Good Stock Photos

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you had a good weekend. I spent mine indoors, getting my home office in order. Last week I worked mostly from the couch and, let's be honest, from my bed, and that was not terribly productive. But today I'm starting fresh with my newly rearranged and organized office, and I'm ready for the week! 

Part of my goals for this week are getting my editorial calendar set up for the blog (I've fallen woefully behind) and part of that includes finding good photos for every post. If you do much writing online you know the struggle that is finding decent photos to go with your posts and articles. I do try to take photos on my own, but usually I don't have time to take photos for everything I write. So I often rely on stock photos.

My go-to stock photo option has long been Death to Stock Photos. They have some great stuff. Unfortunately, everyone else seems to think so as well! I see their photos everywhere, and I'm starting to realize it may be time to find another option.

Enter GoodStock.Photos. All photos on the site are free, but if you want the really good stuff you'll want to sign up for a membership. There are two options: Plus and Premium. Plus Members get a pack of 20 hi-res photos each month while Premium Members get the same pack plus access to all previous monthly packs. Both paid options also give back to the community, with $1 of every Plus Membership and $10 of every Premium Membership going to charity.

Good Stock Photos is relatively new, so there is only one photo-pack so far. But it's a good one, so I'm excited about the future of this site! Here are a couple of the photos offered in the current photo pack:

If you're interested in joining GoodStock.Photos, I've got good news for you. You can save 25% off a Plus or Premium Membership with the code "sparkles" - just enter that in when you checkout and you'll be good to go! The code is valid until July 31st, so if you're interested you better head over there now!

What are your go-to stock photo options? I know a few photographers who are also looking to put together their own stock photo sites, and I'd love to have a few places to pull from!
 

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...

Full disclosure: I did receive a one-year Premium Membership to Good Stock Photos in exchange for writing this blog post. However all opinions are my own! I am excited to be trying out Good Stock Photos, and I think you'll like it too.

When I Grow Up: Becoming a Content Strategist

Hey friends! Today I'm doing something a little different - I'm going to be talking about my career as a content strategist, creator, and manager. As you all know, I relaunched J Bryant Creative this week so what better week to tell you about it? 

So let's begin with the same questions I make everyone answer, shall we?

As a child, I wanted to be a ­______ when I grew up. I wanted to be a pediatrician who wrote books on the side. I’ve always had a left brain/right brain thing going on.

 How close (or far) is your current career from that dream? Well, the pediatrician thing clearly didn’t happen! I was one of many wannabe doctors who were weeded out by Chem I. And while I don’t write books (yet), I am a writer now!

 What is your official job title? I like to call myself a CCO – Creative Content Officer. But to make things simple I often just call myself a Content Strategist.

 Ok, now what does that really mean? Essentially I handle all things content, including strategy, creation, and management. As a strategist I help overhaul websites or develop and edit e-courses. As a writer/editor I create content like web copy, blogs, newsletters, and original articles. As a content manager I monitor and curate site content for clients, both on their own sites and on social media sites (like Facebook groups).

 What is a typical day like? Well, I just went full-time with this. Before this week I was waking up early every day to answer emails and get some work done before I made the 30+ minute drive to my job as an accountant for a bank. I would either have a client call over my lunch break or just bring my laptop with me to get some writing done, and then after my last few hours at the bank I would either have another call or spend several hours working.

Now I’m still figuring out what a typical day is going to look like! Monday I started the day with coffee and content management for an ongoing client, followed by revisions for the web copy for a photographer and then a first glance at an e-course I’ll be editing for another creative entrepreneur. I took a few breaks to check on our dogs, switch laundry, that kind of thing, but overall it was a pretty great and productive day. Yesterday I only worked half a day because I had a court date for my CASA case and then I drove to Dallas for a networking event, which totally counts as work because networking is going to be a crucial important part of my business!

How did you end up in this career? After graduating from OU (see below) I accepted a job in public accounting in the Dallas area. I was there one year before moving on to a different accounting firm where I stayed one year. At that point I was totally done with tax accounting and decided to try this whole writing and editing thing I'd been dreaming of, so I created a website and basically just set up shop! For two years I did writing and editing while also working as a nanny, but when my two main recurring clients moved their work in house I decided to go back to a 9-to-5. I made it all of a month there before those clients came back to me, and I started running my business on the side. I did that for two years, but in the past six months the client work really started to pick up and I decided to go full-time again. I feel much better prepared this time around!

 What kind of education or training did you complete for this career? I earned an accounting degree from the University of Oklahoma, and while I considered switching majors before graduation I decided I didn’t want to waste all those hours I spent in finance and accounting classes. So I used my electives to take classes like Magazine Editing and Writing the Novel while I survived all those accounting hours! After graduation I’ve mostly learned from books and e-courses (you can find more about those in the Resources section of the blog).

 What advice would you give to someone who wants a similar career? Don’t do it alone! The first time I tried to go full-time I made it two years before deciding to go back to the corporate world. And my biggest mistake was not making other freelance friends. Now I’m in several groups on Facebook as well as some in real life groups! It’s been so helpful having people to turn to when I have questions or need help.

 Do you have any other career dreams? What do you want to be when you grow up? Right now this is it! I’m focusing my energy on J Bryant Creative, as well as my resume business, OK Resume Services.

 Any last thoughts or encouragement for others trying to decide what they want to do “when they grow up”? Do your research, figure out what you want, and GO FOR IT!

And that's the basics! My apologies if you saw the original unfinished version of this post earlier - I scheduled it to post at the usual 6:30 am time but didn't finish it yesterday like I meant to! Tuesday was a blur of broken iPhones and driving (I'm currently at a friend's house in Dallas) so I just ran out of time. But if you're reading this then you are seeing the final version :) 

reviously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...

When I Grow Up: Becoming a Business Coach, Speaker, and Entrepreneur

Hey y'all! If you only read through email you may not notice, but there have been a few changes around here. I switched to a different Squarespace template yesterday. The template I'd been using was discontinued and I was starting to have some issues. The new look is a little cleaner and simpler, but I'd love to hear what you think about it!

Now back to the business at hand: introducing Jennifer Reitmeyer! She seems to be an incredibly busy woman, running not one, not two, but three successful businesses. 

As a child, I wanted to be a ballerina when I grew up. I also told a reporter once that I wanted to be Madonna. Given my nonexistent singing and dancing talent, neither of these vocations were in the cards for me. Glad I’m good at improvising!

How close (or far) is your current career from that dream? Couldn’t be farther! But I was kind of a bossy kid, so it stands to reason I’d find a way to be the one in charge.

What is your official job title? I’m the president of MyDeejay, the founder and co-editor of WeddingIQ, and the founder of Firebrand Messaging. I also do quite a bit of small business coaching and some professional speaking under my own flag.

Ok, now what does that really mean? Good thing for me, being the boss in all my businesses means I get to come up with the titles and the actual job descriptions! In all seriousness, though, I consider myself the visionary, the leader, and the ultimate buck-stopper in everything I do. For MyDeejay, that means constantly raising and redefining the standard by which we provide music for couples’ weddings. For WeddingIQ, it’s identifying and dissecting important topics that are relevant to business owners in my industry. For Firebrand Messaging, it’s fulfilling my blogging and social media management clients’ need for authentic, smart content that sounds like they could have created it themselves rather than outsourcing it. And for all of these businesses, I’m constantly looking for ways to streamline my operations, improve my productivity and create a client experience that aligns with the brands I’ve created.

What is a typical day like? Some days I start by wrangling my two awesome little boys – they’re both quirky, interesting and neuroatypical – and getting them off to daycare. Then it’s off for a whirlwind of tasks for my various ventures. A typical day for me includes a mix of coaching meetings; preparing contracts, editorial calendars and content for my blogging and social media clients; writing for my business blog; working on new seminar presentations and workshops; managing the contractors who work for me (DJs, office staff, writers and social media managers); networking online and in-person; and dreaming up new ways to market my businesses – and then taking action on those dreams! On the evenings my kids are with their dad, I try to fit in some social time (happy hour is a gift from the heavens) with my incredibly fantastic circle of friends. My ADHD-addled brain is thrilled about the variety of things I get to squeeze into a given day, and I always feel challenged.

Photography by Amy Raab 

How did you end up in this career? I started out in the wedding industry, fresh out of college, 18 years ago. After spending a few years in catering sales and event planning, I ended up in a sales and marketing position for an entertainment company. It was there that I met my now ex-husband and former business partner, and we ended up creating a DJ company of our own. It’s mine now, and it’ll always be my first business love. I realized, though, that as someone who doesn’t actually work in the craft that I sell – deejaying – my true passion is in the actual marketing and operation of a business, and everything that entails. I created my wedding business blog to discuss those things with other entrepreneurs in my field, and from there, my side hustle of business speaking and coaching started to flourish. And it was a business coaching client who actually inspired me to start my blogging and social media company, because he didn’t like the company he was paying for those services. I’m amazed sometimes when I look back at my entrepreneurial journey and see how things kind of naturally fell into place – all by following my passions, identifying needs, and finding ways to fulfill those needs.

Photography by Kirsten Marie

What kind of education or training did you complete for this career? I have a bachelor’s degree in communications, although until I started Firebrand Messaging, I don’t think that was directly relevant to anything I do (I don’t think it’s that relevant now - blogs and social media didn’t exist when I was in college!). I don’t have any specific training, either; I’m just a very quick study who’s picked things up along the way. Some would be horrified to know that my business motto is “fake it ‘til you make it” – but that’s huge for me. I believe we create our opportunities through having a mix of the passion to learn, the commitment to work, and the confidence to try. I wasn’t a business owner before I got a tax ID and launched a website. I wasn’t a speaker before I stepped onto a stage for the first time. I wasn’t a coach before I sat down with a client and convinced them I could help make their business better. Have I delivered on everything I said I could do? I think so. But I had to be bold enough to know I could, or I’d still be sitting in a hotel sales office somewhere, doing the same thing I was doing at age 21.

What advice would you give to someone who wants a similar career? I think there are two avenues to success. One is to think of something no one else has ever done before, and do that. Be the innovator. That worked for me to an extent with my business blog, because no one else seemed to be doing the same exact thing, for the same exact purpose, that I was. (That has never been, and may never be, a big moneymaker, though – innovation often requires creating a client base from nothing, because it’s on you to create the demand.) The other avenue, which I personally have found more lucrative, is to think of something someone else is doing, but doing poorly. Then do it awesomely. That’s worked with my DJ business and with my blogging and social media management service. By homing in on the shortcomings of other companies, I’ve been able to create a niche for myself and a unique experience for my clients. I think being aware of these two avenues is useful not only for entrepreneurs, but also for people who want to be invaluable in their jobs working for someone else. Find a new way to be great, or be better than anyone else in an already-defined role, whichever feels more natural and rewarding for you.

 Do you have any other career dreams? What do you want to be when you grow up? My number one dream is to be a MOGUL. People chuckle when I say that, like I’m not dead serious. But I am. I want to bring something meaningful and different and real to the wedding industry, and to the business world as a whole. My vehicles for reaching this goal are the businesses I create, the blog content (and eventually, the books) that I write, the speeches I give, and the way I treat the people I interact with. I want to inspire.

Photography by Kirsten Marie

Any last thoughts or encouragement for others trying to decide what they want to do “when they grow up”? My encouragement is twofold. First up: be authentic in everything that you do. When you’re 100% who you are, then you don’t have to waste energy maintaining a façade, you have the opportunity to connect with clients and colleagues on a deeper level, and you get to truly own every one of your successes, because they’re as real as you are. Some people would say some of my interests and choices aren’t stereotypically “professional.” Lots of folks might frown about my  bold tattoos, or my passion for squeezing every bit of fun out of life that I can (there’s a reason I choose to be self-employed, after all!), or my “Macgyver mama” approach to single motherhood, which has no room for a lot of the trappings of nuclear families. That’s okay. By putting myself – my real self - out there, I’ve found “my people” both personally and professionally, and I truly believe my businesses are more successful, and more enjoyable to run, as a result. My other bit of encouragement is this: You are capable of doing everything you believe you can do, but no more than that. I mentioned before that I am an advocate for “fake it ‘til you make it.” Decide what you want to pursue and go after it with passion. When you’re focused on it, and you’re putting in the work, great things will happen, but lack of confidence is a killer. Self-limits are by far the most limiting of all.

Whew! Aren't you exhausted just reading about her day? I'm so glad she was able to take time out of her busy schedule to share her story with us. You can find Jennifer at WeddingIQ, Firebrand Messaging, and MyDeejay.

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...