https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog daily 0.75 2025-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/1634740142359-3RIJTXEQXNH5XOYAUPGX/ValSite_0128HQV1.JPG Blog - How can I help you see the yes in your world? I’ve lived a lot of life, taken a lot of risks, suffered as many lows as highs, and one thing I’ve grown to love more than anything else is seeing the potential in someone and giving them a helping hand. Each week I’ll be sharing insights here on the blog from 30 years of experience as a creative, and in the workplace. I’m believing that these articles will help you! https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/on-work monthly 0.5 2024-03-12 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/conferences monthly 0.5 2024-03-12 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/buildingacoterie monthly 0.5 2024-03-05 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/scheduling-breaks monthly 0.5 2024-01-16 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/gameplay monthly 0.5 2024-01-09 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/givingthanks monthly 0.5 2024-01-02 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/keepingyouredge monthly 0.5 2023-12-18 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/garbageingarbageout monthly 0.5 2023-12-11 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/humandignity monthly 0.5 2023-11-28 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/tensions monthly 0.5 2023-10-23 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/unfollowing monthly 0.5 2023-10-09 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/workfromhome monthly 0.5 2023-09-20 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/familymatters monthly 0.5 2023-09-13 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/longgame monthly 0.5 2023-08-30 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/sayingno monthly 0.5 2023-08-23 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/labels monthly 0.5 2023-08-14 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/happyplace monthly 0.5 2023-08-09 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/staycalm monthly 0.5 2023-07-31 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/highhopes monthly 0.5 2023-07-26 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/impostersyndrome monthly 0.5 2023-07-18 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/softheart monthly 0.5 2023-07-10 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/imprefection monthly 0.5 2023-07-05 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/gettingknockeddown monthly 0.5 2023-06-27 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/listeningchangeseverything monthly 0.5 2023-06-20 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/we-always-get-back-more-than-we-give monthly 0.5 2023-06-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/ce764ba4-b75d-4cea-92bb-7751e1eb0129/Screenshot+2023-06-06+at+11.29.34+am.png Blog - We Always Get Back More Than We Give - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/forgiveness-fosters-forward-momentum monthly 0.5 2023-06-01 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/everyone-has-a-story monthly 0.5 2023-05-23 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/take-a-risk-and-take-a-risk-on-you monthly 0.5 2023-05-15 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/ai-for-writers monthly 0.5 2023-05-01 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/planning-to-write-a-novel-part-three monthly 0.5 2023-04-25 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/planning-to-write-a-novel-part-two monthly 0.5 2023-04-25 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/planning-to-write-a-novel-part-one monthly 0.5 2023-04-25 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/how-to-make-rejection-work-for-you monthly 0.5 2023-04-04 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/what-inspires-you monthly 0.5 2023-03-28 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/6fwqj4yfure3r3bcf0m1vgs49nq9yf monthly 0.5 2023-03-21 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/create-a-daily-routine-as-a-creative monthly 0.5 2023-03-21 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/how-do-you-refine-your-creative-idea-or-concept monthly 0.5 2023-03-21 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/axbde42oo4elw8gms57imy2e4jmx3a monthly 0.5 2023-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/6af5e6c1-0ea0-43bf-9025-49d63efe2e96/unsplash-image-iD5aVJFCXJg.jpg Blog - How to Turn Your Art into a Job - Making money is not a bad thing in and of itself, is it? Of course not, we all need to make a living, unless we are independently wealthy, or have won the lottery (perish the thought!) It’s when money becomes the deciding factor in the work we do that we might lose perspective and even start making bad decisions. https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/why-is-getting-started-so-hard monthly 0.5 2023-02-13 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/how-to-negotiate-as-a-creative-contractor monthly 0.5 2023-02-06 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/how-do-you-self-promote-as-a-creative monthly 0.5 2023-01-30 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/how-to-get-over-a-creative-slump monthly 0.5 2023-01-23 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/how-do-you-juggle-the-creative-life-and-your-day-job monthly 0.5 2023-01-23 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-people-who-tell-you-to-give-up-and-find-a-day-job monthly 0.5 2023-01-10 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/how-do-i-make-it-as-a-creative monthly 0.5 2022-12-19 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/heres-something-i-learnt-the-hard-way monthly 0.5 2022-11-15 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/how-to-set-big-goals monthly 0.5 2022-11-01 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/the-devil-you-know monthly 0.5 2022-10-18 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/the-one-thing-you-must-have-when-starting-a-business monthly 0.5 2022-10-14 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/what-advice-would-you-give-to-your-younger-self monthly 0.5 2022-11-14 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/one-thing-i-wish-id-known-when-i-started-my-business monthly 0.5 2022-10-03 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/ethics monthly 0.5 2022-09-26 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/how-do-you-cope-with-imposter-syndrome monthly 0.5 2022-09-23 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/a-new-adventure monthly 0.5 2022-09-19 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/accountability monthly 0.5 2022-08-30 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/soul-food monthly 0.5 2022-08-16 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/sometimes-you-got-to-lean-out monthly 0.5 2022-08-08 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/sometimes-no-is-better-than-yes monthly 0.5 2022-08-01 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/stop-looking-over-your-shoulder monthly 0.5 2022-07-18 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/what-covid-taught-us-about-priorities monthly 0.5 2022-07-11 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/upskill-thyself monthly 0.5 2022-07-04 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/hold-that-tongue monthly 0.5 2022-06-27 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/insecurity-doesnt-always-mean-failure monthly 0.5 2022-06-20 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/starting-something-new-dont-overextend monthly 0.5 2022-06-06 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/2019/3/11/echo-range-mx-2rxcs-ms98s monthly 0.5 2022-05-16 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/work-that-collaboration-muscle monthly 0.5 2022-05-09 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/inspiration-matters-make-it-personal monthly 0.5 2022-04-25 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/2019/3/11/zrmanja-falls-croatia-f3exm-lpkxr monthly 0.5 2022-04-19 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/being-first-isnt-always-best monthly 0.5 2022-04-05 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/do-your-homework-know-your-audience monthly 0.5 2022-03-28 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/take-a-guilt-free-break monthly 0.5 2022-03-22 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/2019/3/11/monmouth-glacier-ak-sy7cd-xypr2 monthly 0.5 2022-03-14 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/what-goes-up monthly 0.5 2022-03-07 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/word-of-mouth-is-still-the-best-way-to-reach-people monthly 0.5 2022-02-21 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/the-power-of-encouragement monthly 0.5 2022-02-14 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/fear-is-normal-just-dont-set-up-camp-there monthly 0.5 2022-02-11 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/2019/3/11/ahi-point-wa-2xhzd-nsgpm monthly 0.5 2022-01-19 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/creativity-is-not-just-for-creatives monthly 0.5 2022-01-25 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/learn-from-others monthly 0.5 2022-01-28 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/category/Entrepeneurship monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/category/Writing monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/category/New+Ideas monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/category/Creativity monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/category/Business monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/category/Marketing monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/tag/editor monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/tag/agent monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/tag/routine monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/tag/author monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/tag/writing monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/tag/refinement monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/tag/inspiration monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/tag/writer monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/tag/self+published monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/tag/publishing monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/tag/creative monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/blog/tag/editing monthly 0.5 https://www.valeriedonati.com/mystory daily 0.75 2025-07-11 https://www.valeriedonati.com/mystory/part-1 monthly 0.5 2025-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/1634223203154-U3FBPYIP29JXGQCK7S48/unsplash-image-NKZphU6HxLU.jpg My Story - Part 1: The North Carolina Years (1-12) My mother’s artistic nature also helped us rise above what might have been a dismal existence. We were struggling financially, but she was able to bring beauty into our lives. Though we didn’t have a lot of money to go around, she knew how to make simple things special. Everyone wanted to hang out at our house because she would make fun treats to eat or come up with fun things to do. She created a swing out of cast-off plywood or would take us berry picking. She taught my friends how to draw, she made all the birthday cakes on the block because she knew how to decorate them with an icing tableaux. And we always had the latest fashion (bell bottoms!) because she could sew - like a pro. My mother used her ingenuity to enrich our lives and it made a huge impression on me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/1634222930348-RCFRE6DXHIJ55NE27TPT/woolworth-four-19601.jpeg My Story - Part 1: The North Carolina Years (1-12) Greensboro in the early ‘70s also shaped my world view. From the sit-ins, to busing, to rioting, racial tensions were running high. My mother taught us that we were all created equal in God’s eyes and that the color of our skin didn’t and shouldn’t define us. We were encouraged to see things through other people’s eyes, not to judge, and to help where we could. Our resources were a tad bit limited then. We were living on government assistance, food stamps and welfare checks, and it struck me that the office buildings that catered to the poor were always unkempt. In my young mind, poverty and beauty never went together. https://www.valeriedonati.com/mystory/part-2 monthly 0.5 2025-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/700a260d-ff40-4607-b521-6f9d3409dc02/unsplash-image-Qs-Ene0RVdA.jpg My Story - Part 2: The Miami Years (12-29) - When we moved down ourselves, taking up residence in my great grandmother’s small bungalow with its abundant fruit trees, dusty furniture, and ancient oriental rugs, it was a letdown from the fast-paced, city life we’d been living in DC. I was starting middle school and rather than take the bus the two miles to our campus, I decided to walk. I found Miami ugly after the lushness of North Carolina and the stateliness of DC. Lawns where we lived just ran into the street with no curbs, houses were small, square, and boring. Everything felt bleached hot and sleepy. I was on a mission to find beauty in this place, so I grabbed a wicker basket and walked to school gathering subtropical flowers on my way, trying to find hidden glamour in the simple architecture. I’d bring my new friends flowers when I arrived at school, and myself memories of little details I captured that helped me see the subtle beauty of this place. Around that time, I decided I wanted to become a writer. I loved art: dance, painting, film. To me it was the very best way to transcend everything that was mean and ordinary in life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/1634223843315-1H9AKAG0N5F28YLYOL2Q/unsplash-image-loGL2ohdiHg.jpg My Story - Part 2: The Miami Years (12-29) - My friend and I started a “thing” – the Miami Arts Asylum. The Director was obsessed with (and trained in) modernist art movements and wanted to create a space for artists to express themselves. We requisitioned an old, barely functioning art deco theater (used mainly for punk rock concerts) and put on a weekly show. I had the job of curating the visual art and handling the performance art production – which, at the time, was a dream. I remember sitting in the back of my friend’s flatbed truck on a warm summer night after picking up some oversized paintings, heading to the venue and thinking, “This is one of the best times of my life.” https://www.valeriedonati.com/mystory/part-3 monthly 0.5 2025-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/1634224118437-US4H8TA310NKLIF00EZG/unsplash-image-QYf38NQW_WY.jpg My Story - Part 3: The San Francisco Years (29-30) - I landed in the city in the early ’90s just when grunge was emerging, and the rave scene was building – the Punks had found a new way to express themselves. I was a teetotaler, dedicated to clearing my head and finding my way. I was intrigued by the coffee scene, the artists in SoMa (South of Market) and the groovy bars in the Mission district (sparkling water please!) I had a few friends in the city and got a job as an assistant at an art gallery for $6.00 an hour. Yay! Because of what I’d been doing in Miami, I was particularly adept at working with artists, so they put me in charge of their shows. I usually like to keep my past under wraps, so they were surprised at how good I was at managing the talent (no joke, an ex-Factory denizen wanted to set me up with my own gallery back in Miami). I’d work in the gallery by day, taking my lunches at South Park, where I basically napped in the grass, and then out at night with friends. Back then, my friends in the Mission, aka locals, were seriously worried about the yuppies taking over – this was pre-Silicon Valley. Sorry, I think they won that battle. But when I was making the rounds there was a genuine underground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/1634822670426-DJIKSPEDN1Q6XNG31F27/unsplash-image-s6lCKvD73D4.jpg My Story - Part 3: The San Francisco Years (29-30) - One of the girls I met who became a good friend lived with a few roommates in an old, slightly decrepit mansion in the Mission. I’d stay with her on and off then, and years later after I had moved to New York. She was an original, this young lady. In fact, she was one of the first people I knew who went to Burning Man when it was still running under the radar. In a tent on a camping weekend I watched with fascination as she sewed fur onto the lingerie she planned to wear on the plateau. She had a bedroom in the manse with a bed fitted into the bay window. Jasmine grew in from outside and down onto the bedpost, sweeping your face as you slept. If you know anything about archetypes, she is totally the Child. https://www.valeriedonati.com/mystory/part-4 monthly 0.5 2025-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/f0f8172a-e31c-4b28-9f6e-4841894ea84a/unsplash-image-nn6g9-e2sUQ.jpg My Story - Part 4: The New York Years (30-40) - I’d left sunny Miami - just six months back from San Francisco - for Gotham in the middle of a snowy January, and the first job I was able to secure was working for an artist (cataloging his paintings and organizing dinner parties) with a loft studio on Houston Street in Soho that he shared with 100 parrots and a hedgehog. He’s subsequently become quite famous - for painting parrots! My second position was as a receptionist for an Upper East Side fashion PR agency, representing a hefty dose of bold-face names. That was an interesting juxtaposition - heading off to work from my tiny East Village apartment to their glitzy office. I couldn’t afford a gym, so I walked to work for the exercise. It was all hands-on deck for events, so I took the then dodgy L train and scoured Domsey's (a vintage clothing shop in Brooklyn) for fashion I could remake into something I could wear to the high society shindigs they created - there was no such thing as affordable fast-fashion back then. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/7e2b8c27-7103-48bb-9173-57018fa92835/unsplash-image-wGXRVgvCVWA.jpg My Story - Part 4: The New York Years (30-40) - After three years at the PR firm, I went to work for a rather famous book publicist who had recently started her own agency. It wasn’t a good fit (my fault!) and she fired me within six months, which is probably what launched my career. I was getting tired of writing and getting agents - good literary agents, who believed in my work - but couldn’t land a deal. Also at that time, something seminal happened in my life that would add an unshakable layer of wellbeing and purpose to everything I did. At a terrible low, broke, struggling with an illness and dealing with the death of a mentor, I made the decision to return to my Christian roots. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” I read that scripture in Hebrews, and it all came together for me. If I trusted God with my life and believed in Him to be there for me, I had a deep conviction that no matter what things looked like, or even if things turned south, all would be well. That faith has underpinned every yes that I have considered or pursued, in and out of business. My world was remade then, and it was the best decision of my life. https://www.valeriedonati.com/mystory/part-5 monthly 0.5 2025-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/1634224722999-BQDOXPO0I03VNG3CB307/unsplash-image-kZokA2VTKn4.jpg My Story - Part 5: The New York Years Continued. (40-47) - We got a very cool space in the NoMad district of the city, and I moved to the 46th floor of a new build on 5th Avenue which rocked my world. There’s nothing like a view of the skyline in New York. It’s so easy to get trapped in the concrete canyons. I remember wanting to live somewhere high up, jumping in a cab and instructing the driver to just drive north. Keeping my eyes peeled upward, when I saw a tall building, I jumped out in K-Town, wandered into the lobby, and asked if they had rentals. The building didn’t, but the doorman called over a real estate agent who just happened to be there looking after an owner’s apartment, and within 30 minutes I secured my new place to live. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/593a3601-a25d-4f19-bf5a-a30dbfd7f38a/unsplash-image-eAYO8vKNeFQ.jpg My Story - Part 5: The New York Years Continued. (40-47) - Still, we kept going, winning business, tightening our spending. We even started something new, launching 24 Savvy, an online resource for value living - everyone was trying to save money. Just prior to taking the business out on my own, I had hit the age of 40. I had always had hopes of getting married and maybe even having children one day. Well, the children part (natural birth) was mostly likely not going to happen, but marriage? I remember having an epiphany at a particularly low point. I just needed to live the life I had in my mind and heart now. Don’t wait for a partner. So, I started trying out new things – golf, painting, piano, and French lessons. Ah, this was good for my soul. Mainly because I knew I’d never be good at any of these things, so I had the freedom to just enjoy and explore. https://www.valeriedonati.com/mystory/part-6 monthly 0.5 2025-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/1637152627591-MDZLGJGSBA1I67D1RR5E/unsplash-image-DrhYt-kAe9s.jpg My Story - Part 6: The London Years. (47 - Present) - The first time I went to Europe was when I was 18. I was on my trip to Israel, studying Jewish history, one of only three non-Jews on the trip. We spent a night in London on the way over - a city that I had been longing to visit. I remember our plane descending over the UK, seeing all that lush, deep green. Oh England! At 12 years old I had become a Beatles fanatic. My mother said I had made a shrine to them in my bedroom and ordered me to dismantle my little altar. I spent days daydreaming about living in London in what I imagined was a moody, foggy groovy city – so different from techno bright Miami. I would spend hours drawing what I dreamed English gardens would look like, patches of land overrun by creeping, clinging, sprouting miracles of nature. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/fdd154fc-f0af-4801-adf3-aec567302433/unsplash-image-jv15x2Gs5F8.jpg My Story - Part 6: The London Years. (47 - Present) - We made London our base and we basically hit the road as part of our work there, visiting friends and colleagues from Bulgaria to Norway, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and much, much more. It was truly wonderful. Good times. I downsized my business to accommodate my new life. I learned the art of outsourcing help I used to hire for, and white labeling some of my strategic partnerships. I closed my office (in stages) and we went virtual. Yes, I would twist myself into a pretzel to deliver work on multiple time zones (our family is in Miami and Sydney, Australia so trips “home” were also on the docket several times a year). My office became trains, planes, and automobiles - no joke. I lived in hotels as much as my own home. Life was mobile. Life was wild. Life was exciting. Life was exhausting. And then Covid-19 hit, and everything screeched to a halt – well, at least the travel. Because we were already well established as a mobile company, we didn’t miss a beat when the pandemic invaded our lives. The only thing that changed was that now everyone was on Zoom. Zoom fatigue is real. London lockdown was intense, and long. https://www.valeriedonati.com/mystory/part-7 monthly 0.5 2025-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/f7b485d8-f823-4190-b18f-7e40575afe8d/palmtree My Story - Part 7: The Sunshine Years (Present) - Writing is not for the fainthearted. If you’re not up for the constant rewrites, you should not even attempt it. Unless you’re a big fan of using AI, and I am not. I never use it for my writing. When I told my husband that I wanted to pursue writing in earnest, he wasn’t sure I was up for the somewhat isolating nature of the craft. That was when we first got married. Once he saw me in action, disappearing into our room for HOURS, he adjusted his thinking. I LOVE to write. I love to disappear into a story for hours on end, noodling on character development, plot twists, and backstory. It is my favorite rabbit hole. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/9a71ecdf-a167-4870-a16d-a8a952f77386/floating+book My Story - Part 7: The Sunshine Years (Present) - I gave it a few months and decided to do the major rewrite. I love to write, right? I took about four months to do the backstory development, really dig in deep. Then, I started writing. Six months later I presented it back to my agent for a read, made his final changes, got my editor’s seal of approval and… here we are! I could not be more excited. This has been a labor of love, such an adventure. I’m so hopeful that this story of finding yourself in the midst of loss and supernatural obstacles – underpinned by a heavy dose of empathy, will find a home. Forever hopeful? Yes! https://www.valeriedonati.com/home daily 1.0 2025-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f92f1f2e305f5e81c88d5c/1629810070878-9UZ5U1CFE7TY3M5II95O/ValSite_0081HQV1.jpg Home - How can I help you? I’m a yes person, but not in the way you might think. For me yes means opportunity, not acquiescence. I see possibilities in just about every situation, and that has helped me in my creative life and my business. When I decided to write a novel - at 12! I had zero experience, but I did have a BIG dream in my heart, and a deep desire to express myself through the creative process. When I started my business I’d never operated as an owner. I’d never run a P&L (profit and loss), or had to think about renting office space. But I believed that by saying yes to an opportunity it would work out. If you’re looking for inspiration and just hard-won advice, please visit my blogs and social media. 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