The Robyn Graham Show a Podcast for Christian Women - Become Calm, Confident, and Consistent

Corporate and law firm leaders call on Gina for high-stakes public relations, crisis planning, and incident response support including high profile litigation media relations. One of the most widely acknowledged experts on legal marketing and law firm public relations, Gina is a sought-after speaker and media expert. Listed among the Lawdragon Global 100 Leading Consultants and Strategists to the Legal Profession, Gina published the 2nd Edition of her book Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, in 2019.

She founded and continues to lead Furia Rubel Communications, the award-winning PR and marketing agency that has become a leading legal marketing and professional service communications boutique. The full-service marketing and public relations shop has been listed among the leading agencies by the National Law Journal, The Legal Intelligencer, New Jersey Law Journal, and Philadelphia Business Journal. Under Gina's direction, Furia Rubel provides strategic planning, marketing, public relations, media training, and content marketing services to a variety of specialized industries.

Gina's legal background complements her unparalleled intuition as a client advocate and business diplomat, allowing her to partner with professional clients to achieve their objectives. She and the Furia Rubel team are always focused on the clients' unique selling proposition, brand, key messages, and target audiences.

Women Owned Business

As women in business we see ourselves through our own eyes by looking in the mirror. But hearing what others see in us, is empowering. It's really public relations and personal branding at the core.

When you look at public relations it's everything. It's how you treat your employees, how you treat your family, how you treat people at religious institutions and all information you put out on social media. It goes for personal and business. PR is more than being on TV.

When Gina brings me in for photoshoots with her clients, she is having me capture the true essence of the clients. PR is getting to the core and essence of who that client is. The PR piece goes across the gamut whether it is the visual touch point or the written word, it matters.

That is PR at its core. Not just understanding who the various audiences are, but what is beneficial for the audiences.

The First Phase

Gina comes from a long line of attorneys. She began her law career in litigation but quickly moved to media and public relations.

Her degree in communications and international business from Drexel paved the way for career transition into PR.

The transition to opening her own business occurred when her daughter, as an infant, was ill. She made the decision that family was first and she built her business around her life in Bucks County.

The Second Phase

Furia Rubel Communications was launched on Gina's birthday and she ran with it. Eighteen years of success later Furia Rubel is thriving.

When Gina started her own business, she made a lot of mistakes, but she also did a lot of things right. Her recommendation to anyone starting a business is to hire the people who do what you are not an expert at.

Use the time you are delegating for new business development.

Furia Rubel is a Women Owned Business. There are benefits to having a Women Owned Business Certification. Companies that have diversity initiatives that require them to offer bids out to women owned or minority owned companies. If the proposals are the similar and the quality is the same, companies may make the final decision on the status of being Women Owned. There are definitely benefits.

Crisis management is another expertise that Gina holds.

PR tips

Transparency

No matter the situation, positive or negative, transparency is important. It's important to be honest and transparent right down to the fact that you need help.

PR and Perception

During a time of crisis, be a resource for people. Don't sell, it will fall on deaf ears. Send positive messages. Use technology tools and continue to be a positive resource.

Authenticity

Authenticity is a value to live by. Transparency, especially during a crisis, is important. Be transparent about how your business is changing or how the crisis is affecting your business.

Finding humanity and Grace

When in crisis, look for the positive, the humanity and grace that gives us hope for the future. Be willing to be agile as approach the changes openly.

Get the Word Out

During a time of crisis, your normal messaging isn't what the media wants. The media wants to hear about the creativity with how you are handling the situation.

Timing is everything. It is really about creating and building relationships and being a good resource. Sometimes it is about asking someone else to share your story.

Stories are going to have to be very sensitive to the environment that we are dealing with. No different than if dealing with an election. The media outlets are covering the election and you are not going to get coverage of a small event the same day as an election.

Think outside the box. Be creative and education, inform and entertain. Share the light and positive stories.

Stay positive, stay true to yourself, know your audience, don't expect anything from the media, they aren't there to serve you, they are there to serve their audiences. Believe that when you have a good story, it will get picked up. It has to be from the heart and the head.

Empathy is a critical component to everyday life, especially in a time of crisis and the months ahead.

Learn more and connect with Gina

Website: https://www.furiarubel.com/

Facebook: @furiarubel

Instagram: @furiarubel

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginafuriarubel/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ginarubel

Youtube: https://www.yourtube.com/user/furiarubel

Learn more about your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE.

To learn about The Brand Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE.

To connect with me, Robyn Graham:

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One of the number one thing I hear business owners complain about is doing their business finances and taxes! It's not easy, especially for creatives. Jennie Schottmiller, through her business Simple Profit, helps people who are busy helping others by teaching them the tools they need to manage the business finances. Jennie suggests looking at the numbers every month as doing so will alleviate stress and allow for making better business decisions.  She offers anymore tips throughout the episode.

Jennie Schottmiller is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) and licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Pennsylvania. She operates a private practice in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

In 2007, Jennie left the accounting world after personal events required focusing on health and family. She pursued helping couples and families and became a therapist in 2010. She opened her private practice in 2016 and came to realize that many of her peers in private practice struggled with accounting, tax, budgeting and cash management issues. Jennie now runs a thriving coaching business, Simple Profit. Simple Profit offers free resources as well as coaching and educational courses to support and empower small business owners."

Through her business, Simple Profit, Jennie helps people who are busy helping others. She helps them so that they can help others. She realized that as a therapist, her peers were in their businesses to help others and the last thing they wanted to do was the accounting and bookkeeping. She identified a need and created the solution.

The longer people put things off, the more stress there is around that task. Jennie's advice is to not put things off. Look at the numbers every month. As doing so will alleviate stress and allow for making better business decisions.

Jennie shares her knowledge by summarizing the IRS information and presenting it in a way that people can understand without spending a ton of time on it. Her blog is a wealth of information and she has three Facebook groups that are opened to the public and tremendous resources. She also offers online courses that will educate students on how to do the taxes and necessary data recording on their own.

A few tips and tricks Jennie recommends to make your book keeping quick and easy.

Quickbooks – available as web-based program or for Mac and PC

Excel

Go Daddy

Record revenue and expenses monthly so that you can easily track the data, catch errors, and plan accordingly.

Make categories for profit and loss statement so that you can easily keep track. Lump like things together for easy tracking based on your business.

The one mistake Jennie says she made when starting her business was not getting pictures taken for her brand. She was afraid of being in front of the camera but really regrets waiting so long. Having an online business she needed to have photos of herself so that people could get to know her. Having her professional photos made a huge difference in her website and how her business looked.

Mentors were a huge help for creating her online programs. She's learned from others and from her mistakes. One thing that really made a difference for her was providing answers for free.

She's a firm believer in just doing it! Learn what you need to learn and just act on it!

Jennie's Book Recommendations

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg

Learn more and connect with Jennie:

Facebook Group

Instagram: @mysimpleprofit

Website: www.simpleprofit.com

LinkedIN: Jennie Shottmiller

To learn more about your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE.

To learn about The Brand Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE.

To connect with me, Robyn Graham:

Website | Instagram | LinkedIN | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest

Discernment. The ability to judge well.  

Here are my thoughts: We all must read content and discern whether it is true, exaggerated or false in its application for our individual lives. We must evaluate whether the content is providing value to our lives and/or our businesses. Is it healthy, or is it causing us to compare ourselves and decrease our confidence and self worth.

Discernment

The ability to judge well.

I recently listened to episode 58 of Confessions of a Crappy Christian. The episode was titled Discernment Matters. It really got me thinking.

Blake addressed discernment from a Christian point of view and really diving in to discerning the content we consume and evaluating what influencers are saying for true Biblical meaning vs. social opinion.

The episode was enlightening to say the least.

We all consume so much content every day, especially on social media.

It is very easy to become overwhelmed and to succumb to the comparison game.

This fact has been weighing heavy on my heart and I felt compelled to do an episode on it.

Here are my thoughts:

We all must read content and discern whether it is true, exaggerated or false in its application for our individual lives.

We must evaluate whether the content is providing value to our lives and/or our businesses.

Is it healthy, or is it causing us to compare ourselves and decrease our confidence and self worth.

It is important to ask whether or not the content makes us feel inspired and motivated, or is it dragging us down and making us feel unworthy, or less than the amazing individuals God has created us to be.

We also must realize that the grass is never greener on the other side of the fence. Meaning, it may look like the influencers have near perfect lives, but the reality is, there is something missing for them, or there is a skeleton in their closet too.

We have to be aware that people are only posting the pieces of their lives that they want us to see.

Some will allow themselves to be more vulnerable and in doing so are trying to show their dark side or weaknesses. I think in most cases they are not asking for sympathy but trying to help others. But, if this content is making you feel anxious or sad, or negative, it's time to tune it out.

Others are sharing things that none of us need to hear or see as it just makes us question our value and lifestyle.

The bottom line is that we cannot waste time comparing ourselves to others.

We each have unique gifts, and unique talents. There are people that we are meant to serve and people we are not meant to serve.

Don't compare what looks like to be busy and successful to what you are doing. You are doing and have exactly what God wants you to do and have. Nothing more, nothing less. To everything there is a time and a season. Focus on your time, your life, your season, and not anyone else.

The key to all of this is to discern the meaning of the content for your life and only consume what is going to strengthen you, inspire you, or motivate you.

And remember, that just because the content is coming from someone who has thousands or millions of followers, that doesn't meant that what they are saying it accurate, true, or applicable to your life.

Don't just get on the bandwagon of following someone because everyone else is. Ask yourself if the messages align with your beliefs, your goals, your dreams. If they do not, don't waste your time and energy on the content.

Social media is meant to be just that, social. Therefore, make sure that it is fueling you in a way that makes you feel "social" – happy, relaxed, inspired, or motivated. And if it is not helping you grow as a person or in your business, don't consume it.

Use caution, that's all I'm asking. Asking myself these questions has helped me and I hope it helps you too.

Wendi Weiner, is an attorney-turned-entrepreneur who found her passion in writing and helping others craft powerful personal brands through telling their career and professional stories. As a personal branding expert Wendi believes that a personal brand is who you are, not what you do. Who are you internally, what value do you bring and who is your ideal audience.  What is your why?

Wendi Weiner, is an attorney-turned-entrepreneur who found her passion in writing and helping others craft powerful personal brands through telling their career and professional stories. She practiced for 12 years and served as a college writing professor for 7 years, prior to focusing on being a writer full-time. Her legal background includes working in big law, mid-size firms, and in-house for a Fortune 200 company. She holds 6 resume writing, career coaching/management, and personal branding certifications, and is the country’s only Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW) who is also an attorney. Wendi has been featured in almost 75 major media outlets and have received more than 10 honors and awards in personal branding, writing, and content strategy. She is the founder of The Writing Guru®, which has served thousands of clients in more than 30 industries, 40 states, and multiple countries in Europe, South America, and India.

 

As a personal branding expert Wendi believes that a personal brand is who you are, not what you do.   When working with clients Wendi gets to know them and their unique value propositions.   She gets them thinking about who they are internally, the value they bring and who their ideal audience is.  

 

Wendi’s passions were not being fueled when working as an attorney.  She is a firm believer that if you have skills and talents but they aren’t fueling you, you won’t be happy.   And that is why she gave up her law career to become a writer.  She followed her passion and now, despite working long hours, she is happy and never feels like she’s working.  

 

Working with professionals to create resumes and LinkedIn profiles that help them showcase their expertise and personality to be authoritative and trustworthy in their field is just one of Wendi’s gifts as a writer.   She encourages everyone to have an up to date LinkedIn profile and and not to use their resume, but to showcase their personality to make emotional connections with recruiters and their ideal audience.  

 

Her favorite quote is from Confusious, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” 

 

Wendi is an avid podcast listener and you can catch her listening to the Morning Toast when she needs a good laugh and update on reality tv.

Learn more about Wendi and connect with her:

Webiste: www.writingguru.net

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/thewritingguru

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thewritingguru

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thewritingguru

Twitter: @thewritingguru

To learn more about me, your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE.  

To learn about The Brand Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE.  

To connect with me, Robyn Graham:

Website | Instagram | LinkedIN | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest

Very few of us feel comfortable stepping in front of the camera.  When was the last time you had a professional head shot?  I'm often asked who needs a professional head shot and why? Everyone!  We live in a digital world where our online presence is important and often the first impression people have of us.  It's time to set aside the fear and make an appointment for your professional head shot. I’m going to give you 7 reasons why your professional head shot is important.

Very few of us feel comfortable stepping in front of the camera.  When was the last time you had a professional head shot?  Are you waiting to lose 10 pounds, get the latest Botox shot, that new hairstyle?  I'm often asked who needs a professional head shot and why?  

Everyone!  

We live in a digital world where our online presence is important and often the first impression people have of us.  It's time to set aside the fear and make an appointment for your professional head shot. I’m going to give you 7 reasons why your professional head shot is important.

1. Look like the professional you are Your headshot should be eye-catching and make a statement.  A headshot expresses to the world that you have an expertise and care about quality. Potential employers or clients scrolling through LinkedIn will be drawn to a well-lit professional headshot over a selfie. Professional headshots make a positive impression.

2. Stand outIn a digital era, people have short attention spans.  Your quality profile picture will grab attention.  As clients and employers scroll through LinkedIn and social media platforms, your professional headshot will stand out. Your personality and essence are captured in your eyes and smile. This makes you memorable and recognizable, people are more likely to remember your photo rather than a few lines from your bio.

3. An Introduction/First ImpressionThe professional headshot is your introduction to the world.  Peers, recruiters, people in your field of expertise often meet you for the first time online.  The old saying one picture is worth a thousand words is so true when creating a first impression. In a competitive job market, it is important to make a first impression so that your skills and expertise are not overlooked. All websites should have professional headshots on the about page.  Many companies dedicate a page to their team, or at least the management team, and include headshots.  It is important to remember that people buy personalities not products and services, therefore making it important to represent the people behind the business.  A personal and emotional connection to your business will help with the KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST factor that will make your business a success.

4. ConsistencyWhen you have a professional headshot on your website and across your social media platforms you become recognizable.  People remember you.  It is important to build your personal brand that demonstrates your expertise and creates recognition.  Your goal is to make it easy for people to recognize and remember you.

5. RecognitionOften LinkedIn and social media sites will have several people with the same name. There may be 6 people with the name Mary Smith on LinkedIn.  How is a potential client or employer to know which one is you? With a recognizable headshot you are easily found and connected.  When meeting in a public place, both you and your client can quickly recognize each other when you have headshots that represent you.

6. RecruitersA recent analysis by JobVite reported that 41% of recruiters judge you by your profile photo before meeting you.  This report was from 2016 so we can assume that number is higher today, as more and more people are using LinkedIn.  Interestingly enough 18% of recruiters view selfies negatively and admit to viewing social media profiles to learn more about candidates.  People are looking for your personality before they meet you and making decisions about what they see online. 7. ConfidenceHaving a professional head shot makes you feel more confident about your career and when you look confident people are more likely to believe that you are an expert and have the skills they are looking for. Learn more about your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE.  

To learn about The Brand Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE.  

To connect with me, Robyn Graham:

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He wasn't expected to survive, let alone thrive again. Tommy's near death experience with bacterial meningitis and meningiococcemia left him with now hands and feet. He may look different, but his positive outlook never changed. Tommy uses humor and grace to move through his life.  He truly believes the impossible is possible and is living proof of it.  His is story of resilience and perseverance. Overcoming adversity and fear and living life to it's fullest.