In April of last year, I made the decision to overhaul my life, namely by moving two hours away from my lifelong home and leaving behind the core people in my life – including my family and my husband.  Some of my readers – and of course, my friends – were shocked to learn of […]

I've worked with small business owners since I launched my own small business in 2010. From start-ups to fourth generation family-owned companies, I've witnessed first-hand the challenges that small businesses face on a regular basis. It's probably no surprise that lack of time and resources are among them. Remaining competitive is a challenge, especially for […]

I welcome milestones simply because they offer perspective.  In preparation for this blog for my five-year business anniversary, I re-read some of my past posts as I achieved hallmarks in my business. It's funny the lessons I continue to learn - and how much of this is really just a maze. Each year, it's the […]

In my last blog, I shared with you the importance of creativity in business by citing an example of a successful contest we recently posted on our social media channels. There's a lot to be said for creative ideas. And, there's also a lot to be said for creative writing. Although, neither has come natural […]

As a small business owner, I place emphasis on serving my customers, working with the team and overseeing the day-to-day business operations. As I've said before, it's easy to put my own marketing efforts on the backburner - and there are many times when creativity isn’t something that is easily summoned. But,  that doesn't mean it […]

by Lauren Galli, #Strella Creative Director We live in an emotion-driven society, and at times, our emotions have the ability to cloud our judgment. We tend to go in one of two directions, we are either over-sensitive to others or completely insensitive. When considering a social media presence for your business, a qualified social media […]

Last week, a small business owner client told me that some of his participants in a service-based program reported frustration and disappointment in the end result. He was very careful to explain what this program can and cannot do for them - and he was sure they understood that his job was to position them to acquire a result, […]

It's been the ongoing assumption, a joke in part, that social media professionals spend their day 'playing on Facebook.'  But, we know the truth, especially social media managers. An average day as a social media manager is often mundane - and much less glamorous than it sounds.  The majority of our time is spent  executing  […]

In the past few weeks, I've corresponded with several start-ups regarding social media marketing as part of their business launch. One prospective customer asked me the reasonable number of customers that he could expect for the campaign - and the cost per customer acquisition. This type of question is one I receive often ('what's my […]