Diving into the Deep End

I had never considered myself a writer so when Garrett and Ryan said hey let’s all write a weekly blog post the amount of trepidation I felt was crazy.

“Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still.” 

Ancient Chinese Proverb

Hello, Blogging. My Name is Tara

Here I am very new to blogging and I can say I feel the pain of people who say, “write a blog!? I have no idea what to write about.”  If you want to know more about getting started with blogging, and alleviating the anxiety, check out this post.

At any rate, Garrett, Ryan and all the other blogging experts say write about what you are passionate about. I have many personal passions; food, books, travel, movies and home decorating to name a few.  However, most recently and more relevant to Webbin’ It, I have become passionate about building a small business.  So, I’m writing my first blog post ever. I thought I’d share a little about my journey thus far.

Getting Thrown to the Wolves

I started working with Webbin’ It back in November 2018. I had been tasked helping them find a salesperson, assist with their administrative tasks, and think of ways to attract business. 

Understanding What I Didn’t Know

While I had worked for and with startups before, SEO, web design or web management were a little foreign.  I knew what a blog was but had never written one. I also didn’t know that it played a part in how you can be found on the web.  However, I have managed social media for a couple of nonprofits. Even with this, I still felt my knowledge of social media was lacking and needed some serious beefing up. 

Utilizing What was Already There

Webbin’ It had a voice, a clear voice, that Garrett and Ryan had worked hard at establishing.  Their brand was relevant and engaging, I mean how can you not LOVE Simon?  So, diving into the deep end of the ocean, I began looking for ways to establish Webbin’ It in the Colorado Springs market.

Let the Growing Pains Begin

I started by looking for the places we could get the biggest bang for our buck. I wanted to reach the largest amount of people for the least amount of dinero.  The first suggestion I had was that we start doing an informative Facebook Live regularly.  I suggested they share tips and tricks for people who already had a web presence. More importantly, they should answer questions for those just starting to look at developing their web presence.

We have an interview type of setting for these live sessions.  I had seen Facebook Live like this be very effective at a nonprofit I had worked with in the past.  Garrett and Ryan thought this was a great idea, there was one thing they thought it needed though… A host.  Enter me.

Introducing Webbin’ It Wisdom  

We had our first broadcast on December 13, 2018, and titled the program “Webbin’ It Wisdom” (WIW).  We have now completed seven sessions of WIW. This may not sound like a lot, but oh the things we have and continue to learn.  We have overcome internet signals dropping, audio mic’s failing, background noise needing management, along with a host of other snafu’s.

During our last WIW, we used photo lighting for the first time.  We went from looking like zombies with black holes for eyes and mouth to bright washed out ghostly figures. Fingers crossed we have that all worked out too.

Hello, Colorado Springs.

One of the principles that Garrett and Ryan had in place for Webbin’ It was that they wanted to support other local businesses in their endeavors to establish themselves.  So, in addition to WIW, we started attending business networking meetings.  If you have never investigated business networking groups, there are A LOT. 

We have been very fortunate though to have found some very inviting groups that we are now familiar faces at.  Networking is not for the faint of heart.  You really must be willing to not only sacrifice your time to attend the meetings but also be willing to walk up to strangers and introduce yourself.  It’s all about making each opportunity to introduce yourself and your business count. 

Building a business is a process but if you are patient, and keep working at it, you will reap the rewards.  What is so encouraging is that, just when it seems like it’s going so slow that you are wondering if it really works, you start gaining referrals.  Then you get to start practicing your vocation, talking to more customers about what you are passionate about and turning that into a legit business.

Giving Back and Paying It Forward

In May we are starting a new segment to Webbin’ It Wisdom that will be furthering our mandate to support local businesses.  We will be periodically showcasing a local business giving them the opportunity to tell what they do and how having a web presence has helped them.

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