By Joan Blumenfeld, MS, LPC
Who me, write a blog? Are you kidding? A Luddite at heart, I didn’t know what a blog was until I was asked to write one.
As a professional Geriatric Care Manager, my focus at work is on my clients, on honing my skills and increasing my resource network. But as the sole proprietor of a private practice, I am also an entrepreneur and must give considerable attention to marketing myself and my services. “Build it and they will come” does not apply unless people know who and where you are and what you do.
Over the many years I have been in private practice, I have done all sorts of marketing: I sent out hundreds of print newsletters to my contacts and clients; I facilitated many classes and support groups for family caregivers. I did workshops for professionals. I addressed audiences large and small. And now, I’m jumping into 21st century social networking with both feet!
This state of affairs came about because of my membership in an entrepreneurial business networking organization called Business Network International (BNI). BNI is an association of professionals and small business owners committed to growing their businesses and to helping each other.
One day a BNI friend told me about friends of hers who had a website devoted to helping family caregivers take care of their elderly parents. She thought we ought to meet. Her friends are two sisters, Kim and Karen, who managed the care of their father in his last years and developed www.incareofdad.com in his honor. They wanted to support other family caregivers by sharing their experience of the problems they encountered, the resources they discovered and the successful strategies they developed for navigating a fractured health care system in his behalf.
I Googled their site and was impressed by its elegance and professionalism. So I called Karen and made an appointment for lunch. We hit it off immediately.
In the course our visit I said something (neither of us can remember exactly what that was) and Karen commented, “That’s a real pearl of wisdom!”
I jokingly responded, “That would be a nice title for an article!”
Karen agreed and on the spot invited me to write blogs for her website! I accepted without having any idea of what a blog was! As soon as I got home I called a tech-savvy friend to find out more about blogs. When I learned about the reach and the fun of blogging, I was hooked! Writing is exciting! It’s deeply satisfying to share my knowledge and experience with caregivers who deal with the challenges of caring for their frail elderly friends and relatives on a daily basis.
PEARL OF WISDOM
New connections and ideas can lead to wonderful new places. Be open and jump in!
Joan Blumenfeld, MS, LPC is a Geriatric Care Manager practicing in Fairfield County, Connecticut. For more information see www.joanblmenfeld.com . © Joan Blumenfeld 2011
Do you have your own Pearl of Wisdom? Please share by commenting below.
Dear Joan, You are filled with so much knowledge, ideas and solutions that can really benefit others. It is great that you can share your expertise with a greater audience potential. It has been inspiring to see Pearls Of Wisdom develop and the joy that writing for our blog and yours has provided you. With sincerity, Karen
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