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Thursday, January 3, 2019

Happy New Year - Here's to living in the present tense

Here we are in 2019. I hope you all had a very safe and happy New Year's Eve celebration. For those of you who dread the end of year holidays, and all the stress and pressure that comes with them, you made it! Now we can all focus on making some realistic resolutions and positive changes for the days, weeks and months ahead.

I was able to close out the year on a high note professionally by securing some very positive media coverage for one of my clients in Business Insider. These opportunities came about after a background briefing with a reporter. By staying in touch with him afterward to ensure my client didn't slip off his radar, I was able to create two opportunities for my client to provide expert commentary. Great stuff.

I'm also in the home stretch of a 90-day engagement with my first client to take advantage of the McCuenications PR "Starter Kit" package. (I really do need a more catchy/attention getting name for it. Any suggestions? Leave a comment. I've thought about McCueKit but that's generated a lot of eye rolls from friends and family).

Working together, we managed to accomplish a number of goals - Media coaching for two company spokespeople, a launch press release was written and distributed over the wire to establish a digital footprint, I wrote and co-wrote a few blog posts for them, and we secured media coverage for the founder of the company as a software/IT industry expert. We've also worked together to make sure our LinkedIn presence is consistent and we're out there posting, "liking" and commenting on other posts.

Over the next two weeks, I'll be pushing for more media opportunities and coverage, we'll look to finalize a few more blog posts to establish a steady drumbeat of fresh content on their site and more. It's been a great 90 days and I think we've all learned a lot from the experience. I'm my own toughest critic (as I'm sure many of you are, too) and would like a few "do-overs" and maybe some things I'd do differently, but overall I'm pleased with the service and results provided by McCuenications PR. Fortunately, my client feels the same way.

Later this month, I'll be making an announcement about the "Starter Kit" package in a press release and hope to be able to include a quote from this client. Fingers crossed.

Things are a little rocky on the personal front, which is why I haven't updated this blog in a while. Some hard lessons learned about the importance of addressing things proactively and not sitting back and hoping they'll resolve themselves. Also, when you see warning signs, acting on them as quickly as possible. These situations are examples of when owning your own business - and being a single person - can be difficult. You don't have a business or life partner to lean on - or give you a good swift kick in the tush - when you're hesitating to take action for one reason or another.

So here's to being more proactive in 2019 and avoiding the mistakes and indecision of the past. There's no time for regrets - only living and learning and moving on. To quote my favorite musician Jimmy Page, "ever onward." Here's a song I listen to as a reminder of that credo.

I'm also determined to take better care of myself, shed a few pounds of winter weight by making time to work out on a regular basis, and spend more time going to movies, concerts and theater performances and a LOT less time watching TV (especially movies I've seen a gazillion times like The Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games, Casino, The Outlaw Josey Wales and many others. It's not like the plots or endings are going to change if I keep watching them ...).

Also, I've lived in Brooklyn for more than 16 years now and lately I've been seriously considering if a change of scenery would be a good thing for me. Most of my friends have been priced out of this neighborhood or moved away for one reason or another. I've been thinking about where I'd move to if I did decide to make a change. In this case, being a solo business practioner and single dude is an advantage. I'd only have to worry about uprooting me - and I can do my work from anywhere in the world, really, so long as I have an Internet connection and cell service. Lots to think about...

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading this post. Please leave a comment. I love hearing from you. Wishing you and your loved ones all the very best of everything in 2019 and beyond.

Best,
Bill

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