A lot of developing writers have asked me over the years what it takes to build a successful business and my answer invariably starts with the same two words: keep learning! And while I think that’s true for any career, I think it’s especially important when you’re in a field that has many different applications.

When I started hearing about “search engine optimization” and “social media marketing” a number of years ago, for example, it would have been easy for me to tell myself that I didn’t need to learn about such strange-sounding concepts. After all, I was sitting atop a 25-year-career in writing. But I invested what now probably amounts to hundreds of hours into learning about both and am able to add the value of that knowledge to the writing I do for clients. Is that a win-win? Absolutely!

And the learning never ends! I spent the first week of August in Dallas, Texas, attending the annual conference of eWomen Network, an exciting organization to which I belong. I attended many amazing keynotes, workshops, breakout sessions and networking events. The week was packed with people who made a big difference to how I view my business and my career and if you are interested in an organization that is serious about business, focused on results, looking forward constantly and sensitive to how women work, then I highly recommend you check out their website.

The eWomen motto is “Lift as you climb” and service and contribution are an important part of the organization’s ethos. It was established 13 years ago by Texan Sandra Yancey and it now produces more than 2,000 women’s business events annually through 118 US and Canadian chapters; it is the largest women’s business event company in the world and it produces the largest international women’s business conference and expo in North America.

The learning opportunities at this year’s conference were phenomenal and I came away with fresh insights and understanding of many different subject areas. Over the next few blog postings I’d like to share some of the information I learned. None of the information was specific to writing but if you’re interested in personal or business development, you’ll no doubt find the same delight of discovery in the information I’ll be sharing.

Insights to come will include information from :

• Hyrum Smith, former CEO of Frankln Covey
• Lisa Nichols, author of “The Secret”
• Sally Hogshead, developer of the Fascinate system of personality profiling
• Lisa Sasevich, online marketing genius
• Vrinda Normand, another brilliant marketing expert and
• Ruby Yeh, expert in self-publishing

In the meantime, if you need help with any online writing projects, please contact me today to discuss!