Well, 2012 has been a big year and it looks like next year will be even bigger. So what are the highlights?
SXSW: South by South West in Austin, Texas is always a mind trip and this year was no different. It’s five days of ideas, ideas and then some more ideas. If you want to go somewhere with great speakers, lots of food trucks, HEAPS of parties, and the opportunity to make connections with some amazing people, this is the place to be.
Let’s Talk Business seminar series: I love working with the City of Sydney on the Let’s Talk Business seminar series for entrepreneurs. The City of Sydney and the team from The Events Agency are a pleasure to deal with and I get the chance to help so many innovative entrepreneurs tell their stories to the crowd. I’m thrilled to say that I’m coming back next year for another round. See you there!
Inspired by: Our students at the Australian Writers’ Centre. They continue to kick goals, get book deals, and make huge strides in their writing goals. One of the biggest wins this year was Jessica Shirvington’s news that Steven Spielberg’s production company is turning her books into a TV series next year. When I get news like this, it’s makes all the hard work we put into the Centre and our students worthwhile.
But Jessica is just one of our success stories. Thank you to all our students in the community – you truly inspire me every day!
Launched: My own book Power Stories: The 8 stories you MUST tell to build an epic business. Released in October 2012, it’s been wonderful to see this come to life. Back in January, it was just an idea. Thanks to everyone at Wiley for believing in it, to the wonderful Seth Godin for writing the testimonial on the cover – and everyone who has supported the book so far.
The Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network: What a powerful network. It was great to attend the DWEN conference in New Delhi in India. So much learning, so many amazing women!
With the lovely CEO of Futurepeople Recruitment Linda Simonsen
If you’re not familiar with DWEN, here’s a short video (with a cameo from yours truly and the lovely Suzi Dafnis from the Australian Busineswomen’s Network when we were in Rio de Janeiro):
My team: I have to say that I love each and every one of my team at the Australian Writers’ Centre. They are smart, motivated and wonderfully committed to helping us provide the best service we can and to build a Centre we can all be proud of. And yes, we all love to eat!
Starting: Co-founding SocialCallout.com has been a busy but energising experience. I’ve gone back to my scrappy startup days and it’s been fun working with my co-founders, two wonderful women – Katrina Allen and Michelle Palmer. SocialCallout.com is a fast and efficient way for brands and bloggers to connect.
Looking forward to: Next year. We have huge plans for next year. And I can’t wait to get started on them after a short break. Our Melbourne courses have kicked off (so I’ll be seeing more of you Melbourne peeps), we have great plans for the Best Australian Blogs Competition, cool ideas for Latte magazine (which I edit) and we will continue to serve our growing online community of writing students.
Happy holidays!
And here’s to a big 2013. As this year draws to a close, I’m looking forward to a spending time with my five furry babies. They each have their own Santa sacks and I only have a few more surprises to buy so they will be very spoilt on Christmas morning.
I hope you have a restful and peaceful Christmas break. What are your big plans for 2013?
Rex
Rambo
Rocky
Dougal
Groucho