I
’ve loved magazines since I was
a little girl. More specifically, I
should say I loved any combina-
tion of images and text—my moth-
er recalls how I would spend what
seemed like hours analyzing every
detail on a cereal box, and I always
joke that I’d find something inter-
esting in a magazine about plumb-
ing.
My first job was working for my
dad’s business, where I revamped
his custom car parts catalog to in-
clude more of a human-interest
element. Even though I didn’t quite
understand all the items in the cat-
alog, I knew that what we were
really selling was a story—one of
family fun, of building a car from
the ground up, of the thrill of driv-
ing it.
And that’s what it’s all about: sto-
rytelling.
More than ever, people are looking
for entrepreneurs to exhibit au-
thenticity, and to grab us not with
their sales talk but with their per-
sonal stories. While some of the
big name, newsstand magazines
are downsizing, indie publications
that connect “tribes” are popping
up left and right. And you can have
one, too!
Like many creative entrepreneurs,
the path to finding my purpose
hasn’t been exactly straight. When
I started my marketing business
up after being home with my kids,
I felt this tug to change the world.
But, rather than be empowering,
it weighed heavily on me. Rather
than focusing on my own strengths
and passions, I dabbled in all sorts
of missions that called to me but
where I just couldn’t find my foot-
ing. I’ve realized that my role as con-
tributor is no less important than
being a thought leader. I see that
my true purpose is to be a facilita-
tor of helping to create strong, en-
during relationships between my
clients and their audience through
magazines. By connecting with like
minded people whose passions
are aligned with mine, so that we
can create powerful change to-
gether—I’ve already seen it hap-
pen.
Finally, a quote from money mind-
set mentor Denise Duffield-Thom-
as resonated with me: “You don’t
have to be a guru, you can be a
contributor.” I realized that I can
support the mission of badass
women entrepreneurs and help
them to get their message into the
world to make a bigger impact.
And I can do that by pursuing my
passion for magazines. Digital is Great, but Print is Power-
ful
I even created a method to deliver
the magazines in a way that elim-
inates the time and energy suck
associated with big projects like
these. A special edition magazine of your
own can be an even more pow-
erful tool. Think of it as the shiny
ribbon tied around your personal
story, your client successes and
If you’re a creative entrepreneur
then chances are you already know
that you have a story to tell, and
you’re likely already doing it in a
variety of ways—through a dreamy
Instagram feed, a thought-provok-
ing podcast, killer video content, or
engaging webinars.
Think about it this way: If someone
tells you that they have a blog, you
nod your head knowingly – it’s ex-
pected. But if someone hands you
a magazine with their face on the
cover, well, that’s something to
take seriously. It establishes instant
credibility, so you are seen not just
as someone who serves a com-
munity but the person who serves
that community.
I’m a Contributor, Not a Guru—and
I’m Good with That
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