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| by Expert Copy Strategist, Charlon Bobo |
Another inspired week is upon us. To empower you with direct resources to increased, measurable results, this week's features include:
Charlon Bobo is the founder and team leader of EditCopyProof | Wordsmithing and Editing Solutions -- Transforming Words Into Profits. Proficient in many diverse writing roles, her expertise spans more than 25 years. This solid foundation offers you a single and final destination in your quest for extraordinary press-ready services including copyediting, copywriting and proofreading. Visit us TODAY at EditCopyProof to submit your Request For Proposal. |
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| Charlon Bobo |
You Cannot Afford NOT To Hire a Copywriter = You Can Afford To Hire a Copywriter 
Ah, the ol' double negative... not my
favorite word grouping. So, instead of
telling you why you cannot afford NOT to hire
a copywriter, I want to focus on the
merits of making this investment a top
priority.
You can afford to hire a copywriter simply because it benefits you to do so. Here's how: 1. The effectiveness of your marketing materials increases - this translates to money in your pocket 2. You focus on growing your business - this ensures your attention is where it needs to be 3. It frees up time - this allows you to manage the "big stuff" instead of the minutia 4. It puts you in the driver's seat of delegation - this gets you in the habit of delegating anything and everything that wastefully consumes your time and energy I wholeheartedly believe in your mission. I also believe in your ability to manifest that which allows you a full exploration of possibilities in your business. This includes the funds to hire professionals who do what they do best to dramatically enhance the results of your marketing efforts. Why go it alone? When you are able to envision the results in the everyday life of your business, there is no limit to what you can achieve. Depending on your circumstance, hiring an expert copywriter may require a mental switch, reorganizing fund allocations, or otherwise clearing the way for huge upside potential. Believe me. Once you understand hiring a copywriter delivers real-world results, you will find numerous creative ways to pay the invoice. And you'll say to yourself, "Now THAT was money well invested!" After all, it's your business future we're talking about. |
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"Mother of the American Valentine"
It is astounding that this one woman has had
such a long-lasting impact upon the
millions of Valentines sent yearly in this
nation. This is the story of one imaginative
woman, whose flair, thoughts, devotion, and
determination created the modern Valentine's
Day card industry.
Esther Allen Howland was born in 1828 in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Howland Family operated the largest book and stationery store in Worcester, Massachusetts. As a susceptible young student at The Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, Class of 1847, and a contemporary of the poet Emily Dickinson, Esther had been exposed to the annual Valentine celebrations. After graduating at the age of nineteen, she received an intricate English Valentine from one of her fathers' business acquaintances, and was sure that she was capable of making similar or even better ones. She persuaded her father to order lace paper and other supplies from England and New York City and, with determination, made a dozen samples, which her brother added to his catalog for his next sales trip. Hoping for as much as $200 in orders, they were shocked when her brother returned with more than $5,000 in advance sales, more than she could make herself. Faced with the huge order, a Valentine assembly line was born at the Howland home. Her all-female factory assembly line, comprised of eager friends, was set at a long table - beneath the skylight on the top floor - where they passed the paper fantasies along - each person adding her personal touch with paste pot and delicate hand - until the completed Valentine reached Miss Howland's keen eye for final inspection. Additionally, in a cottage industry technique, boxes of supplies, topped with a sample to be used as a template, were distributed to ladies at their homes in the outlying areas. A week later, her coachman would drive out and collect the finished products. Sales from Esther's thriving business eventually grossed $100,000 annually -- a huge sum at the time. She retired in 1881, selling her business to the George C. Whitney Company. Designing and creating these unforgettable cards required creativity and inspiration, as well as a bit of luck. The finished products suggested fantasy and romance, and set trends for more than thirty years. While other companies competed for sales to the public, none could compete with the value, taste, and style of Esther Howland. While she was not the first to create Valentines in America, she is credited with having popularized the lace Valentine, and turning it into a major industry. The honor, "The Mother of the American Valentine" first appeared in a newspaper article shortly after her death. Valentine's Day has become an integral aspect of our culture. Esther Howland's creations fueled everyone's fantasies of the romantic and sentimental, and provided a vehicle for Cupid's triumph in all strata of society. From small, inexpensive missives, starting at five cents, to the elaborate, multi-layered confections which cost as much as fifty dollars, there was something for everyone. Transported great distances by courier, horsedrawn coach, and eventually by railroad, the delicate treasures were lovingly sent, and are still cherished as important touchstones to the past. They are a tangible connection to real people - like us - who lived and loved more than a century ago! The business flourished despite her semi-retirement in 1866, when a recurring knee injury forced her to function from a wheelchair for the next fifteen years. She sold her business to George Whitney in 1881 to care for her father. George Whitney patterned many of his cards in the Howland Style. She died in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1904 - never having married, but certainly having vicariously lived a magical love story. This totally modern woman, who dared to establish a formidable business at a time when women were not encouraged to assert themselves outside the home, has had a profound effect on all of us. From the elementary school "Valentine Box" and the millions of dollars in greeting cards marketed annually - to say nothing of the financial impact on our postal system - the popularization of the holiday is indebted largely to Esther Howland's business acumen! Her contribution to the sending of Valentine cards cannot be over-emphasized. Esther Howland's vision captured the imagination of the public, and translated the fantasies of their dreams into treasured mementos. Her cards became hallmarks of cherished relationships and unspoken words signifying love and beauty, romance and even proposals of marriage. They became treasures to be kept forever. They became the incredible heritage of a woman who changed the way LOVE is celebrated in America. See a few samples of Esther's handiwork. |
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| Charlon Bobo |
Ponderings on women and aging
During a consultation this week, my client
indicated she had conducted a survey. She
asked her list what aromatherapy product they
wanted most. Overwhelmingly they responded by
saying they
wanted anti-aging or anti-wrinkle
products.
Like most everything else, that got me thinking... specifically about women and aging in our society. The purpose of my existence is to preach the message of empowerment, authenticity, and freedom from the hard-hitting impact of societal messages that we aren't enough... just as we are. That's one of the reasons I'm bald. I cannot endorse a multi-billion dollar beauty industry that promises me health, wealth, a man, and lifelong contentment... as long as I purchase their newest product advertised by a perky 20-year-old. I just don't buy it -- literally or figuratively. It seems nothing we do is good enough to ever "measure up," so you know what? Long ago I decided to align myself with my own measure and stop the insanity. Isn't meeting life's demands hard enough without endlessly searching for the next product, service, relationship, education, house, car or spiritual guru that will finally and forever deliver the happiness goods? All you ever need is what looks back when you stand in front of a mirror. Glorious you. Do you see her? I started searching on the subject of aging and came across an insightful article on AlterNet. The emphasis was on graying hair. I've never thought about it before, but sure. Giving yourself permission to be free of the monetary expense, time investment and energy required to color your hair... now that's a gift to yourself. And what a slap in the face of the patriarchal, mysogynistic foundation that has cleverly linked all aspects of aging with a reduction -- or complete loss -- of human value as women. It's a brilliant ploy because it keeps us in the trappings of consuming: "The next _____ will bring me peace and happiness." You know what? I don't care if you dye your hair or not. Or let it go gray or not. If you think that's what I'm advocating, you missed the point. Do what you do. Celebrate your extraordinary self. Dye, don't dye. Buy the wrinkle cream, don't buy the wrinkle cream. Buy a new dress, don't buy a new dress. Do you see the action doesn't matter? Do you see it's what's behind the action that does matter? I recommend you ask yourself this question: "Does this activity perfectly align with the being I am and the being I am becoming?" If the answer's a resounding YES, have at it. If, however, the answer's a MAYBE or NO, leave it alone. It's not you. It will never be you. decide from a grounded, self-aware, empowered perspective. Do you know how different it feels to color your hair (or do whatever) because that's what you've always mindlessly done, it's a habit at this point, or because you've bought into the false belief that it actually means something to others vs. taking the same action from a position of having consciously chosen? It's a vast difference indeed and one that leaves you full instead of feeling empty after the high has worn off. Get off the never-ending carnival ride of acting in accordance with tribal (societal) beliefs. You'll never find your truest self in this pursuit. Move ahead in bold, conscious decisiveness. Here are some resources to inspire you: Book | Going Gray: What I Learned about Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood, Authenticity, and Everything Else That Matters Blog | Going Gray Web site | graygirls.com | Set yourself free. You can always go back. You don't have to be gray, or a girl, to be a graygirl. graygirls is a state of mind. It's an interactive portal for relevant arts & ideas. Maybe a little social change. Online community | The Community of Moonlit Hair | A celebration of grey, white & silver hair In Sisterhood, Light & Love, 
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