Dick jokes & hard work: On tough years, great contractors, and corporate culture
Because of my contractors, the toughest two years of the Offbeat Empire’s decade of existence (and honestly, the toughest two years of my fucking life) have actually been totally ok. Bootstrapping a business is terrifying, since the only money to spend is the money that’s coming in. In a decade of being in business, I’ve never taken out a loan or accepted venture capital. My investments have been my own time, and the willingness of my crew to stretch themselves… and the corporate culture we’ve built together.
Vendors: maximize your ROI with inclusive marketing materials
While we almost never decline an advertiser for having marketing materials that are “too traditional,” I do want to make sure wedding vendors looking to appeal to nontraditional clients know that if your website is too traditional, you may not see a solid return on investment when you reach out to nontraditional couples.
45 million readers: On Offbeat Bride’s 10th anniversary + what we’re working on now
As of last week, Offbeat Bride is now a DECADE OLD. It’s still one of the biggest ironies ever for me that the website was launched just as a way to promote the book that was supposed to finally launch me into what I imagined as “real success.” In 2007, digital publishing was still the less-respected nerdy little sibling of the “real” publishing industry, and being a published author was going to be my big ticket to legitimacy and recognition.
…Har har! Joke was on me!
4 reasons I love Instagram Stories
Yesterday I posted on Offbeat Empire’s Facebook page about how, if folks want to follow along with me behind the scenes, they should follow @offbeatbride’s Instagram Stories. A couple commenters were like, “But wait I don’t use Instagram, how can I see that content?” and the answer is…
…you can’t.
And here’s more about why.