Often we don’t have to reinvent the wheel to learn something new – we can just ask experts in the field who can draw on their experience to enlighten us. Below, we’ve shared insights insiders from various industries have shared with us.

Jenny Munn | SEO Consultant and Trainer

I’ve been in the SEO (search engine optimization) field for over 10 years. SEO is essentially the process of getting a website to the top of Google. Also, making sure your content, and your blogs, get more traffic and brand awareness. SEO is not just for Google though. Any social media site is a search engine: YouTube, Amazon, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. For example, teachers search for tutorials and guided walk-throughs directly on YouTube. Parents go right to Pinterest looking for recipe ideas and Halloween costumes. Interior design hobbyists go right to Houzz looking for decor inspiration. If there is a search bar and people type in keywords looking for information, then there are strategic, purposeful checklist items you need to do to make sure your business, and your content, come up to the top. Read more>>

Christian Baylis | Executive Director of The Pack Youth Inc

One of the things about running a non-profit especially one like The Pack Youth Inc is that it takes a lot of selflessness. Weekly we pour into youth ages 9yrs-22yrs and it can’t be about you. It has to be about them and how you are pouring into them, developing them, and helping them be the best versions of themselves they can be. I as the director am very grateful to my faith in Christ because it keeps me grounded. Also, I am grateful for the positive community of people I get to do this because it helps me not give up during the hard times. When you commit to impacting the lives of others, you’re committing to laying your own wants and desires to the side at times so you can see others win. Read more>>

Dawn Williams Boyd | Visual Artist

How much hard work is involved. Many people think that artists go around with our heads in a cloud, day dreaming and staring into space or mumbling to ourselves. What you don’t realize is that this is the first and most important part of the creative process. Most likely the artist is composing, overcoming obstacles, allocating time, putting together supply lists, etc. The hardest part of creating is figuring out how to materialize a vision, how to move an idea into the real world so that others can see what we see in our minds. Creating artwork can also be physically demanding depending on materials, dimensions and time. My own work requires hours of standing on a ladder, crawling on a hardwood floor, leaning over a table, pushing hundreds of pins through layers of fabric then pulling them out again, pushing (for example) 25 square feet of fabric that is full of pins through a 6 x 8 inch hole so that I can take one stitch at a time around a tight curve. Weeks spent bent over a hot sewing machine. Read more>>

Stephanie Howard | photographer

Photographers know how many frames it can take to get one great shot. I think there’s a lot more experimentation involved than non-photographers probably realize. Read more>>

Beth Mannella | co-owner Urban Renewal Consignment

Fashion is the third most polluting industry on the planet so doing our part to keep that fashion out of landfills is part of being a responsible consumer. By extending the life cycle of the clothing, shoes, and handbags in our closet we limit the need for the manufacture of new items. Shopping consignment and resell in general is a responsible way to shop, not only for the purpose of conserving money but also helps conserve our environment. Read more>>