It’s time for a change of pace! Welcome to my first small business storytelling piece. It’s going to side-step every idea I had for my content and take things in a different direction.
Why? Because I had all this content mapped out to discuss the mechanics and importance of content marketing. I wanted to share all the goods about increasing your brand presence, building authority, adding in the necessary SEO components to your copy… but, it puts me to sleep.
(Plus, Hubspot, and SemRush have WAY more authority on the mechanics of marketing, and I’m not feeling very David and Goliath today.)
That being the case, why not use my words for small business storytelling?
Why not?! It’s very aligned with the whole purpose of content marketing! I get to write content, and we can build links. There’s exposure and brand building. There are community building and engagement opportunities.
Heck ya! So let’s go!
Small business spotlight: Alysha Spencer
When the idea first came to me to write some featured content about small business owners, I wasn’t sure where to start. You see, one of my superpowers is my impeccable ability to fall in love with the stories that business owners share with me. I live for those moments when I hear the passion in their voice, and the excitement in their words.
So I took to my favorite pastime (read: doomscrolling) and stumbled on this Instagram post by Alysha Spencer. My ADHD has been on a ‘photography’ kick lately and something about the photo in the bottom right corner of this post caught my attention.
I think it was the subtlety of the sexiness in the simple position of the woman’s hand that made me realize how sometimes a simple gesture can hold such depth of feeling.
So I did what any ADHD girlie does, and started down the rabbit hole.
If you aren’t familiar with her, Alysha Spencer is a photographer based in the Kelowna-area with a portfolio both in lifestyle and family photography as well as boudoir. A lot of her photography focuses on natural surroundings, and unspoken subtleties. Or, straight up sexy glamour in those boudoir shoots.
Now, I’ve known Alysha for about two years, since I started my own small business. As a fellow business owner, who has been at this way longer – her stories and experiences have both inspired me and eased my mind. But more than that, I’ve enjoyed hearing about her journey as a photographer, and how a big part of her goal in her photo sessions is to help women fall in love with themselves again.
There is a lot of talk in the world about women and how we should act, behave, and exist (or not exist). And it’s exhausting! (I’d add some link, but the tone sucks, and I don’t want to kill the positive vibe). So I was really excited to see this new 30 over 30 Project that Alysha was doing.
It isn’t just about taking pictures, it’s about empowering women. And I loved that!
What makes empowering women rad?
I know what you are thinking: women are often photographed! What makes this different?
It’s the intention of showcasing women as they are, or as they want to be photographed. Empowering women isn’t something that you can just hand over like a set of keys. You can’t just wave a magic wand and empower women.
You have to create the atmosphere, build connections, and dig into the life stories that a lot of women feel are insignificant or boring. Sure, I’m editorializing a little here, but society can be pretty tough on women. And despite our best efforts, women are still pretty hard on themselves.
To break it down, in our 30s a lot of women are getting in career mode while also raising a family. Women are busy , tired, and generally not at our best selves. At 40, women are considered middle-aged, but we feel young and vibrant. And once we hit our 50s, menopause comes calling and we no longer feel like ourselves. And anything beyond that… we’re kind of invisible (please note, I intentionally left out 60s, 70s ++ for effect!).
For a lot of women, feeling empowered and in control of their lives can be difficult. How can it not? Sometimes it feels like we’re the butt of every joke.
- We joke about messy buns but really, it’s because we have no time to do our hair.
- We wear athleisure wear because it’s easier to slide on and hopefully tucks everything in.
- We work hard but don’t get the same compensation or recognition
- We are inundated with advertisements for shapewear – because god forbid we embrace our curves.
- We are fed supplements and anti-aging regimens – because we can’t get old and wrinkly, can we?
Women see this daily and it’s so easy to feel like being who we are isn’t enough.
But what if it is. What if:
- You could see yourself, as you are, as beautiful?
- Your life story was an epic journey of finding yourself?
- The experiences that shaped you are a map leading you to the best version of yourself?
That’s what Alysha’s age-positive photoshoot says to me: That it’s ok to be who you are.
It’s ok to embrace whatever life stage you are at, and own the story that got you there.
And quite frankly, that’s huge. It’s a gift.
I love this shoot for the woman who needs to be celebrated and feel seen. It’s for the woman who is exhausted and just wants to feel luxurious and beautiful. It’s for the woman who woke up and realized that just because they’re 65, doesn’t mean they aren’t sexy and attractive.
Stories worth sharing
International Women’s Day is coming up and this felt like a great starting point to kick my blogs off again.
Alysha’s project echoes so much with me – I’ve got a milestone birthday on the horizon later this year that has has been giving me the “oh crap” feels – that I really have felt compelled to share because I know that it will resonate with others too.
Empowering women is about fostering the narrative of acceptance and acknowledging that who you are matters. Gender shouldn’t be the barrier that society has made it and age is a number; it doesn’t define your worth!
And that’s what I’m looking for with my small business storytelling moments. I want to share stories of people doing cool things!
If you’ve got fun stories to share, or know someone who is doing things worth doing, send me a message!
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