Hello ladies.
Welcome to this week's
Hourly to Exit podcast.
I have a wonderful
guest for you today, my
dear friend Eric Khen.
I always get your
Gimme your last name,
Erica.
I always get Khen.
You the T and the
H and it works.
Ah, there you go.
All right, now I've
got it settled.
So welcome.
Thank you for being
here and sharing your
wisdom with the audience.
So Erica and I go way back,
not with her last name
apparently, but we go way
back and I am very excited
to have her on today.
But before we dig into what
she does and how she helps,
audiences like ours, I'd love
Erica for you to introduce
yourself to the audience.
Yeah, so Erica Holsen.
I am the founder of Catchline
Communications and.
Live in New London,
Connecticut, which I
am currently obsessed
with this little city.
and inspired by you, Erin.
I have a little urban garden
and I had my first tomato and
first tomatillo yesterday.
Woo.
So it was very exciting.
Is this the right time of
year for tomatoes?
I don't,
They're just starting.
Okay.
So like all the
rest are green.
And then there was one that
was like, Actually red,
so it didn't last long.
I ate it before
the critters could.
Yeah.
when I used to have them,
they never got into the house.
I don't have any this year.
Get them warm off the vine
is the only way to eat those
things.
yes, yes.
Well,
please more about, what
you do and who you help.
Yeah.
So I am, effectively, I
work with consultants,
established consultants
and executives who want to.
Increase their visibility,
build their authority, and
learn how to write articles
for publications like
Harvard Business Review, Inc.
Entrepreneur, all of
that kind of thing.
So, runs the gamut from
figuring out which is
the right publication,
because there are a lot of
opportunities out there and
some that we don't think
about, like association
publications, but that.
Might be the perfect
place for you.
So it goes through picking
the right publication,
figuring out what is your
body of work, what are the
things that you're actually
going to talk about.
Then to the pitch, actually
writing the thing and what the
structure of an article is.
And then most importantly
and often overlooked is what
do you do with that article
after it's been published?
Because, Just getting an
article published in Harvard
Business Review is not
going to have the hoards
of humans knocking down
your door, so you have to
actually use it as an asset.
So how do you do that so
that you can accomplish
the goals that you set?
I mean, you said there are
a lot of things there that
I want to, circle back on,
especially the term high
visibility publications.
And you mentioned
big ones like Inc.
And Forbes and Harvard
Business Review.
but.
that may not be the
most visibility for
you and what you do.
So what does that mean,
the context of each of our
businesses?
Yeah, a hundred percent.
and I love that question
because everybody thinks
of, we talk about getting
writing articles for
publication, the first things
that come to mind are the
big business magazines.
But if your folks aren't
there, Even if they are,
but they're not as there
as they might be someplace
else, then it's not
high visibility for you.
So it's who are you
actually trying to reach?
What are you actually
trying to accomplish?
Association publications are
often overlooked, but those
can be such a powerful place
to not only get in touch with
your exact audience, but also
to build a relationship with
the folks at the association.
So I've had.
Clients who have written for
association publications.
And then guess what happens?
If you're actually providing
high quality content for their
members month after month
after month when they need
somebody to do a webinar,
to speak at the conference,
to do something else like
that, you are a natural
person for them to turn to.
Yeah.
I mean, I can say personally
that me, Forbes is a
flip through magazine.
Like I just kinda flip
through it and see anything,
I don't read it, Yeah.
Unlike, my association
magazines, which I do
actually read 'cause that
is very applicable to,
what I specifically I
want to find out about.
and one of the other things,
I mean, I know I've run into
this, when I have looked at
the submission guidelines
for some of the bigger.
publications.
I mean, they want you to
have published somewhere
else first, and so I see
sometimes yes, sometimes not
as often as you would think if
you are coming in as an expert
who is publishing that way.
They do want to see
writing samples, but those
writing samples don't
necessarily need to be with
a third party publication.
So they could be on your
blog, they could be on
on Medium, so it's more.
For coming in as an expert
where you are not being
paid for your writing.
That's what separates it
from the, freelance writers.
you're not being paid for your
writing, but you are getting
access to their audience.
They do wanna see writing
samples, but they're less
likely to care that much
about where else you have
been published if you've
been published elsewhere.
Okay.
Some do, but then you kind
of ladder up to those.
Okay.
and these are all for
publicity and not for pay?
Is that Yes.
Okay.
Got it.
All right.
So for pay is a whole
different ball of wax.
but these are really to
get your ideas in front
of the right audience.
one of the benefits of
writing articles for
publication is that the
publication has vetted you.
So, Unlike writing a book,
frankly, which anybody can
write, and anybody can have
self-published on Amazon,
which in so many ways is
great because we have access
to so much more information.
But with writing articles
for publication, there's
an editorial team that has
vetted you and has decided,
yes, this is a person who
is worth listening to.
And with that sort of stamp
of approval Adds immediately
to, the credibility and
to building your authority
for what it is that you do.
Well, that's an
interesting way to put it.
because there, our access,
direct access to our
audience is everywhere from
podcast to our newsletter
to YouTube or, media.
Mm-hmm.
These publications, I
guess are one of the
last kind of gatekeepers.
Yeah.
So there's like that little
bit of a gatekeeping and
gatekeeping add credibility.
and part of it
is so few people.
this is still an area
that is expanding.
These publications
need this content.
Mm-hmm.
And a lot of folks don't
do it usually out of like
a little bit of fear.
And is that stepping onto a
platform that's like a little.
Like, ah, what happens
when I get this out there?
but by doing that alone,
that's a great differentiator
because if I have two
different consultants and
one has a column on ink And
otherwise they are both equal,
I'm probably going with the
one who has a column on ink.
Absolutely.
Now, when you mentioned the
need for content, ' cause
I'm still, I'm a certain
age, I was thinking paper,
but I imagine like most
of their content is online
now, so is that correct?
Yes.
Okay.
Alright.
Yes, and that's, where
the opportunity resides.
So the opportunity is not
to write for entrepreneur,
the magazine that
comes in your mailbox.
Mm-hmm.
It's the opportunity to
write for entrepreneur.com
and part of that is because
publications have always,
as long as they've been
around, they have required
advertising revenue to stay in
the black, to be able to make
ends meet when advertising
revenue moved online.
They needed more and
more content online.
Mm-hmm.
Online advertising revenue
is driven by traffic,
which is driven by search
engine optimization, which
is driven by content.
So they need way more
content than they could
possibly afford to create
if they were paying
their staff, writers and
freelancers to create it all.
So that huge need.
Offers an opportunity for
experts, then want to be
able to get in touch with
those audiences and they have
something valuable to share.
So it becomes a win for
the publication because
they're getting the content.
They need a win for the
experts because now they're on
this vetted platform that has
a much larger audience than
most of us have on our own.
And it's a win for the
reader because now I can read
articles that come through
the lens of a journalist.
Which is a little bit
different and articles that
come from folks who have boots
on the ground experience.
Right.
I love that.
Okay, so one of the terms
you've been using is expert
of course, and I know we've
had conversations before
about thought leadership
versus authoritative expert,
and tell me what your
thoughts are about that
thought leadership term.
This is such a difficult
question for me because.
the term thought leader
has been overused to such
an extent that it doesn't
mean anything anymore.
So I have always shied away
from that because so many of
the folks who are true thought
leaders are who were actually
either not remembered.
Because the thought leader
is the person out front.
So one person, Edwin
Land, a lot of people
don't know who he is.
He was the founder
of Polaroid.
Everybody knows Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs was not
the thought leader.
He learned a whole bunch of
stuff from Edwin Land mm-hmm.
Who is effectively forgotten
except in certain little
nerdy circles, who have
a, Polaroid obsession.
other thought leaders who
are true thought leaders,
we do not, humans do
not do well with change.
So a true thought leader
is really, Changing the
dynamics of things and
there's going to be pushback.
Mm-hmm.
So, Dr.
Suzanne Ard is another
true thought leader.
She is.
In the nineties, she published
a piece in Nature Magazine.
was the person who discovered
that forests talked to each
other through those fungal
networks, the Microsol
networks, and a lot of
acclaim at first, and then
the forestry industry.
Went bananas and
she was blacklisted.
she almost, her career was
almost destroyed because they
didn't want to hear this.
They didn't want
this to be true.
That would require
them to the forestry
industry to fundamentally
change how it operates.
And that's scary.
It's a lot easier to just
blacklist some crazy woman
who says that trees talk.
true thought
leaders are often.
It is not a comfortable
place to be, and you don't
need to be a thought leader
to be a thoughtful leader.
Ah.
Mm-hmm.
And in fact, either
way, thought is at
the beginning of it.
People are saying, oh, I'm
putting out thought leadership
on LinkedIn every day.
No, you're not.
Like you're not.
deep thinking is behind
thought leadership.
So I think for me, the big
thing is if you want to
be a thought leader, and
if you have ideas that are
truly going to turn your
industry on its head, cool.
Go for it.
Make sure you have the support
of family members of friends
because you're going to it
because you are going to rock
a lot of boats and people
are going to get angry and
they're going to take it
out on you because humans
always shoot the messenger.
If you want to be a sought
after expert, an authoritative
expert, somebody who is the
go-to that folks know this
is somebody who really thinks
through things, who has some
insights and perspective and
wisdom to share, can do that.
And you can just be
a thoughtful leader.
I like
that.
I like that one.
Where do you think the
thought, where does
the thought leadership.
Term come from?
Do you
recall or?
Oh gosh.
It was a business magazine.
One of the editors at a
business magazine that was,
I think, affiliated with one
of the big consulting groups.
I wish I could remember
all the details.
He coined the term and, well,
he didn't coin the term.
The term was coined a
bajillion years ago when
somebody was writing about
a dead white guy and.
The person was already
dead and was considered
a thought leader.
Got it.
In some of the Connecticut
politics, basically, so
originally it was basically
referred to people who
were already dead and gone.
It was a legacy thing Was
the eighties or the nineties?
I'd have to look again,
but one of the publications
with one of the big
consulting firms was
profiling what they referred
to as thought leaders.
So it was people in their
industry who were making big
shifts and big changes and
were doing things differently.
So they, then
coined that term.
And then we mucked it up.
Yeah, exactly.
I was gonna say
it went from people whose,
contributions have stood
the test of time to those
people who are current,
mavericks, so to speak, to
like everyone with an opinion
apparently.
Yeah.
and it's, take all of this
with a bit of a grain of
salt because this is my
curmudgeonly approach to
the term thought leader.
If you love the word.
I'm not gonna
shame you for it.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
But you may not want to
actually do that, and that
word may not be as important.
it is also something
that is, granted to you.
It is not.
I am a thought leader.
Mm-hmm.
Saying I am a thought leader
is like saying, I am amazing.
It's just, braggardly.
Mm-hmm.
And it is usually something
that is bestowed upon you.
You have earned that
title from somebody else.
So when somebody else
refers to you as a thought
leader, puff up a little.
Mm-hmm.
Take some pride in that
because that's cool.
Right.
Well, the interesting
thing about that is,
if you are a consultant
with corporate clients,
they want some measure
of safety and certainty.
They don't want someone
who's way out of the
pack and who knows what.
Gonna happen.
Like they've kind of know
like, okay, these are the
results I'm gonna get.
I know she gets some
time and time again
and everyone's happy.
Like that's kind of
what they're buying.
They're not buying.
Yeah.
They don't, they don't
want to be leadership.
Yeah.
They don't want to be your
laboratory like Right.
Definitely not.
They have a problem.
They want a solution and yeah.
so that's the other piece
is I think that phrase
thought leader has taken
on such an oversized.
Meaning an idea that it's
lost its original meaning
and it's probably not
what your clients want.
Right.
It's
more become a sales pitch.
Yeah.
For people who wanna you.
Thought leadership
training kind of thing,
or, yeah.
because now like everybody
and their brother is
like, you can hire me to
do thought leadership.
Like, no, no, you can't.
Then it's no.
That way.
Stop it.
Now, speaking of
working with people to show
their expertise, to become
the go-to person, like who
is the ideal client for you?
How do we know we're
ready for high visibility
publications?
Yeah, great question.
So, You have to have
experience-based expertise.
that's the primary key.
So I do a lot of work
with consultants who
are quite established
in their businesses.
I work with executives and
some business coaches.
But the key is if you're
new to the field and
you're still learning,
right, please do right.
Maybe not for high
visibility publications
quite yet, because you
might be still working
out how this all works.
And please, for the love
of God, do not write a book
when you have just started
your business because
a book is, in terms of,
assets and how they become
more valuable over time.
Writing on your blog is
a great place to explore
writing on LinkedIn.
Great place to explore your
ideas, figure out your own
perspective, figure out
your point of view, figure
out your writing style
and your voice, your blog.
Same thing.
Then there's high
visibility publications
where it's like, okay.
I have a very established
perspective and I have
the receipts to back up my
perspective, so I have the
experience with clients to
back up what I'm saying here.
And then I would argue, after
you have the articles, that's
when you can also do a book.
Mm-hmm.
Because the book is going
to be like that thing is
gonna stick around for a
long time if it is good.
If it is relevant, if it is
Evergreen articles, if you
write an article and a couple
years later you're like,
yeah, I've really changed how
I think about this, nobody's
gonna see the damn thing.
Mm-hmm.
Unless you are sharing.
But a book is a huge amount
of investment of energy,
time, effort, money.
So really the best folks
are folks who have.
They've gone through that
first exploring phase.
They know who it is
that they're serving.
They have a very strong point
of view and perspective.
and one of the ways to know
if you have a strong point of
view or perspective is if you
read things in your industry
and you're like, but mm-hmm.
Or Yes.
And because they're missing
something or no, because.
That means that is indication
that you've got a strong
perspective When you start
disagreeing or wanting to
add more context and nuance
to what is already out
there, that's when you're
ready for high visibility
publications, because that's
when you are adding to
the conversation instead
of adding to the noise.
Hmm.
That is great.
Yes.
I do have noticed as well on
my side of, things that when
people are struggling, instead
of getting better at whatever,
they continue to work on
it, that they're looking for
other ways to, get exposure.
Like in your instance, like,
I'm a newbie, so I wanna get
my name out there, so I wanna.
Right.
For high publications.
On my end, someone will
have some sort of product
or a framework that
they're trying to sell.
They're not fully booked,
but they think they've got
a great framework, and so
maybe other consultants would
wanna license it too, like,
No wait until you, if you're
not fully booked yourself
and you have, don't have
proof of concept, then you're
too early and you need some
more work there to develop
a little bit more before
you're ready for the next
stage.
So, yeah.
Yeah, I love that parallel
because it's true.
You need to have proof of
concept and otherwise you're
going to waste your own
time, money, and effort,
and you don't ever wanna put
something out that is, That
permanent and that big a
deal that five years down the
line you're going, oh God,
can we just make it go away?
Yeah.
Don't that way back machine
to say what I was saying.
Right.
Like some of that is natural.
Like I look at stuff
that I wrote a while ago
and I'm like, Ooh girl.
No.
but like if it's on my
own blog, it means I
can just refresh it.
There you go.
But other things like,
there's such a, push for
doing everything faster
and bigger and blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah.
And you can write
a book in 30 days.
Sure.
You can.
It's gonna be trash.
Mm-hmm.
But you can, There's so much
pressure to do things quickly.
You cannot think deeply if
you are trying to do things
quickly, and if you do things
quickly, They are not going
to be appreciating assets.
Mm-hmm.
They're going to be
depreciating assets.
Mm-hmm.
If you're going to write for
a high visibility publication
or put together a book, make
it an appreciating asset
that you can use over and
over and over and over again.
Great advice.
Now, back to the body of
work that, I know you like to
use the tree analogy and the
forest analogy, but, as people
are developing that body of
work, how should they think
about what to write about?
How do they make sure it's
kind of unified and it
all kind of talks to each
other?
Yeah, so the biggest
unifying force is knowing
what is the reputation
you are trying to build?
What do you want
to be known for?
Every single thing we
do, every opportunity we
accept, every article we
write either enhances or
diminishes that opportunity.
or that reputation.
Use the reputation you
are trying to build.
I want to be known for X.
Use that as the filter.
Because we will
all be approached.
It happens all the time where
we get approached by somebody.
It's like, Ooh, that's
such a great opportunity.
it's fun, it's sexy.
I get in front of all
of these folks, but
it's not quite aligned.
Mm-hmm.
When we say yes to something
that's not quite aligned,
it muddies the waters.
It makes it not a
hundred percent clear.
it is that we do and
who it is that we serve.
So instead of saying yes to
those, I always recommend
take that and you probably
know someone for whom
it is perfectly aligned.
So turn that, miss
opportunity, that's a
miss into a gift and
give it to somebody else.
But in terms of writing and
creating your body of work,
Knowing the reputation that
you are trying to build, that
is the most critical piece.
And then, okay, this
is the reputation I
am trying to build.
Collecting questions from your
client's, problems that you've
solved, all of that can help.
And you evaluate each
one against, will this
enhance or this reputation?
If it enhances,
great, go for it.
Keep writing about
that kind of stuff.
Figure out where the
gaps are in your own
work, but also figure out
where the gaps are in the
conversation that others
in your world are having.
Mm-hmm.
So if you're doing your
professional development
and you're reading things
in your industry and you're
seeing where people are either
oversimplifying something,
Or overcomplicating it.
That is a great gap for
you to fill to be able to
say like, let's actually
look at the nuance.
Mm-hmm.
Here's why this is over
complicated and here's
what you can do and why
this actually works.
Mm-hmm.
Or here's why this
is oversimplified
and what you can do.
And why it works.
that is great advice.
I'll say like, part of this
podcast is just for me to get
free advice from consultant.
I admire.
Granted, you're very generous
with your, information anyway,
but, I have and continue to
work with, what should be the
content of my body of work
because I can kind of go in
a lot of different places and
like, Kind of do sometimes.
And so, within the IP bucket,
like there's a lot of Yeah.
Little buckets in there.
Yeah.
And I do find myself
constantly pulled into
that general like, well,
what about trademarks
and what about patents?
I'm like, I don't know
what, I don't care.
Like that's, It's
not, copyright,
copyright, copyright.
And so it's been a
real struggle for me
to stay in my lane.
'cause it's really,
'cause people immediately
wanna kind of pull you
away.
And it's hard because
people pull you, but also
you want to be helpful.
Yes, And I know more
than you do about a thing,
even if it's not my right.
I want to be helpful.
Right.
But as soon as we do
that, Then, it's sort
of that like, be careful
what you're good at.
Mm-hmm.
Because suddenly you'll end
up doing all of that thing
just because you're good at it
and you're like, I hate this.
Right.
Thanks.
I'm good at it.
I hate doing it.
and then you get more
of those requests.
So yes.
Yeah, it's not easy
to stay in your lane,
but the more you can.
Have a filter.
And I think sometimes this
is also where that deep
and deep work comes in.
Sometimes you have
to take a break.
we swim in this Kool-Aid
that has so many opinions
about what we should do,
how we should do it, who
we are, who we should be,
like, all of those things.
Sometimes I think just
silencing all of that noise
so that you can connect
With your own self, with
your inner wisdom and see,
okay, yes, I can do this.
Is it, is this the
direction that I want to go?
Mm-hmm.
Or is this the thing
that I really want to do?
And the stronger that filter
can be, the easier it is to
push off some other folks,
because there will always be
some folks that you're like,
but I really wanna do this.
And yeah.
so you'll misstep every
once in a while, but
it makes it easier.
How do you find time
for deep thinking?
I have trouble
with that one too.
I'm very reactive to my
inbox, put it that way.
Yeah.
So I am being good, which
is not always, I don't open
email or LinkedIn until
10 o'clock in the morning.
I'm an early bird, so I
am, that is when my, brain
works best the later in
the day, the dumber I am.
so like 6:00 AM is
when I'm like, yes.
so oftentimes, I have had
a, free writing practice
for over 10 years now.
Every morning I take
10 minutes and I do a
free write, and it's
the way I start my day.
I try not to turn on
email or LinkedIn until
at least 10 o'clock, so I
try to carve out an hour
and a half for writing,
deep thinking work time.
This sometimes works and
sometimes doesn't because
the pull of the computer
and the pull of all these,
no, like I also turned off
all notifications and my
smartphone is the dumbest
smartphone you will ever meet.
It has no apps.
because I Sounds perfect,
had to do that for me.
Otherwise I'm like,
Ooh, squirrel new thing.
Ooh, ooh, ooh.
some of it Just that.
And then I recently
started carving out, I
take a week long mini
sabbatical every quarter.
Wow.
And that doesn't mean I'm
not working, but it means
I don't have any meetings.
Mm-hmm.
And it's a combination
of, work and not work.
I don't read any
business stuff.
Sometimes we, just
get too inundated.
Mm-hmm.
I read essays and fiction
and things that just
delight me, and I played
a little bit in my garden.
I wrote some copy for my
website because that's being
redone so that of the mind.
Helped tremendously when I
came back because I felt more
focused, more energized, more
clear about what it is that
I am trying to accomplish
and what my goals are.
similarly to that, I list,
I have right here actually.
Mm-hmm.
I have three priorities for a
quarter, no more than three.
Mm, mm-hmm.
Any more than three,
and like, I'm sunk.
I,
I'm afraid I'm not
gonna show you.
I've got, I'm gonna show
you what mine are, right?
This is a
lie.
Yeah, yeah.
Like, then there's my to-do
list, and that's a whole
different, like ball of crazy.
But, but I try to kind of
condense that down because
it's like, okay, if you're
pulled in too many different
directions, we've all
had that experience where
it's like, oh my God, I,
worked so hard today and
what did I accomplish?
Right.
I have no idea.
Yeah.
I have never done, I mean, At
some point in my career, I'll
figure this out of how to like
really make dedicated time.
Like your, when we go on
sabbatical per quarter,
that really does help
you just come back fresh.
'cause I don't know how to
get out of the thick of it.
That's something I need
to, I definitely need work
on.
Yeah.
it's hard and it took a long
time of hearing from a mutual
friend of ours, Chloe Ngu.
Mm-hmm.
saying that she takes many
sabbaticals for me to be
like, I'm gonna do that.
Like I'm gonna try that and
then I actually set it up
for this, the rest of this
year and all of next year.
Mm-hmm.
So it's already carved
out in my calendar.
'cause if it's, not
on my calendar, then
I'm definitely sunk.
that is so good.
' cause no one can
put meeting there.
No.
Right.
Wow.
That's, a little bit brave
though, don't you think?
did it scare you to do
that?
It did, it absolutely
terrified me to do it.
'cause it's that's a big deal.
It is a big deal.
Mm-hmm.
And I will say that I
chose things like my first
sabbatical was over July 4th.
Mm-hmm.
So, That's a lower
key time anyway.
Mm-hmm.
The next one is
over Thanksgiving.
Again, it tends to be a
bit of a lower key time.
Mm-hmm.
so I did kind of.
Choose dates that felt
like, okay, I could
get away with this.
Mm-hmm.
which is a terrible way to,
think about it because it's
also these mini sabbaticals
are, this is not vacation.
Right.
So that's the other sort
of reminder to myself,
because I'm terrible at
actually taking time off
to actually go on vacation.
Mm-hmm.
but it's a great reminder
to myself that it's like,
yeah, when I do this, the
dividends are so, Huge.
Mm-hmm.
And I feel clearer and
it's so much easier to
filter out the stuff that
we are bombarded with that
just isn't for me because.
There's always more than
one way to do a thing.
Yes.
All right.
Well that is fantastic advice,
and speaking of, feeling like
some guilt or being brave
in order to take time for
ourselves and do some deep
thinking, as founders of
our own businesses, I mean,
the whole reason we're doing
this is so that we can have
greater impact and bring our
own genius to, the world.
And so we really do need
to make time for those
things to make sure
that we are at our best.
So, this is a very
meta podcast and
it's hourly to exit.
'cause I have to talk
about, growing our expertise
based businesses from that
unsustainable, hourly type
of work to one that maybe we
could possibly sell someday.
So I have to ask you,
have you thought about
growing your business
to sell it sometime in
the future?
Because of you, I have, and
I've gone back and forth on
whether that is my desire.
Or not exactly what that, and
exactly what that looks like
and what are the different
ways that could show up.
one of the things that I
did just a couple of years
ago is I started small
group cohort program.
So I have a lot of.
Frameworks, like I have IP
asset sort of inventory thing.
Like I have a lot of things
and I'm like, this is cool.
I have a lot of things here.
So I think it would be
possible, which is something
that's a huge change for me.
'cause when I started it
was like, well that wouldn't
possibly be possible.
And now I'm like, actually
might be able to license
some of this stuff, right?
Mm-hmm.
So it's now at least has
a home in my head and.
We'll see, it's something
that is, I am surprised to
say it is something that I
am, is under consideration.
Mm-hmm.
It's not my current
goal and I, don't think
I am ready for it.
As you were talking
earlier with like, you
really have to have like
the proof in the pudding.
Yeah.
The proof is not
in the pudding yet.
It's still, new enough
that I'm, developing
that out, but, It's now
something that's like, oh,
this might be the thing.
Yeah.
Well, I mean, of course
the things that help you
scale and bring leverage to
your business today are the
things that possibly could
become saleable tomorrow.
So it's not about five years
from now or 10 years from now.
It's about tomorrow really.
And having a.
Better, business that,
helps you decouple your
income from your time,
which, I love to talk about.
Yeah.
So as we wrap up, we have a
couple of final questions.
One is, as you know, we
believe in creating an economy
that works for everyone,
and so I'm wondering if
there is an organization
that you'd like to share
that is helping create more
opportunities for people.
Yeah.
this is such a hard
question because there
are so many organizations
locally where I am that I
absolutely love, but I'm
going to choose Start Fresh.
Start Fresh.
Connecticut is an organization
in New London, Connecticut.
It helps resettle refugees.
So, I think it was not
even a year ago, several
refugees from Afghanistan
were brought to Connecticut.
This organization helped
settle that family and
they help get the kiddos
into school, get workforce
training for mom and dad,
get English language skills
training for anybody who
needs that they find housing.
So it's just, it's this
wonderful organization that.
Looks at the family
holistically.
It's not just like,
Hey, you're here.
Cool, and like dump and run.
Right?
it's an investment of, at
least a year, but often
longer than that to help the
family really get settled
and get what they need.
I.
Wonderful.
We will have links
to their organization
in the show notes.
And so now I, know
there's something exciting
happening in your business.
Is there something that you
can share with our audience?
Yeah.
one of the things that I
have done, it started as
an experiment a couple
of years ago, and.
I decided I would do
it as long as I found
it fun and other people
found it valuable.
And it's a monthly mini
training and q and a that
I call pitch to published.
So every month I have
a different, theme.
So we'll talk about
headlines one month or how
to structure an article or.
How do you write a pitch?
all of those different things.
So there's a theme for the
mini training, and then I
just open the floor for folks
to ask whatever questions
they have, and I do my
level best to answer them.
So it's a great
place for folks who.
Are curious about might
be curious about me.
I'm a strong cup
of tea and I'm not
everybody's cup of tea.
So it lets them know
like, awesome, yes,
you're my person, or
No, you make me bananas.
so yeah, that's,
probably the thing.
I've now been doing it
for almost three years.
Mm-hmm.
And I just, every month I
am surprised and delighted
that people show up and, We
have a great conversation.
we do, we do.
I've been to few and they
are fantastic and Erica is a
great leader of trainings and
masterminds and things like
that, so it is a lot of fun.
So we'll also have links
to that in the show notes.
Now, speaking of you're
current, where you are
currently talking about
as we record this, as the
headlines, and so of course
now you're in my head when
I'm creating headlines.
So, my newsletter tomorrow
will have headline.
IP in Haiku.
And so I think the
headline has to have a
promise and I need to,
satisfy like the promise
of the headline, right?
And so, I do have
a haiku about IP
in my newsletter.
Excellent.
Aaron Austin, making IP fun.
all right, so finally,
where can people
find you?
so my website is catchline
communications.com and
I am on delighted to say
I am on one and only one
social media platform.
So you can also find
me on LinkedIn I'm very
active there, so if you
do hop by, like say hello.
Yeah.
You and me both
on that LinkedIn,
there's that, you know?
it.
Yeah, yeah, It allows me to
maintain my sanity by just
being on that one platform.
Well,
this has been so much fun.
Thank you again for
coming on, hanging out and
sharing your wisdom with
me and with the audience.
Oh,
such a pleasure.
All right.
We
will talk again soon.
Thanks guys.