I started following Shelly Kramer on Twitter, gosh, more than a year ago because she is F-U-N-N-Y! One day I get a tweet from her that says, “Do you know Mattie Dietrich?” Um, yes…she’s my sister-in-law. Mattie and Shelly’s daughter, Katherine Meyer, went to college together. And so endeared her to me forever and that is why today’s #FollowFriday is Shelly Kramer and her fabulous blog (that is part personal, part business, and part pure craziness) V3IM.

Shelly is kind of a big deal, though she’d never tell you that herself. She’s on the Forbes list of 30 women entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter, she was named a top small business mom by American Express, and the blog was named by Forbes (it looks as though she and her partner may be paying Forbes – jeez!) as a best social media blog by a woman. Continue Reading »

If you own a business, lead a business, want to own or lead a business someday, or are in sales or business development, then The Fast Growth blog is a must read. And that’s why today’s #FollowFriday is Doug Davidoff.

I met Doug on Twitter more than a year ago and, when he was in Chicago last fall, we met in person. He is great fun – he has a big personality, he’s strongly opinionated (which I love), and he is, by far, one of the smartest people I know (without the ego to go along with it). We quickly became real friends and then decided to work together, as well. Continue Reading »

I was introduced to Becky Johns through the PRWeek Guide to Required Reading a couple of weeks ago and boy were they right! That’s why today’s #FollowFriday is Ms. Becky Johns of Michigan.

Fresh to the working world, Becky offers a voice that isn’t often seen in the blogosphere – one of humility, curiosity, and honesty. She isn’t shy about introducing herself to the true influencers and she gets to know them so she can recommend in her Influencer Series. Continue Reading »

More than a year ago, a bunch of my worlds began to collide and Jeannie Walters was in the middle of them. Having met some of her Vox colleagues, then discovering she was the college roommate of a friend I worked with in Kansas City, then realizing we ran in the exact, same circles and knew all of the same people, it was fate. Now my soul sister, bosom buddy, and (hopefully) a soon-to-be Global Domination partner, Jeannie’s fabulous blog, 360 Connext, is today’s #FollowFriday.

360 Connext is Jeannie’s business, which just celebrated it’s one year birthday, and focuses on the user experience, from a customer perspective. Really smart and wickedly funny, Jeannie draws upon her expertise, her life, and her clients to bring you a service-oriented user experience. Continue Reading »

This isn’t my typical blog recommendation, but it’s summer and it’s a great break from reality. Which is why today’s #FollowFriday recommendation is Convenience Store Dreamin.

Written by an old colleague of mine from Fleishman Hillard days (that’s the most I can tell you about her), it’s written about her nights as a convenience store clerk. Continue Reading »

Today’s #Follow Friday is the Geek Girls Guide. If you’ve visited the Arment Dietrich website, you follow me on Twitter, or you’ve seen me speak, you likely already know about Clockwork Active Media Systems and Geek Girls Guide.

Nancy Lyons (the CEO of Clockwork), hands down, is one of my most favorite people on earth. Along with her colleague and cohort, Meghan Wilker, they make up Geek Girls Guide. Continue Reading »

I don’t remember how I first found Julie Roads, but I was very lucky to find her and, in a minute, you’ll be lucky too!  That’s why today’s #FollowFriday is Writing Roads.

On the blog she says she writes about writing, blogging, social media, and marketing. And she does write on all of those topics. But I have to say, her best posts are always the ones (like yesterday’s about finding the good ones) that divert just a bit from one of those four topics. Continue Reading »

I realized last Friday that the past few #FollowFriday recommendations have been men. Nothing against you, guys, but I gotta get some women in here! As luck would have it, I got to see Rieva Lesonsky live, and in person, last night, so it makes perfect sense that she be today’s recommendation.

Where to begin? I met Rieva, by chance, at a TweetUp at the International Franchise Association show nearly two years ago. We immediately hit it off and, through social media, have become good friends. She is one of the smartest women I know, both offline and online. You can’t help but mention her past when you talk about her – she was editorial director at Entrepreneur Magazine. So I’m not the only one who thinks she’s smart! Continue Reading »

This kind of seems like a no brainer, but today’s #FollowFriday is Jay Baer. The author of Convince and Convert, a serial entrepreneur, a fellow lover of food, and a coach to not only Fortune 500 companies, but also PR and advertising firms, Jay is one person I would actually use the term “expert.”

I first met Jay last year when he spoke at Counselors Academy in Palm Springs. He was so good then that we invited him back to speak in Asheville (and likely will invite him to speak again in Las Vegas). When he speaks, he gives you valuable information you can take back to the office and actually implement with confidence. When he writes (which is every day), he gives you tools and tips that he has tried himself. I love his philosophy of trying new tools, testing their strengths and weaknesses, finding practical applications for them, and then telling all of us how we can use them, too. He’s a walking encyclopedia of online know-how, tips, and tools! Continue Reading »

Today’s #FollowFriday is for Arik Hanson, the man who created the PR Readers Choice awards and HAPPO (with the uber-charming Valerie Simon) and who is a huge proponent for 12for12K and 30 Under 30. Continue Reading »