Thank you and thoughts from the author
I started this newsletter less than two weeks ago. I did it after a well-timed suggestion from a friend. My first post was on LinkedIn. It was about a topic I love and know a lot about, corporate director onboarding. Even though I was confident in the content, I underestimated how nerve-wracking it would feel to put my name on something that wasn’t a corporate document. Would people like it? Would it sound like I am a know-it-all who is full of hot air? I knew once I hit “Publish,” I couldn’t take it back. So I sat for a long while looking at that bright blue button in the upper right corner…”PUBLISH.” Press it and you have to live with what you say in a public setting, probably forever. I took a deep breath and clicked the button.
And then the feedback came, and it was good. People liked what I had written, and individuals that used to work with me said that it felt like I was back in the office with them (in a good way!).
I started my career in communications, as a copywriter and speechwriter. I loved using words to teach, to solve business problems, and to unify staff and customers in a common direction. But then, the words got boring and I fell in love with technology and changed careers. And then I changed careers again when I realized, at 35, that it might be fun to be a lawyer. But I never forgot how much I loved to write, especially about business and nonfiction topics. I am inspired by the opportunity to make accessible those things that seem overwhelmingly complex, mainly because if I can understand them, I know ANYONE can.
Anytime any of us have a new endeavor, no matter how confident and accomplished we might be, it all comes down to support. My partner in life (and cat parenting) said “that’s awesome, go do it, I support you.” My friend texted me, after reading my first article, and said “Get thee to Substack….” and so on. Every little push made me feel more excited.
I challenge each of you to consider what you can do to encourage someone, to give them a boost to find that little bit of courage to do something that they’ve always wanted to do but have been afraid to try, or worse, afraid to fail.
This week also had a surprising milestone. I got my first “organic” subscriber. And by organic, I mean someone that I don’t know. I had no idea how excited I would be to see an email address of someone I have never met. As soon as I saw it, I started to wonder, what is this person like? What does she do for a living? What does she want to learn? How can I help her succeed? And the ideas started coming faster than I can write them.
I have not started marketing this newsletter/blog yet. I wanted to have enough meaningful content that people who follow me on LinkedIn or other social media would see that I intend to stick with it, even though it might morph and pivot into something different over time, depending on the community I can build and their willingness to stay with me. I try to remember all the times a boss or client said, “Melissa, we are having a meeting on x in an hour” and I didn’t know much at all about x, other than how to spell it. A google search is great, but it doesn’t give a framework for how to have an intelligent conversation. That’s my goal here, to give a framework on complex topics to get you through that first meeting and a jumping off point to see real results in your work.
But, most importantly, this personal post is for one important reason. To say thank you. Thank you to the friends and colleagues who subscribed early and are willing to offer ruthless feedback in the spirit of improvement. I have seen exceptional “read rates” thus far and I appreciate it - as I know how busy you all are.
And thank you to my new subscriber that I don’t know. I am not sure how you found me, but I am glad you did. Welcome! And please hang in there as I figure out what this is. If there is a complex topic YOU’D like me to cover, email me at prepovercoffee@substack.com. I will do my best to make it accessible and fun!
I hope there will be other new subscribers that I’ve never met, but even if there aren’t, I am excited to have had a chance to try this new thing. Thank you for giving me that opportunity.
Best wishes and thanks for reading,
Melissa