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Fourth Friday Free-for-All: Stop Overthinking blogs!

Share the goods.

The fourth Friday is officially up for grabs at 834. Thus, Fourth Friday Free-for-All. You will hear from anyone and everyone — the guy that just put up our wallpaper (he knows a lot about customer service), to the people we talk to in restaurants (happy hour anyone?) and everyone in between. Have something you personally want to get off your chest or send off into the universe? Email ad******@*******gn.com and we’ll let you take a stab at it.
For our inaugural post, Kim Bode (our fearless leader) has a little message about blogging she’d like to reinforce for you below.
Listen up. I am only going to say this one more time, although this blog will live in the blogosphere for years and years as a valued piece of literature (obviously): Stop overthinking blogs!
A blog is not a research paper. It is also not 1,500 words. Hell, it doesn’t even have to be written (see: video, podcast or infographic). As firm bloglievers (like Beliebers, but way effin’ cooler and drastically less destructive or tattooed), we’ve heard too many times to count that four blogs a month is an outrageous expectation — staff is overloaded, there’s no time to spare, it’s not a priority and on and on and on. It appears our multiple blogs, newsletters, articles and social media posts about the importance of content generation has fallen on deaf ears.
Science… because science. 
Here are a few eye-opening statistics from our friends at HubSpot that prove blogging is a far more valuable marketing tool than most companies understand:

  • 46% of people read blogs more than once a day
  • 79% of companies that have a blog reported a positive ROI for inbound marketing in 2013
  • Marketers or companies who emphasize blogging are 13 times more likely to have increased ROI year-over-year
  • Blogging is the top tool used by inbound marketers and therefore, companies utilizing these agencies (see graph below)

HubSpot - State of Inbound Report - 2014
HubSpot – State of Inbound Report – 2014

It is also important to note that inbound marketing (social media, blogging, email marketing, SEO) is significantly cheaper than traditional or outbound marketing (via Hubspot | State of Inbound Report | 2014). Blogging saves you money! (Gasps from the non-bloglievers). Even further, you can actually measure the effectiveness of blogging by checking shares, analytics and downloads.
HubSpot | State of Inbound Report | 2014
The data doesn’t lie, folks. So now you have a choice: continue pouring marketing funds into $2,000-a-pop print ads or sit your ass down to write a 500-word blog that will reap 13 times the ROI for free. Hey, it’s up to you. We just write it and live it.

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National Perimenopause Month starts today. We have a LOT to say, and we’re not going to be quiet about it, especially this month, so buckle up.

We were not prepared for perimenopause, much like our periods, sex, or anything else to do with our bodies. God forbid we talk about it openly.

We were taught to be ashamed, keep quiet, and to accept that it is just part of being a woman. We reject that narrative. In fact, like @bodespeaks, we want to bring it up in every conversation.

When we normalize perimenopause and the conversation around it, we stop isolating, and we’re all more prepared.
Join us for Uncomfortable Conversations: The Pause on September 24th — a powerful conversation hosted alongside the @smallbusinessassocofmichigan
Women’s Business Council, featuring some kicka$$ experts who will give you the real talk on perimenopause (more to come on them later).

Register at the link in bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18132641716644887
National Perimenopause Month starts today. We have a LOT to say, and we’re not going to be quiet about it, especially this month, so buckle up. We were not prepared for perimenopause, much like our periods, sex, or anything else to do with our bodies. God forbid we talk about it openly. We were taught to be ashamed, keep quiet, and to accept that it is just part of being a woman. We reject that narrative. In fact, like @bodespeaks, we want to bring it up in every conversation. When we normalize perimenopause and the conversation around it, we stop isolating, and we’re all more prepared. Join us for Uncomfortable Conversations: The Pause on September 24th — a powerful conversation hosted alongside the @smallbusinessassocofmichigan Women’s Business Council, featuring some kicka$$ experts who will give you the real talk on perimenopause (more to come on them later). Register at the link in bio.

You asked, we delivered.

Introducing the Women`s Owners Network - a new program built for what comes first, joining our proven Fellowship model to support Michigan women at every stage of business ownership.

Whether you`ve got a team of 10 or it`s just you and your laptop, you deserve a room full of women who get it.

Six months of leadership, finance, operations, capital access, paired with real support for the isolation, emotional volatility, and decision fatigue that come with owning your own business.

You`ll have your own board of directors in your corner, including @bodespeaks plus a group of mentors, instructors, and coaches who`ve been exactly where you are.

Applications due October 1. Apply now at the link in bio.

10 3
Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18089775152664042
You asked, we delivered. Introducing the Women's Owners Network - a new program built for what comes first, joining our proven Fellowship model to support Michigan women at every stage of business ownership. Whether you've got a team of 10 or it's just you and your laptop, you deserve a room full of women who get it. Six months of leadership, finance, operations, capital access, paired with real support for the isolation, emotional volatility, and decision fatigue that come with owning your own business. You'll have your own board of directors in your corner, including @bodespeaks plus a group of mentors, instructors, and coaches who've been exactly where you are. Applications due October 1. Apply now at the link in bio.

"I am big enough to admit that I am often inspired by myself" - Leslie F*ucking Knope

You are the hero in your own story. Be like Leslie and believe it.

Come to the Big Deal Energy Workshop, @bodespeaks will show you how.

It`s personal branding with a shot of tequila. Register in bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18026151482745649
"I am big enough to admit that I am often inspired by myself" - Leslie F*ucking Knope You are the hero in your own story. Be like Leslie and believe it. Come to the Big Deal Energy Workshop, @bodespeaks will show you how. It's personal branding with a shot of tequila. Register in bio.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: We took a walk to one of the houses @bodespeaks lived in Creston. There were 3 total. We also got a history lesson of @crestongr along the way. Of course we had to take Joey too.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18232322101316198
THROWBACK THURSDAY: We took a walk to one of the houses @bodespeaks lived in Creston. There were 3 total. We also got a history lesson of @crestongr along the way. Of course we had to take Joey too.
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