Today is  Facebook Fan Friday where I recognize those who support  smart business, but it’s more than that.  See smart Warrior-Preneurs understand that being on social media isn’t about pushing your stuff AT people, it’s about relationship building.

Therefore I am honoring those that get it!  Who better to learn from than people that get what it means to grow a business through people!

This week’s Facebook Fan is Carolyn Jones, the Gate Lady.  Carolyn and I have actually known each other for a few years- we met networking in person. She is an amazing photographer and I have watched her find her voice and give a voice to others, she is a woman worth knowing! I asked Carolyn:

1- one thing that makes you – not your biz unique: I am a sailor and lived aboard a sailboat for 4 years. While living aboard, I learned to work with teak wood, varnishing it, and to do fiberglass repair with epoxy. My two favorite smells! Varnish and penetrating epoxy… I once renovated a 7 foot rowing boat in my living room for a year…

2 – who are your power partners (not clients):Nikon, Slik (tripods), Kodak or/and Fujicolor, drug and alcohol treatment centers, (ex – The Meadows in AZ, Serenity Knolls in Marin), spiritual authors and speakers, (ex – Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Mike Farrell), independent/chain bookstores and art galleries for signing events, regardless of whether they carry my book or not, manufacturers/fabricators of wrought-iron gates

3- links to your blog and biz website if different: blog and website the same… www.gatelady.com

4- your favorite thing about running your own biz: First and foremost, I love the challenge of the varied tasks, from marketing/PR, to blogging, to social media networking, to joining author and publisher sites on line, to applying for guest spots on radio/TV shows, to working with the printer, to recording Wisdom Words by the Bridge Group videos for fan page, etc.  Love setting my own schedule, intermingling work with pleasure and projects around the house.

5- what you do: I am the publisher and distributor of the book “Opening the Gates of the Heart: A Journey of Healing.” This includes getting the book printed while assuring printing and book construction quality, marketing the book to, for example, local Bay Area bookstores and other indie stores across the country, social media networking, planning the book’s launch event, getting press releases out, distributing the book, entering the book into contests (the book has won 2 awards… see below), scheduling and conducting speaking engagements/signing events.

6- who would you most like to meet ( type of person) that would help you get to the next level: In a word… Oprah. In reality, corporations and non-profits  who would like to align with me to reach our target audience. Non-profits – align together to raise awareness about the non-profit and thus raise funds for them, corporations like Nikon – work together to bring awareness to or advertisement of their product or service and they provide me with funds, (target population = people on a journey of self-awareness and emotional healing, those who have journeyed thru their own gates that would like a reminder of where they started and where they wish to go in the future, persons in or contemplating sobriety, persons who have experienced or soon to experience loss, ie hospice).

Thanks CJ, for being such a great go-giver!

As you read about CJ how can you be a resource to her, connect her to someone she needs to know- THAT’s what it’s all about!

Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”