22 Reasons I’m Thankful

It’s that time of year again where we wax poetic about all the reasons we’re thankful. Check out your Facebook newsfeed and it’s like a gratitude love fest. Instead of acting like it’s a big deal to be thankful now, I’m proposing that we build the concept into our daily plan of living and do it all year round.

Studies show that when customers feel appreciated, they come back and they bring their friends. In an interview with CNN Money magazine, Randy Raggio says businesses that have built gratitude into their daily and weekly plans are reaping big benefits from their efforts. “Gratitude motivates positive reciprocal behavior,” says Raggio, a marketing professor at the University of Richmond.

Here are 22 of the (too many to list) reasons I’m thankful:

1. Today’s Innovative Woman magazine — The magazine and its publisher, Cathy Alessandra, have given me an opportunity to share information with so many amazing women entrepreneurs.

2. You Need My Guy — A fabulous way to recommend your favorite service providers that integrates with your social media networks.

3. Chris Kenney and Nancy Roberts of My Income 180 — My business coaches who have taught me that in order to be successful, I have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

4. Tracy Higgenbotham of Women TIES — who tirelessly promotes women entrepreneurs in Upstate New York and encourages that whenever possible, women buy from other women. Girl power!

5. WISE Women’s Business Center — Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Small Business Administration, the WISE WBC offers one-on-one counseling, training, workshops, and mentorship for women entrepreneurs looking to start or grow their business. Its annual conference, website and magazine are chock full of resources.

6. SCORE — A non-profit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, SCORE offers free confidential counseling at more than 340 chapters across the U.S.

7. Wufoo —  Create online forms quickly and easily. And, if you get stuck, the customer service is awesome.

8. Social Media Outcomes — If you are not on social media (and maximizing it) you need to be. Rick Cooper from Social Media Outcomes is certainly not the only one out there  touting its benefits, but his webinars offer real tips you can implement right away to help grow your business.

9. MailChimp — It’s been said many times, many ways that getting the key to the kingdom of success starts with your list. MailChimp makes creating and sending newsletters fun (maybe it’s the cute, little monkey) and easy, but again, if you get lost, the customer service is first-rate. (And, the postage is free for the first 12,000 you send to.)

10. Quozio — If a picture is worth a thousand words, than Quozio is worth a higher page ranking in Google. Quozio is  a really cool tool that turns quotes into graphics. Just enter the text, pick a background and font and save it to your computer as a .jpg. Upload it to your social networks and voila, you look like one of the cool kids.

11. Susie Augustin  –  The author of Sexy, Fit, & Fabulous at Any Age, Susie explores the eight keys to harnessing your inner beauty and making your confidence skyrocket.

12. Marla Dennis –  Marla teaches entrepreneurs how to go bold and be gutsy with your brand. Her energy is contagious.

13. Power of Moms — As a mom trying to figure out how to run a business and make sure everyone has clean underwear, I am so thankful for April and Saren of Power of Moms. They have  created a program based on David Allen’s hugely popular “Getting Things Done” but they’ve “mom-ified” it  so that it works for those of us who are trying to do it all.

14. Carrie Greene– of Carrie Greene Coaching is one of those people who if you make a comment on her blog, she’ll pick up the phone and call you to tell you how much she liked it. Very down to earth and approachable.

15. Danny Iny — Danny runs Firepole Marketing, a really cool business that “serves entrepreneurs on a mission to do something amazing”. Danny wrote Engagement from Scratch, in which he detailed how he marketed  his book and built his community from scratch — and then he gave the book away!   He’s funny, offers great content, and if you email him a question, he actually emails you back.

16. Michelle Arbore — Savvy Social Media 4U –Michelle is a social media manager extraordinaire. She knows what she’s doing and has awesome #fanpageparties

17. Joleen Moody — JoleenSpeaks Business Consulting — An author and speaker, Joleen is as authentic as they come. When speaking to entrepreneurs about how to get past their fears, she shares her story about how she jumped out of an airplane.

18. I don’t know where I’d be without so many wonderful friends — you all know who you are.

19. My parents  — SQuire Rushnell and Elaine Evans Rushnell — who instilled in me the belief that I can do and be anything I set my mind to. I love you both.

20. My baby sister – Hilary Kitzman Rushnell — an Emmy-nominated and award winning producer. I’m so proud of you.

21. My incredible husband — Dave Taney — I don’t know where I’d be without your love and support.

22. Justice — our precious gift from God.

What are you thankful for?

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you for sharing this space with me.

Sign up for my mailing list and you’ll receive a complimentary 30-minute consultation to help you Get R.E.A.L about finding your ideal client.

Robin Taney, (aka the “Get R.E.A.L Girl”) is the owner and founder of Studio 4 PR.  She works with creative, independent, and “kitchen table” entrepreneurs who are highly motivated to be found by their perfect client. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, and sign up for her newsletter, Get R.E.A.L.  You are welcome to use this post on your blog, provided you do not alter it in any way and include a link to this blog.