Category Archives: Small Businesses

Make a List!

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By Karen Hendricks

Want to write a catchy blog post? An article with high readership? A press release that gets picked up? Write it in list format!

That’s right–write it in list format and be sure to include a number in the headline. It’s one of the most successful formats today because the number helps to grab our attention. Who doesn’t have time to take in 5 tips, 10 strategies, 7 ideas?

It’s important that the “tips” be written in a succinct style for easy readability, with the information sumarized in a handful of sentences. It’s the perfect style of writing for today’s quick-paced lifestyle and our short attention spans.

This marketing concept has carried over into a lot of my freelance writing lately! See which headlines grab your attention:

40 Smart Resources for Adult Classes: Learn how you can further your education into adulthood, Susquehanna Style, August 2018

Adams County’s Top 10 Wedding Trends for 2018, Celebrate Gettysburg, May/June 2018

Dine Around the World in 35 Local Restaurants, Susquehanna Style, May 2018, Susquehanna Style, April 2018

25 Hot Spots to Dine Out(doors), Susquehanna Style, April 2018

20 Ways to Go Wild in Central PA: Discover adventure at any age in local nature centers, wildlife sanctuaries and more, Susquehanna Style, April 2018

Happy reading–and list-making!

If you need help with your business’ writing–starting a blog or maintaining it, writing and sending compelling eNewsletters, or skillfully writing and planning social media campaigns, we are here to help!

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Instagram for Artists

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Social media is intertwined with our daily lives, personally and professionally. For freelancers or those of us who are self-employed, social media is a fantastic way to share the stories behind our work, to network with others, and promote our work to a wider audience.

The rise of Instagram and its beautiful, visual platform, presents the perfect opportunity for artists of all types to promote their works. It’s visual storytelling at its best. That’s why I’ve created a two-part class “Instagram for Artists” offered through the Adams County Arts Council, Gettysburg, PA.

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Continue reading →

Formula for Success? Treating People Like Family

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Photo Credit: Donovan Roberts Witmer for Susquehanna Style

Photo Credit: Donovan Roberts Witmer for Susquehanna Style

By Karen Hendricks

Vision, talent, creativity, perseverance, and passion are five traits I believe every business owner possesses. But there’s one more common thread woven into every business’ story of success–the belief that people should be treated like family. Whether those people are employees, colleagues, clients, or customers, time and time again, I heard this message from business leaders across Central PA. I believe it’s the most important factor contributing to their success.

I recently had the great pleasure of interviewing 21 business leaders throughout the region for Susquehanna Style magazine’s “Faces of the Susquehanna Valley,” appearing in the current May 2016 issue. Their inspirational stories fill 25 pages of the magazine, and it was my joy to attempt to capture each business’ unique spirit, ingenuity, love of people, and story of success: Continue reading →

Women Run the World?

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By Karen HendricksNYC Women's Half Marathon 1

It was one of the most inspirational events I’ve ever experienced—the More/Shape Women’s Half-Marathon through New York City’s Central Park on April 17, 2016.

The sheer size of the event was overwhelming—nearly 10,000 women circling Central Park twice to equal 13.1 miles. I started the race in the middle of the pack, and it took me nearly 10 minutes, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with other women, just to reach the starting line. It’s billed as one of the largest all-female half-marathons in the country.

NYC Women's Half Marathon 7

Photo Credit: The More/Shape Women’s Half-Marathon

But the most significant takeaway: the camaraderie, the empowerment, the overwhelming vibe of “girl power.” Continue reading →

Footnotes from Fidler & Co

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Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer

Go behind-the-scenes with me, to one of Central PA’s most talked-about restaurants, Fidler & Co. Craft Kitchen. Located off the beaten path in Biglerville, Adams County, it’s the perfect destination for a day trip combined with a visit to nearby apple orchards, farm markets, or the Gettysburg Battlefield. Continue reading →

The Heart of the Holidays

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The Heart of the Holidays

By Karen Hendricks

Our hometowns hold a special place in our hearts–especially during the holiday season. Historic Gettysburg, PA was my hometown for 22+ years and honestly, I think it’s the most charming, picturesque downtown I’ve ever experienced in my travels during Christmastime.

IMG_2392So, it was my absolute pleasure to write The Heart of the Holidays: There are No Better Sights and Sounds than on Lincoln Square at Christmastime for Celebrate Gettysburg magazine, the cover story for the Nov/Dec 2015 issue. Continue reading →

Brewing Big Business

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By Karen Hendricks

If you’re a small business owner like me, you’re in the majority. What?

That’s right, the nation’s 28 million small businesses account for 54% of all sales in the U.S. And, small businesses provide 55% of all American jobs, according to the US Small Business Administration.

It’s a great time to celebrate the collective power and the sheer vitality small businesses bring to our marketplaces, through Small Business Saturday, this Saturday, November 28, 2015. Small Business Saturday, and its growing support, has a correlation to a freelance magazine article I recently wrote:

Here in Pennsylvania, there’s a movement of small, fiercely-independent businesses that collectively are brewing big business–the craft beer industry. Continue reading →