Inspired Freelancer

Hot off the Presses - Dress the Professional

I am always excited when something I wrote gets published, no matter how many pieces I have published in the past. I get the same rush seeing my work in print for the first time that I get after singing a recital or showing a client a piece of graphic art I've created for them (yes, I do some graphics, but shhhh... don't tell anyone). 

Even more exciting about this particular article was seeing it featured on the front page of my publisher's parent company website with its own photo and blurb. So, I invite you to check out this fun little article about dressing professionals across multiple fields.

Click here to read:

Julie's Latest Article - Dress The Professional

The article is a feature story in the December 2008 issue of Advantages magazine.

Freelancing in Cleveland (read "from" Cleveland)

One of the most fascinating things about my work as a freelance writer and communication specialist is the fact that most of my business does not come from my hometown of Cleveland. So far, I've done one small newsletter project locally, while I've handled corporate communications, website content creation and extensive feature writing for publications and clients across the country. My clients can be found everywhere from the nearby Cincinnati and Pennsylvania to Boston and Colorado. 

This preponderance of distant clients seems highly unlikely at first glance. Why so many out-of-town clients? It goes back to my work for Proforma, a large North American Franchise with 650 offices in the US and Canada. I think the more important question here is: why have I not found more local clients to work for? I suppose my business development efforts have not been focused on local prospects, but on referrals from my current clients. Still, I have attended a fair amount of local networking meet-ups and handed out a number of business cards.

Any tips out there for getting local business? Are some networking events better than others for meeting potential clients? I've heard that joining the local chamber of commerce is a good idea, and I already have a few professional memberships. If any of you have tips to share, please do. Once I've mastered the art of business development networking, I promise I'll be the first to share my secrets!

In the meantime, I'm an affordable, high-quality writer in good old Cleveland (well, closer to Akron to be more accurate). If anyone out here is looking for writing, editing or freelance public relations, I'd be happy to stop by and meet with you! And if you're someone from across the country (or the world) reading this, of course I'd be happy to add a new face to my out-of-town client roster. 

Signing off from Northeast Ohio... have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Required Viewing: Gary Vaynerchuk's "Ego Searching or Caring?"

Earlier today, my husband caught me googling myself. Not just my name, but my business name, my blog name and even then names of a few friends. Oh, and apparently, there's another Julie Ann Cajigas in the Philippines. I don't know much about her, but she's 27 years old. She and I should meet up one day to commiserate. Anyway, he caught me, and pretended to be interested in the fact that I found a church bulletin from three or four months ago on page seven of my google search.

Then, a lightbulb went on - in my husband's head. He excitedly asked me if I had seen Gary Vaynerchuk's latest video post. Don't know who Gary is? Well, if you're a wine connoisseur, a fan of Conan O'Brien or just someone interested in learning more about branding, the Internet and your business, I recommend keeping up with Gary Vaynerchuk's latest (and archived) videos and blog posts (that means you current clients, prospective clients, friends and family). Gary Vaynerchuk is definitely required reading/viewing for any business owner in 2008.

Anyway, I digress. Hubby immediately insisted that I navigate over to the video and educate myself. In Ego Searching or Caring? Vaynerchuk explains the difference between "ego searching" (or searching google for your name because you want to know how important/awesome/interesting you are) and caring (or, well, caring). So, before I continue, I would like you to watch the video now:

Hot Stuff - My First Major Section Is Published

I am excited to report that my first foray into writing an entire section has been published!

Check out Counselor magazine's December 2008 "Apparel Hot-Sheet," written by yours truly.

While I have contributed a number of articles to a variety of magazines, this is my first major section assignment to hit the stands. It covers fashion trends in the branded apparel industry, but also has some great general fashion information as well. I hope you enjoy it!

I'm All "A-Twitter"

At this point, I think it's safe to say that I'm "twitterpated," as the small woodland creatures from Bambi would say. I'll admit it publicly, my husband was the one that got me into twitter. He is the fastest Social Media adopter that I've ever met. It's almost as if he's sitting and waiting for the latest greatest thing to turn up in his google feeds (when he's not busy being a doctor, husband and all-around good guy). Before twitter was a buzzword on anyone's tongue, my husband and I were sitting next to each other with our laptops fired up, and he was pestering me about joining twitter.

I was a bit resistant at first. I remember saying "Oh come on honey, is this going to be another Virb?" I didn't think he would keep up with it - I mean, who cares about what we're doing every minute of the day? My husband doesn't even care about what I'm doing every minute of the day. But I have to give him props. We are both twittering fairly regularly these days - and loving it!

You might have glanced at my twitter feed on the side panel of my blog -->

Yes, I know I had a ten-day hiatus from twitter. You might think that doesn't sound very regular, and you would be correct. So here's my dilemma: I currently have a work twitter and a personal twitter, and my personal twitter is getting all the love.