This post was compensated by QVC, in collaboration with International Women’s Day.
It’s International Women’s Day, and so – in celebration of women entrepreneurs – I thought I’d tell you a little story. It starts when I was in kindergarten, and my friend Matt gave me a hand-me-down copy of Dr. Seuss’ My Book About Me. Matt had already filled it out, and I’m pretty sure that his sister Ali and their cousin Marshall had put their own stamps on various pages, too, but I apparently didn’t care; I grabbed a big, black marker and just drew over whatever everyone else had written.
When I flip back through this book – as I do often, especially now that my kids have their own My Book About Me’s – I always get stuck on the “What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up” page. Matt’s green marker told me that he dreamed of being a miner, or maybe an astronaut. Perhaps a soldier. Ali’s purple crayon x-ed out “swordfighter,” then looped around “actress.”
There were checkmarks that I’m pretty sure I made next to “gold miner,” “jeweler,” and “violinist” (??), but next to “When I Grow Up, I Want To Be A…” were massive, black letters stating my most deeply-felt desire: to be a FLOWER VENVOR.
Here’s what I did not write:
When I grow up, I want to own a URL and be paid to write about stuff, including what I ate for lunch and how to stretch out shoes that are too tight.
I didn’t set out to be a blogger. I couldn’t have, even if I’d secretly (and impossibly presciently) wanted to. When I published my first post in the fall of 2009 I had no idea what “being a blogger” even really meant.
What’s a hyperlink?
Could someone explain break down the concept of “SEO” for me, please?
And, sorry, but why, exactly, might I publish the inner workings of my brain online for anyone who might be interested to take a look at? Who, exactly, might care what I have to say?
…Aren’t I a nobody?
Over time, it started to make sense to me. I am a nobody, just like everybody else. And just like everybody else – whether they’re your next-door neighbor or the first person to walk on the moon or Angelina Jolie – my own little walk through this world matters.
All of these products are from women-made brands available on QVC #dreamdaredo
I decided to become a blogger in 2009, because I met some women who were pioneers in this field – isn’t it insane, by the way, that less than a decade ago the largest force in the current advertising industry was being pioneered?! – and then realized that blogging was a thing I could do, and a thing I could make a living at. I never seriously considered that anyone might actually care about what I was wearing or doing or seeing or believing in; not really – but I wanted to give it a shot.
And now I get emails almost daily from women who want to know how to get their stories out there. So, to them – and especially you – all I have to say is this: If you want to tell your story, do it. Even if you don’t know how, do it however you can.
In honor of International Women’s Day, QVC® and participating vendors will donate a minimum of $230,000 to benefit Nest, a global nonprofit committed to the social and economic advancement of women by supporting female artisans who might not have the resources they need to flourish.
