Last week, I went for an early morning run with three amazing business owners. We spent our entire 4-mile jog talking about business, the innovations we were undertaking to jumpstart sales and the future: the new work, the new clients and the new ventures we were determined to go after.

It was one of those conversations filled with insights and heartfelt optimism. That moment when you know you are not alone, where you share your angst with like-minded people and discover a better or more efficient way to grow what you have taken such a long time to build. I felt truly exhilarated in ways that had nothing to do with the way my body feels after a run.

This was all a mind orgasm.

The truth is, even after twenty years in the game, running a business is still no easy feat. In a recession, it is even less so.

This week no less than five people I know intimately told me they were starting out on their own. While I was happy for them I also offered up a prayer for their success and longevity.

You see there are many things I wish I knew existed or had when I first became a business owner. There were things that took me a long time to learn. Oftentimes, I painstakingly A/B tested my way to discover what worked and what did not.​

One of those things I’ve been testing, tweaking and working on for years is social media. I was an early adopter 12 years ago, because in Facebook and all its later iterations, I saw not a sexy flavour of the month but a tool with real marketing chops, which I could use to enhance my business (a Public Relations firm at the time) and that of others.

When I look around now there is hardly any business I know that does not have a digital strategist, social media team or someone working externally building an online community.

That’s the upside.

But the other truth is that so many folks are struggling, trying to create compelling content and use words and stories that resonate with their followers and hopefully, their ideal customers. They struggle to find words that genuinely inspire others to take action. Content planning on social media remains a daily struggle.

I don’t want you to waste a moment more. I want to help you have more of the moments I wish I had when I started out. Those big ‘aha’ moments when you are presented with a tool that works. Mostly, I want you to succeed, which leads me to today’s announcement!

This week, I launched the Social Media Planner, a book that allows its users (bloggers, communicators, ad planners, event planners, digital influencers, business owners, brand strategists, solopreneurs, girlbosses, entrepreneurs) to create and plan compelling content while engaging audiences more effectively.

The book will guide brands on how to inspire people to say “yes” to the change their products and services bring to the world.

As I get ready to embark on a wild journey of media rounds, book talks and sales conversations, I want you to remember that when you email us and preorder you’ll be getting a book that allows you connect your content and social media dots. You will understand how your brand story translates into overarching themes and the daily joy of content planning. All the while creating posts and stories that are a genuine expression of your unique voice.

Thank you in advance for supporting my work. I’m so grateful that we get to start each week together, maybe not on a 4-mile run but with a cup of hot chocolate (or coffee) in one hand, and a crazy to-do list in the other.

Let’s make waves!

It’s the only way our work will matter and it may be the only way we can thrive, with the wind at our backs.