to.
• Listen to your customers. Assess what they are talking about, and their relevance to your brand.
• Protip: Participate on sites that interest you, this is a great networking tool for finding like-minds.
• Become like your target, interact with their “friends” socially to really get to know them.

The Social Media Impact

Social media is more than a picture sharing platform, it is great for networking. Use social media platforms such as LinkedIn to learn about and follow clients to implement current trends.

• Use social media to introduce your brand to your potential customers, potential employers, and to your peers.
• Seek out and become a “friend” to past clients as well as their friends, and network with them, sharing your expertise.
• Your LinkedIn page should mirror the career for which you are aiming. Find websites dedicated to that career and subscribe to them. This will allow you to network and stay on top of any current or future possibilities. Brag about yourself on your profile, be proud and loud.

Plan and Grow Your Brand

Planning is the most important step one can do to get to the next level. So, plan, plan and keep planning. Brainstorm with colleagues and staff about ways to grow your personal brand and/or your business’ brand. Gather, analyze and leverage data, creating a message map of the recurring themes that you see. Really think about: what is your end game – a job, a career, an entrepreneurship? Evaluate and understand what you will need to get there by assessing your brand. Update your skills, explore what’s new and current. Investing in yourself is important to your brand’s growth.

AHA Moments are happening again!

AHAs and WHOAs. When the way the world of work is done shifts, like it did Q1 of 2022, you can expect a little bit of both. Our annual team kick off meeting this year was an AHA for us! Unfortunately, not everyone could make it. But it was the first time for us to meet two team members in person. They had joined us in 2021, but we had not all met in person yet. Such a great AHA moment!

We were also so excited to be onsite with our client last week. Their manufacturing facility inspires. Yes, we creative individuals love being in this environment because we can have lots of AHA moments together. Then, some of us go into a cave for a few hours after to recharge, taking all that inspiration with us to create. That meeting was the first time we met our client of several months in person vs via a screen. We hugged, natch.

WHOA, I’m not sure I’m ready for this.

In a catch-up lunch, Friday, a longtime advocate of ours was very anxious. And he admitted, he’s a bit angry. He starts international business travel again full throttle this week. He liked his pandemic routine. WHOA. We all kind of got used that didn’t we?

Another client of ours brought us on board recently. Their team is overstretched all the way around. Trade shows and conference are back now in person, and that adds a lot of extra marketing work to their plate. What’s extra hard for them right now is the fact that some of their clients are demanding online events as well. So, WHOA, they are now doing double the work.

We’ve been virtually ready for this for years.

Between all the client AHAs and WHOAs, it’s easy for us to just keep rollin’. Eleven years ago this month, we were founded on a virtual model. So, not much changed for us workstyle wise over the past two years. The rest of the world finally realized what a great model remote work is, and caught up to us!

Now the “Hybrid” work is emerging. Hybrid offices practice some time in the office and some time remote. According to U.S. News & World Report, the younger generations love the hybrid idea. But, they also love the connection of the face-to-face model. The older generation, who were the yuppies of the ‘80s, working 70 hours a week, now prefer not to be in the office all the time. And everyone seems to still be moving forward, getting things done. So remote and hybrid models are making more sense to a lot of workers.

Different work styles can work together.

Whatever style you or your team members or clients chose, be kind and carry on. You CAN work together! Remember professionals of all industries and levels are going through AHAs and WHOAs of their own as 2022 progresses. It may take some people time to settle in to their optimum work style, and make it work for their family, their team, and their company.