To say the last couple of weeks has been a wild ride would be an understatement, but it's all been good. Definitely ups and downs, but fortunately the downs haven't been bad. Just contemplative. I've been contemplating a lot about my business lately so I decided it would be a perfect topic for my next podcast.  You can read more about what spurred all this in my recent post, "Is it time to move on?" Don't worry. It's not a bitch fest. I save those for good friends and family (I don't go there with my therapist... she'd call me on it too quickly). I've been doing this for almost 5 years now - and when I say 'this', I mean my business. In this episode I talk about my recent WordPress Genesis for Beginners class, what I went through with pricing, promoting and wondering if I had pigeonholed myself into a niche (focusing on StudioPress Genesis).  All of this brought about a LOT of questioning about my business (especially after I created a free StudioPress Community Resources guide and let one annoying person get under my skin, as much as I'd like to think I didn't)- so much so that I even considered giving up my brand and selling this site! Don't worry, that's not going to happen. I did think about it for a day or so then realized that I was not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater so to speak. Instead, I'm going to be incorporating my name into the brand. Here's what the new logo / header looks like. I've already started using this in my newsletter but it won't be unveiled on the site until I flip the theme (which should hopefully be in the next week). Pretty fun, huh? Not too far off, I'm keeping my colors, The WordPress Chick and am just going to be expanding what I'm doing. Next up will be new photos... I realized I have ONE photo that appears everywhere, so it's time to get some new pics done. I just want to make sure they don't look like I'm posing for a Realtor shot or a "Glamour Shot" (remember those photo stores in the mall? holy moly!) In this episode I also talk about one thing that has been a HUGE focus for me and that is Building Relationships! This is one of those things that you've heard over and over (and I think I said that in my "Marketing Isn't A Spectator Sport" post) and is SO absolutely important. My point in this episode is that not only do you need to build relationships, but you should be building the RIGHT relationships for YOU! Don't be a sheep and spend time trying to connect with Guru's or people you think might be important (of course since you're a reader of mine I know that's not who you are anyways... ;-) ). Connect with Like Minded People. Create Awesome Content. Provide Value. Have Fun. Sounds simple enough, right? It is. You just need to trust yourself. Recommendations from this Episode: 1) Plugin: nrelate Related Content You can see what this looks like at the bottom of this post ("Here are some other posts you might enjoy"... I need to change that text. It just doesn't sound like me, but you get the point). Download nrelate Realted Content here (or click the image below) [sws_divider_line] 2) Post on ProBlogger: The 3 Emails You Must Send During A Launch... and a Fresh Alternative for Bloggers LOVE this site (Fearless Launching). The post is a great example of providing value- there's a TON of content in this post that you can implement right away! Read The 3 Emails You Must Send During A Launch... and a Fresh Alternative for Bloggers