Both empowering and engaging, she’s building a community of authors and readers.
We’re talking about Carrie Runnals, founder, producer and host of Words to Mouth, an Internet talk show and companion blog Web site where “readers meet authors beyond the printed page.” She introduces readers to new and seasoned authors and the books they write. And she does it via downloadable media, or podcasting, and written blog posts.
Words to Mouth
Equipped with a background in marketing, recruiting and human resources, Carrie had no problem identifying her passions: interviewing, networking, reading and promoting. That made for an easy transition to entrepreneurship and the creation of her business brand. The name, Words to Mouth, was an easy choice, primarily because new media is a word-of-mouth industry—a world of viral promotion through social networking and downloadable audio MP3 files available on iTunes and other directories. Even at a more basic level, Carrie says, “Promoting books—even before the Internet and Oprah—has always had much to do with one person telling another, ‘You’ve got to read this book!’”
Loving It
Carrie insists that she’s neither a literary expert nor a published author. Instead, she calls herself “an everyday woman interested in promoting authors and the books they write.” Still, she works hard, primarily because she loves what she does. “I’ll sit down, and before I realize it, it’s dinner time and I’ve forgotten to eat lunch,” she says. But Carrie believes that hard work nets results, and since she’s a self-motivated individual with a strong work ethic, she’s experiencing success—and having a blast at the same time.
Best of all, Carrie is an encourager, and that shows in the way she runs her business and in the interviews she conducts. “I like the thought of embracing and celebrating femininity and encouraging in whatever I do,” she says. “For me, encouraging others, while having the flexibility to do the things in life that are important to me, that’s the most rewarding part of owning this business.”
You, too, can be passionate about your vocation. But first you’ll need to define your passions. Begin with Real Fact #2 in Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs.
