|
Ruth Thaler-Carter talks about the advantages of freelancing
|
|
By Janice Hanson
 A Rochester native and proud alum of Brighton High School, Ruth E. Thaler-Carter (www.writerruth.com) is an award-winning freelance writer (“I can write about anything!”®), editor, proofreader and speaker. She also owns Communication Central, which hosts a conference for freelancers every fall.
Thaler-Carter has been a full-time freelance writer and editor since 1985, working on a wide variety of projects for local, national and international clients. After spending time in St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, she moved back to Rochester several years ago because, as she says, “I married a nut who wanted to retire here!” What follows is an edited conversation about her consulting business.
Q: What does your consulting/freelance business do?
A: I write articles, web content, annual reports and more for businesses, organizations and publications, and I help my clients look good in print and on the web by providing editing and proofreading services. You might be amazed at the client errors I keep from seeing the light of day!
Q: I know you’re a member of almost a dozen professional groups – how have your various memberships helped you be a better consultant?
A: By helping me stay up-to-date on trends and changes in everything from language to technology to skills, and by giving me more opportunities for projects because of meeting people and showing people what I can do for their businesses or companies. When you’re out there in these organizations, you’re more than an electronic presence, email address or photo on a website; you’re a real human being and, ideally, other people think of me when they have a project I can work on. It’s also been a way of meeting people and making new friends.
Q: How has the RPCN helped you as a consultant?
A: I joined because I was looking for local connections with like-minded people who were also doing consulting work. I love being involved with the newsletter because I like getting to know the people I’m writing about. I’m not as visible in person as I’d like to be, because I tend not to be functional at 8 AM on a Friday, but I’ve gotten a few projects through being a member.
To read the full interview and find out Ruth’s advice for someone looking to become a freelancer or consultant, visit this page on the RPCN website. Click here for a video interview where she talks about how networking has helped her with her consulting business.
For those looking to get into freelance editing – or just to improve their skills – Ruth Thaler-Carter presents a workshop on The Basics of Editing and Proofreading at Writers & Books in Rochester on Monday, May 5.
|
|
By Michael Van der Gaag, President
I’m sure we have all been looking forward to the bright sunny days of spring. While the birds are out setting up their nests, RPCN has also been busy:
TrendTalk on May 15
Thanks to the efforts of Mike Molaire, Sandy Glanton, Janice Hanson and the Communication Committee, our upcoming TrendTalk planned for Thursday, May 15, is shaping up to be quite an event. At Challenges and Opportunities in Rochester's Human Services Sector, our panel will discuss their visions, the needs of the community, and how we, as consultants or entrepreneurs, can do business in this sector. Panelists (pictured below) are: Marlene Bessette, president and CEO at Catholic Family Center; Carol Love, a nonprofit leadership consultant; and Michelle Prohov, founder of Working for Nonprofits.
The moderator is Beth Sears and the evening includes dinner and an opportunity for networking. Come with your questions and your appetite. To register for TrendTalk, click here. Register through May 1 to save $10 on your registration.
October Conference
The “Picture Yourself …” conference committee, under the leadership of Dave Bassett (RPCN VP) and Jim Barton (conference program chair), has been planning the program and identifying and inviting speakers for this upcoming fall event, with 15 topics covering a variety of interest areas to be presented in three tracks. They cover the gamut from start-up and taking it to the next level to improving how you do business and becoming a better consultant.
The conference marketing team, headed up by Laurie Enos, has been strategizing on how to present the event and spread the word. The committee is also looking for volunteers to help with the myriad of activities needed to pull off a successful event, and in particular is looking for someone as vendor coordinator. Please contact Dave Bassett if you can help.
RPCN at Quality Conference
Congratulations to RPCN members Vince Vezza, event chair, and Steve Whittaker, presenter and presenter coordinator, for their successful American Society for Quality Rochester section (ASQRS) conference at the RIT Inn and Conference Center on April 9. Speakers presented on topics like Ethics, Green Production, The Importance of Body Language, Quality and Sustainability. Also among the speakers was our own Bob Whipple. We met scores of participants who stopped by our booth to see what RPCN is all about.
RPCN Fifth Thursday
We have another RPCN Fifth Thursday coming up on the evening of May 29 and we need your input. Would you like to see an informal opportunity for networking, a learning event about how to use Skype led by Bill Vallee or some combination of the two? Please provide your feedback by taking this one-question survey. Once we have a sense of what people would like to see, we’ll send an e-mail with details.
Stepping up
In thinking about these news items, I realized that the common thread contributing to the success of all our events is the willingness of members to help their organizations be successful. What we get out of volunteering, besides the satisfaction of creating an amazing event (or organization), is an opportunity to apply our leadership and vision to create something of value to others, while developing a team spirit. Those who step up to help are the greatest asset of an all-volunteer organization like RPCN.
Thanks
Thanks to those of you who took a few minutes to answer the newsletter survey sent on April Fool’s Day. If you didn’t realize that there was a short (three questions) survey about the newsletter, it is still up and available – please take it now. We want to make sure this newsletter is your doorway to gaining the most from RPCN.
As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome. Here’s to your success!
|
|
• Enlarging your business
• Developing your reputation as a consulting expert
• Focusing on your client’s bottom line and reputation
Picture Yourself … at MCC on October 15 learning these and many other skills.
The RPCN will hold a full-day conference called “Picture Yourself …” on Wednesday, October 15, at MCC, focusing on ways and tools to grow and expand your small/consulting business. Details on opportunities to exhibit, present and attend will be coming in the next few weeks.
If you are interested in helping with this conference, we’d love to have you. Helping with the program is a great way to get to know other RPCN members and demonstrate your abilities. The committee’s next meeting will be held at the Corner Bakery Café at 3300 Monroe Avenue in Pittsford (across the street from the Pittsford Plaza) at 3:00 PM on May 1. For more information, contact Dave Bassett at (585) 739-9726 or dbassett@bassett.pro.
|
|
Business Cases for Info Pros – Here’s Why, Here’s How (2008, Ulla de Stricker, Information Today, Inc.) is the latest acquisition by the RPCN library. RPCN Librarian Ruth Balkin picked up this book at the Association of Information Professionals (AIIP) conference in Baltimore in April. RPCN members may not think of themselves as information professionals, but as consultants, providing information is a big part of our interaction with clients. This book takes preparing and presenting proposals to clients to another level.
RPCN maintains an extensive library of business books and other materials that members can borrow. Click here to view the RPCN library.
|
|
Starting a small business: SCORE hosts this one-day workshop, which provides key information on all the basic components of starting and running a business. The workshop is on Wednesday, May 14, from 8:45 AM–3:30 PM at the Federal Building. Click here for more information and to register.
Marketing with video: Learn how to create, share and promote videos to enhance your marketing initiatives. This Digital Rochester workshop features Josh Pies and Peter Platt as speakers and takes place Tuesday, May 20, at 7:30 AM at the Rochester Museum and Science Center. Click here for more information and to register.
|
|
|
|
|
|
We want you!
|
|
The RPCN newsletter welcomes news, success stories, tips, resources, events and other items that would be of broad interest to consultants. Submit a newsletter item by email to the Communication Committee. RPCN members also may write articles for our website; submit articles here. In the newsletter, we'll highlight submitted articles aimed at helping consultants make their businesses better.
If you have newsletter questions or suggestions, or ideas for how RPCN could improve communications, contact the Communication Committee:
Janice Hanson, Chair
Barbara Moore
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal
Please send articles for the June newsletter by May 10.
|
|
Upcoming events
|
|
Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, May 2, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
PLEASE NOTE: The Pittsford Library is not available for this date. This forum will be held in the Downstairs Meeting Room at Brighton Town Hall.
An informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of any technical issues that consultants encounter in running their businesses, including computers, the Internet and phones. Wondering what kind of questions people are asking? For a list from recent forums, click here.
Is Your Product or Service What Customers Want?
presented by Juli Klie, Veritor
Friday, May 9, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room
You’re sure your idea is the best thing since sliced bread, but does anyone want to buy what you’re selling? This session will discuss the importance of understanding what the market wants before you make a large investment. If you’ve launched and your product or service is not selling as it should, how do you determine the cause and fix the problem? Juli Klie is an experienced software and services executive with one foot in the technical world and the other in marketing.
TrendTalk: Challenges and Opportunities in Rochester’s Human Services Sector
panelists: Marlene Bessette, Carol Love and Michelle Prohov
Thursday, May 15, 2014
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Radisson Airport Hotel, 175 Jefferson Road, Rochester
Three highly respected leaders – who are well known for their contributions to helping grow organizations that address the needs of the community – will be featured at the next TrendTalk dinner panel discussion. Whether or not your current focus is on human services, you may be surprised at the opportunity this event will provide for learning about this sector and how it can use your support and guidance. You will also have a chance to network with other members of the community who may be your future colleagues, clients or collaborators. Register through May 1 to save $10 on your registration.
Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, May 16, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library
An informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of issues regarding starting or running a consulting business. Wondering what kind of questions people are asking? For a list from recent forums, click here.
RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, May 16, 2014
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pittsford Community Library
RPCN’s monthly board meeting begins at approximately 10:00 AM, after the Business Forum. Everyone is welcome to attend, but only board members may vote.
Microsoft in the Cloud
presented by Lee Drake, OS-Cubed
Friday, May 23, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room
An overview of Office 365, Azure and Microsoft Cloud offerings, as well as assistance with what plans to pick as you move your systems to the cloud. See how to use Microsoft's cloud offerings to manage email, host an active directory, share files and store backup data. Lee Drake has extensive speaking experience on topics such as computer security, programming best practices, building content-managed websites, building online communities and social media.
|
|
RPCN welcomes the following new members. Click on the links below to view their profiles.
Wendy Wang
Jim Nortz
Barbara Lacker-Ware
Congratulations to the recent winners of the RPCN Member Referral Program, which provides incentives to both current and new members:
Each quarter, we will conduct a drawing that includes the names of new members and anyone who referred a new member within that quarter. We will draw one name from each group – a current and a new member – and each will receive a $25 gift card. For more information on the benefits of joining the RPCN, click here.
|
|
