About that name...

Why Sincerely Carolinas?

I've been dreaming up a blogger network for a little over a year now.

I've had numerous talks with Justin about it.  He has a business degree from The Citadel so he's always up for a new idea.  He's also a Marine so he's very analytical and a micro-manager.  He can look at things in a realistic manner, while I tend to see the big picture.  He's good at details, I'm good at dreaming...the perfect balance for launching a business.

There was one hurdle:  we needed a name.  I have a tendency to get pretty intense when it comes to words.  My bachelor's degree in Communications from Lander University and my Master of Speech-Language Pathology degree from The University of South Carolina may reflect that in a formal manner.  Real-life is another story.  I read 3-4 books at a time, we have stacks of children's books in every room in our home and using a thesaurus gives me a rush...trust me, I know how strange this is.  Justin still hasn't agreed to play Scrabble with me yet; he's probably scared to see that competitive side of me.

Okay, back to the name.

I pondered over the name of this network for months.  My personal blog, which I had been running for nearly 2 years needed a name makeover.  Sweatpants & High Heels was my creative outlet when I became a new mom.  Over the past year, my writing evolved and I wanted to share more of my life story and connect with people of all seasons of life.  I wanted it to be very personal and inviting.  So in 2014, Sweatpants & High Heels became Sincerely, Alli .  

Not coincidentally, I had this vision of our Carolinas blogger network being very personable and inviting.  I craved a network that could showcase this beautiful region of the world, bring some unique marketing strategies to the table for businesses and brands around the globe, and most importantly, make a difference with our voices in a collective way.

There's a unique vibe to the Carolinas that is inviting.  Some of the things we're notorious for are wrap around porches with rocking chairs, pearls and bow ties, flip flops and sundresses, and grits and sweet tea to name a few.  So, in short, Sincerely Carolinas follows a very close connection with my personal blog, which you can read here.  The best part about Sincerely Carolinas is that it's collective..several unique voices collaborating to do great things.

I follow a lot of bloggers on the west coast and in the mid west.  California and Texas are saturated with them; as I view posts about their blogger meetups and weekends, I envision the events we have in store for Sincerely Carolinas' future.  We would love for you to join us. 

Our website is a work in progress.  With two little girls, church, career commitments, and a shoestring budget, you will likely see this website evolve slowly.  Our first goal is to have the network database set in place by mid-February so that people can begin to join and network with each other.   We hope to start hosting contributors in the spring, and we hope to launch our first event sometime this summer.  

We have what seems like thousands of to-do's to mark off as we build this business...and I'm sure many of you reading this do as well.  So today, I'll leave you with this quote that has helped me over the past week.

You don't build a business.  You build people, and then the people build the business. -unknown

Where are we headed?

Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it. -Bill Cosby

1.  Network: bloggers, photographers, business owners, brands, venues, restaurants, non-profit organizations.
   The region of the Carolinas is so diverse, yet so overlooked on the web.  We want to share it with the world with pictures, articles, and reviews from all over this beautiful region; from the mountains to the coast and everything in between.  We want to share those small local favorite places of yours, along with the grand, trade-mark places that people search on Google.  We will be asking for submissions for our blog...details soon to come.
2.  Giving back while advertising: We will be selling ad space on the network webpage.  Each month, we will choose an organization based in the Carolinas and 30% of all advertising dollars will go towards that organization.  We will announce the organization we have chosen at the beginning of the month, and we will do a follow up post with the organization that will be posted on the blog at the end of each month.
3. Giving back blogger events:  This is where our heart is; we are bursting with excitement about this aspect of the network.
   There are countless non-profit organizations and causes throughout the Carolinas doing amazing things.  They are often short staffed and in need of public relations from any and every angle. This is where it gets fun.  
   We are planning to host several events throughout the year in which we team up with a non-profit organization to help spread the word about their cause.  Picture this: ten to twenty (eventually hundreds) of bloggers meet up for a blogger weekend to have a shoe cutting party for Sole Hope, or a silent auction or a fashion show to benefit A21 Campaign.  These are just two examples of many organizations with offices in North and South Carolina that are giving back to the world in big ways.
   Venues donate the place to hold the event: bed and breakfasts, hotels, private cabins, vacation properties, restaurants.  Vendors and brands can sponsor the weekend; photographers can document the event.  Then those ten to twenty to hundreds of bloggers go home and write about the weekend, the venue, the experience, and most importantly, the cause.
   It's great public relations for everyone involved and the best form of advertising is still word of mouth.  Word of mouth just happens to be in the form of social media and blogs these days.
   
   Running a business requires so much time and energy; many business owners want to give back, but don't know where to begin.  We truly believe this is an easy and rewarding way to give back to this region we call home.  We are excited about launching this network in the year to come and we hope you'll join us!
   As we build this website, we would love for you to follow us on Facebook or Twitter!