Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Wand.
Beth, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
With a bachelor of science in Consumer Sciences and a background in marketing, writing about people and things comes naturally to me. Ten years ago, I found that there were few blogs or media sources that we’re talking about the ugly side of parenting – everything out there was rainbows and unicorns. I was desperate for something real, so I started my personal blog to put my thoughts out there. Mostly, I wanted to know that I wasn’t alone in thinking that I might lose my mind completely as a parent. The more I wrote, the more readers told me I needed to do it for a living. Which is how I landed as the DIY and humor writer for several of the Moms Blog affiliate sites.
After years of writing for other blogs, I was determined to make writing a full-time career. I took an online course from a woman who came highly recommended through a colleague. It was a freelance writing class and I was ready to dive in head first the course material and begin to chart a new path as a full-time writer.
As I settled in for my first review from the course creator and director, I was dreaming of all the amazing articles I was going to write and shop to various news outlets. Except for the news I heard from the director was not positive. She actually said that I “didn’t have it.” I was dumbfounded. After I got off the phone, I threw away the course materials. I should have been discouraged, but instead, I felt righteous indignation and the need to prove her wrong. I never called her again. I decided then and there that I didn’t need anyone to tell me if I was good enough – I would be the one to determine my value, not some online course.
When I started my writing business, I didn’t even have a name for it let alone marketing. But I knew I had to just start, even if it wasn’t all laid out perfectly. I gained clients by word of mouth or by shameless self-promotion. I wrote about everything from website content for a real estate agent, to bios for construction company executives, “About Me” pages for scuba diving trainers, brochures for juice companies, blogs about the beauty industry – you name it. There were only a few topics I didn’t consider to be in my wheelhouse, everything else was just a story waiting to be told through me.
It was in those small jobs that I realized how much I loved writing for other people. I enjoyed telling their stories when they didn’t feel like they could do them justice. I wanted to explain products to prospective customers on a website. I liked to write blogs for companies that provided value for their customers. Suddenly, I had a business concept that I could explain beyond “I am a writer” and so “BW Concepts, Content Marketing” was born.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
BW Concepts specializes in content marketing. Which is basically all words on a website, blog, brochures – anything to do with words on marketing materials. Good content is not only for marketing but for branding and relationship building as well.
What I enjoy most is being able to work with a client to help develop their business’s voice. I love hearing how a business started, where the owner wants it to go, what their goals are and where their passion lies. I use all of that to create a voice for their company or product and then use that as a cohesive sound across all of their marketing materials. So, from the moment a prospective client clicks on a website, they can not only see but hear the company’s brand voice.
What have been some of the most important lessons you’ve learned over the course of your career?
If I had to start all over, I would have started sooner! I let my concerns, worries, and fears get in my way of diving into a new business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bw-concepts.com
- Email: beth@bw-concepts.com
- Instagram: @bw_concepts1
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bwconcepts1/
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