The new Winter Issue will be in my hands on Monday! Each and every issue is like giving birth. I am serious about this. Creating a magazine really is a fabulous way to understand the law of creation and manifestation.

I think up the content, get talented people to create the content. I manifest the topics that I have been guided into my life to be include in the pages, and after a few weeks of putting our intention on the next issue. It comes to life. The amazing souls that work with me to manifest the magazine put their hearts, their souls and their energy in to every page. It’s a labor of love. Because, as of this moment, we are all doing this for less money than we should be.

I have been publishing for almost five years and the more time, energy, and passion I put into the issue, the better it is. This next issue is full of the best thoughts, intentions, and positive motivation to help each and every person who has given us their money, to be part of my local story book. The magazine exists because of our advertisers, and we take growing their business, very seriously.

I ask you all to be mindful the next time you look at a local magazine. It is extremely expensive to create these colorful books. Look at the stories, look at the pictures and look at the ads.The stories are there because of the ads. The book exists because of the advertisers. So let them know you are in their place of business, because of the magazine. You tried to product because of the magazine. You read the story in the magazine and the power of the word, guided you to spend money with them. You read their story and it touched you. Let them know. It helps them understand how powerful the local magazine can be.

I can’t believe the magazine has gone valley-wide!

Sometimes I truly need to pinch myself over what has transpired with my little storybook. But man, it has been, well, WORK.

I don’t believe that WORK is a positive word, so to speak. I need to change that to “What a hell of a ride” or something like that, but believe me, there are days the W word is all I can come up with.

I have found that with our successes, out come people who want to tear us down and cut us up, and tell us how much we need to change everything we’re doing. I love to hear feedback, ideas, and get creative energy thrown my way, but sometimes does it ever suck having humans around  who think they are so important and have the right to give out their cutting opinion of our work.

Hence the thick, glorious and healthy skin I now wear. I have such thick skin that making it bleed actually takes some doing. From the outside looking in on myself, I have learned not to do what many people have done to me. I am very mindful about how I share my thoughts with others on their businesses, their creations, and their lives. It’s been a good thing, and I have to be grateful to the jerks out there that have helped me to grow, becoming the enlightened being I strive to be.

The moral of my story today:
Don’t let anyone break your dream. Don’t give up, don’t lay down, just because you’ve gotten spanked with words of rudeness. Shake your head, send them blessings of love and move right down your path with the thick, healthy, radiant skin you’ve grown because of them. You, my friend, are beautiful, and so am I!

Love Cheryl 

Lessons Learned

As I wrote my last entry, I put down that I had been in business for 3 years. Well, it was pointed out to me that it has been 4 years, not 3.  As a matter of fact, it has been 4 years. Time flies when you are trying to grow a business! 4 years of my life has run screaming by and have I sure learned lots.  It take about 4 years to get a college degree and it takes about 4 years to learn what you are doing in a new business. I now feel like I am in somewhat in control of my destiny and that The Urban Liaison Magazine is gaining momentum. But there are always moments that shake your foundation.

In the last couple of weeks, one of my Marketing Representatives was given the task to meet with a group of people about the magazine. During the meeting, one person was rather rude about the magazine. Nothing positive was stated about my business and about my livelihood. They didn’t like the layout, or the look or the concept and didn’t know why I even produced it. Needless to say, I was not very happy about hearing what transpired.

I wanted to go to that person and defend myself. I was so mad and upset and felt disrespected. I stopped myself, thank goodness.  I am glad that I didn’t react, instead I have thought about for a while now, and here is what I have surmised from this unprofessional person.

No matter how hard you try, there is always going to be someone that you can’t please. No matter what you do, and how much you prove yourself, you will not meet their expectations.  At some point you have to step away and move on.  One of my favorite books, The Four Agreements, says that you should not take anything personally. Not good or bad. Take nothing personally and always do your personal best. That way, inside of yourself, you know that you are doing what you should be doing.

Another lesson I learned from this experience is that I need to push my mission and vision with the magazine harder and make it very clear. For 4 years, I have been a leader in the Local Movement. Shop local and support local and be local is the vision and the mission on the UL magazine. From the beginning, this was the reason why I created the publication. Please help our small business, that is where my heart is and where is will always be.

So I am working on, not taking anything personal and I am shouting my mission. In a way, I am grateful for the rude person. I am more mindful with my words,  I have no plans to be rude with my words, when it can affect a person’s livelihood and it made me work ever harder, to make my magazine be the best it can be. 

Cheryl

Setting Goals and Moving Forward

Hello Canyon County!  I am thrilled to be reaching some of the goals that I set last year.   The Urban Liaison Canyon County Magazine is going in to its 3^rd year!  June will actually be our 3rd anniversary, but this is our 3^rd February publication.  As I look back on the last few years, I am taken aback at how far this publication has come.  Thanks to my talented team, we are creating a local publication to be proud of. It has not been easy. Believe me, this venture has been the hardest journey I have tackled.  The cost to produce a quality, full color, high end, editorial rich, bi-monthly magazine, is not inexpensive. Which explains why there have been some great local magazines in the past, but the cost to create this much needed local venue, has outweighed the support they were receiving.

Another goal I have worked extremely hard to master is having some of the best placement in Canyon County. You will find the magazine at 100’s of places. We have been blessed to be placed in most of the Canyon County hotels, medical groups, coffee shops, and several of the finest restaurants in our area. Many of our advertisers also place the magazine. Several of our clients take the placement of the magazine to the next level, by passing it out through the drive thrus and putting the magazine in the sacks, to go off with the items that customers just purchased.  Our advertising partners have embraced the importance of supporting local, and know that the basis of The Urban Liaison Magazine is all about being a cost effective tool, for our local merchants to brand, promote and tell their own personal business story to our local people.

Yet one more of my goals have been reached! The Urban Liaison now has three local valley magazines. The Boise Urban Liaison and the Ontario Urban Liaison. We are the only, locally owned, life style magazine, which covers the entire valley! You can also find us on facebook and online at www.theurbanliaison.com .  We have lots of exciting plans for 2011 and many new goals to be building upon. I look forward to representing our local businesses as beautifully as we possibly can, telling their stories and supporting them within the pages of our publications.

Blessings,

The Holiday Issues of The Urban Liaison are Coming Soon!

Fall is defiantly in the air and I am thrilled!  Autumn is my favorite time of year and then my next favorite, Christmas follows. So this is my time to enjoy life and I do it with zest and appreciation to the beauty around me. As far as the magazine goes, we are closing up the holiday issue of the UL magazines. It has been a little tuff with ad sells this issue. Ontario and Boise seem to be faring better. Canyon County seems to be truly hurting and I am so sad about this ever present economic fog hanging over our heads. This is my third holiday issue and it’s not been any easier trying to get our small businesses to see the value of advertising. I wish that could give everyone of them an ad, so that at least they could have a chance to let our Canyon County people know that they are ready and open for business. I ask everyone reading this, to please scope out two or three small retail shops and go in and shop them, this Christmas season. Nampa and Caldwell have some very cute, new retail shops.

The Canyon County Holiday issue will be on the streets by the 15^th of November. Again, I am always trying to make sure that my retail advertisers have the best chance to make the dollars that they need. If we are on the shelves well before black Friday, maybe our readers will see the very cool stories we did on all of our retail advertisers and go in and partake in what they have to offer. Shop Nampa and Caldwell, and keep our local merchants one step ahead of the game. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Please send me any ideas or thoughts; I love to hear from our readers.

Blessing,