Podcasts about latina bloggers connect

On creating strong communities, pivoting out of productivity and shifting toward ease. 3:00 – Las Founders, founded in 2022, is a Los Angeles held event for entrepreneurs focused on hearing from Latina Entrepreneurs. Meeting the expectations for attendees while sustaining event and production costs. 6:10 – Women with an entrepreneurial spirit. Disentangling the growth and rebalancing of growth through the pandemic through focused objectives and offerings. 8:10 – 2-Day event in October 2023; serving the different identities within the community. 3 Pillars – Heal, Commune, Grow. Addressing ancestral and systematic wounds through healing in community, and growing from that space. 10:25 – ‘Heal' Track and Wellness Day; Keynote this year from Yung Pueblo. Day 1 – Thrive With Ease; Day 2 – “Connect With Your Innermost Self.” 12:55 – Transitioning from massive elaborate summits to something smaller, and more true. Prioritizing ease, and creating time and space rather than being controlled by the time and space. What comes in naturally? 14:55 – We find validation when we can ‘do it all,' but find a tipping point when our priorities begin to need filling and we have to manage what cups get filled. How can I position myself in creation and attraction mode? 17:10 – Exploring ways to edit and make things half as long, and simpler. What does prayer mean to you? Connection. Humility to ask for help. 19:55 – Break The Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma by Dr Mariel Buqué; Breaking the cycle of abandonment – The ultimate support is the support we get from within ourselves. 21:55 – It is ok to take it slow, say no, create loving boundaries, find soft spaces. How do we slow things down? Proactively incorporating a meditation practice. 24:00 – Making weekends/time off sacred for the team collectively. Respecting your rest, space and time. Ana Flores is Houston-born, El Salvador-raised. She's worked in television production for Univision, MTV Latin America and other Spanish-language networks for 15 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. When her husband was out of work and the cost of childcare became too expensive in 2009, she and a friend launched SpanglishBaby, a blog for parents raising bilingual and bicultural kids. Within a year, Flores was able to monetize blog posts for about $40 and found herself building “a small community” with fellow ambitious Latina bloggers. Soon she was actively pitching ideas to brands, connecting them with the 25-30 Latina bloggers and influencers from her online community. “And that's what became Latina Bloggers Connect in 2010, with no money, with no resources,” Flores told TODAY. “I saw a path — a support system of people that were willing to open doors for each other.” Six years later, Flores rebranded Latina Blogger Connect as #WeAllGrow Latina, a Latina-owned, self-funded website that elevates the voices of Latinas and provides them with the resources — and inspiration — they need to succeed. “We really make it a point to hire within our community, because that is how we build socio and economic power,” Vanessa Santos — who joined #WeAllGrow as a partner and co-CEO in December 2021 — told TODAY. Flores and Santos believe that to see one woman grow doesn't mean that it's going to take away an opportunity for another. Championing “amigahood,” or sisterhood, their website has exceeded 20,000 subscribers, or “amiga members." The free online community is available for English or Spanish-speaking Latinas and offers original content, mentorship, wellness sessions, resources, connections, access to virtual and in-person events like the annual #WeAllGrow Summit, plus exclusive perks created to support entrepreneurs, creatives and professionals. Through their digital platform and in-person events, #WeAllGrow is helping Latinas turn their ideas into realities. Las Founders was founded in 2022 is the Los Angeles-held event for entrepreneurs sold out and had over 400 attendees taking in panels and conversations with Latina entrepreneurs about how they got their start. In September 2022, the organization hosted the sixth annual #WeAllGrow Summit. The first summit was held in 2015 and focused on content creation and networking. As the years went by, it's become bigger and more interactive, with Forbes including it as one of 19 Conferences Every Creative Should Attend in 2018 and 2019. This year's sold-out event, held in Palm Desert, California, welcomed over 600 attendees ready to “heal, commune and grow” — which also happen to be the organization's three pillars. In 2023, Las Founders will be a two-day event in October. 

Listeners, we're back this week with Ana Flores.A community builder and soul-centered entrepreneur, Ana Flores is the founder and CEO of #WeAllGrow Latina, the first network of Latina influencers founded in 2010 with a mission to elevate the voices and stories of Latinas through the power of community. #WeAllGrow has evolved into the go-to community for Latinas driving social and economic impact. The company's annual #WeAllGrow Summit was named by Forbes.com as one of “19 Conferences Every Creative Should Attend.”A sought-out speaker and thought leader in the areas of representation, Latinx identity, community building and gender equality, Ana has been recognized by the United Nations Women's L.A. chapter as a Champion of Change and by People en Español as one of “Las 25 Mujeres Más Poderosas”, amongst numerous other accolades. In 2016 she was invited to speak on two occasions at the White House, including the United States of Women Summit on gender diversity and women empowerment issues. Ana also sits on NALIP's Diverse Women in Media Initiative Advisory Committee and the HACE (Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement) Advisory Council.Born in Houston, Texas, raised in El Salvador and a graduate of the University of Florida, Ana is now settled in Los Angeles, where she lives with her daughter.During our conversation, we talked about:06:27 - Growing up in El Salvador 07:53 - Being odd 12:01 - El Salvador's civil war 18:39 - Her relationship with Mexico 20:23 - Getting to work at Univision 27:15 - Impostor syndrome 33:32 - Mexico is duality 38:12 - The beginning of Latina Bloggers Connect 42:12 - Intuition 47:12 - Bringing partnersThis  episode is brought to you by MagicMind is the world's first productivity drink.

Ana Flores is the mastermind behind #WeAllGrow Latina Network, formerly known as Latina Bloggers Connect. As the first brand and blogger network in the nation for Latina digital creatives, #WeAllGrow has gone from connecting influencers with brands to hosting events across the nation. On this episode, Ana highlights how authenticity played a pivotal role in setting the tone for the LBC community and how you can apply her lessons learned to your own entrepreneurial endeavors.

On this latest episode of The Little Radio Show the focus of our conversation is all about U.S. Latinos. From how we are creating our own online and offline communities and sisterhoods, to the challenges of diversity inclusion in Hollywood still today. We also discuss the importance of giving back and adopting a philosophy of philanthropy. Our guests include Ana Flores, founder of the annual We All Grow Summit and the digital influencer network Latina Bloggers Connect; Cyndy Garza Roberts, Public Affairs Director for Texas-based grocer H-E-B and President of the Latin Women's initiative; and Mexican actor Alex Ruiz who stars both in Hollywood productions and on Spanish-language telenovelas. In our “In Case You Missed It” segment we take on Beyonce's Lemonade and Gen Z. Tune in now and leave us a comment with your thoughts on U.S. Latinos. The Little Radio Show” is on HMSNetRadio.org on Thursdays at 2 pm (CST). The show hosts are Sandra Fernandez (@sandrasays), Juan Alanis (@juanofwords), and Anjelica Cazares (@la_anjel). Subscribe to the Podcast via (RSS), on the iTunes channel or on our Stitcher channel, and keep up with new episodes. Subscribe to the Blog and keep up with new posts. The show's website can be found at thelittleradioshow.com.

I interview Elayna Fernandez, author, speaker, and owner of The Positive Mom.  About Elayna Elayna Fernandez is an author, international keynote speaker, and a key Latina influencer and storyteller through ThePositiveMOM.com. She lives with her loving husband and her three brilliant bilingual daughters (and home school students) in Fort Worth, Texas. Elayna’s mission is to encourage, empower, and equip moms to have more influence at home, more impact in the world, and more income to make it happen. Elayna is also an award-winning Certified Guerrilla Marketing Master Trainer and the creator of the Guerrilla Positioning System™ (GPS) for mompreneurs or aspiring mompreneurs who want to increase their Credibility, Visibility and Profitability™. You can learn more about Elayna by visiting her blog, ThePositiveMOM.com. You can follow her online at Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube About the interview I had the chance to meet up with Elayna in person at the #WeAllGrow Summit by Latina Bloggers Connect in Long Beach, California. She was part of a very inspiring keynote panel. In the interview, Elayna shares her suggestions for involving your family in your home-based business, talks about how she uses her morning ritual to set herself up for success, gives recommendations for dealing with negative feedback and negative energy, and explains the way she organizes her time so she can be more productive. Resources mentioned in this episode Elayna recommends the following: The Four Agreements: A Practical to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz The 5 Love Languages website   If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in March, 2016. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

Marie Segares is a crochet and knitting blogger, designer, teacher, podcaster, and small business consultant. She started the Underground Crafter blog in 2011 while working full-time in public higher education change management. In 2013, she left the working world and became a full-time solopreneur, straddling two disparate industries: education and yarn. The combination keeps things interesting! Marie is also the host of the Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Podcast. She continues to self-publish her designs and freelance for several magazines including I Like Crochet and I Like Knitting. In 2016, she will present podcasting workshops at the We All Grow Summit by Latina Bloggers Connect and the Snap Conference. For more episodes like this visit: www.powerpurlspodcast.com To subscribe on iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/power-purls-podcast/id1043956186

Join Ted Hicks (Dad, Husband & Son) as he moderates the #LNPShow that discusses the latest trends and game changers in parenting, technology, education, sports & product reviews. 805pm - Jessie Nuez is a social media influencer and family tech expert. Jessie is the founder and publisher of TheWiredFamily.com, where she provides family tech tips, reviews and resources for parents and families. She has also been named as a Top Latina Blogger by #LATISM and serves as the Editor and Tech columnist for Latina Bloggers Connect, a collaborative network that connects Latina bloggers with brands who want to engage with Hispanic audiences online. 830pm - Tali Orad, mom of three, entrepreneur and software engineer, invented an app and hardware device called #screen that helps families manage all the devices in their home and reconnect in real time.

Join Ted Hicks (Dad, Husband & Son) as he moderates the #LNPShow that discusses the latest trends and game changers in parenting, technology, education, sports & product reviews. 805pm - Jessie Nuez is a social media influencer and family tech expert. Jessie is the founder and publisher of TheWiredFamily.com, where she provides family tech tips, reviews and resources for parents and families. She has also been named as a Top Latina Blogger by #LATISM and serves as the Editor and Tech columnist for Latina Bloggers Connect, a collaborative network that connects Latina bloggers with brands who want to engage with Hispanic audiences online. 830pm - Tali Orad, mom of three, entrepreneur and software engineer, invented an app and hardware device called #screen that helps families manage all the devices in their home and reconnect in real time.

This Week’s Episode I’m sharing 10 tips (plus a few bonus ones, too!) for attending and getting the most out of your first blogging or social media conference. As regular listeners know, this year I spoke at the #WeAllGrow Summit by Latina Bloggers Connect and #BlogHer15: Experts Among Us. These were my first two blogging conferences, and I have plenty of ideas to share! You may be thinking this episode isn’t relevant to you if you aren’t including blogging as part of your business model, but most of these tips are transferable to any conference or event where both colleagues and potential sponsors are in attendance. The tips are: Pack thoughtfully and light Dress for your niche Bring business cards Read ALL of the emails Organize and plan before the event Know your purpose Pad your budget Go the expo (or marketplace or vendor area) during off hours Add recovery time to your schedule Don’t forget to follow up These tips will help you prepare for, navigate, and then get the most value for your business out of the event. But first… Let’s talk about saving money on attendance. The primary reason I haven’t attended blogging conferences in the past is because I didn’t want to spend a lot on registration and travel. There are four great ways to save money on any conference you plan to attend. Register at the Early Bird Rate. Virtually all conferences have an “early bird” rate for people who register far in advance. This rate often expires prior to the finalization of the agenda, so you may feel anxious about signing up for an event that may not focus on exactly what you need for your business. The good news is that most of these events allow you to transfer your registration for a small fee, so you can sell your ticket to someone else after the early bird period ends for a slightly higher amount without losing any money. Use a promo code. Most conference speakers and some sponsors will have promotional codes that provide a discount. These may be a bit harder to find (unless you stalk each and every speaker on social media/blog/podcast before the event), but the savings are generally quite significant. Volunteer. Many events offer free registration to volunteers who may staff registration, the expo, assist with workshops, etc. This option is much more hands on and requires that you do some work! But it can also be a great way to meet people and get on the radar of the organizers before next year’s event. Some of sponsors and vendors may also need help staffing their tables. While these (usually competitive) opportunities are often announced closer to the event, be proactive and reach out to the organizers to ask about available volunteer positions early. Speak. Panelists and workshop speakers are generally provided with free registration (and some events provide additional compensation including room and board and/or a speaker fee). For more tips for getting started as a speaker, listen to Episode 33: 7 Steps for Pitching Your Ideas for Workshops, Presentations, and Panel Sessions to Conferences and Events. And, it goes without saying that you’ll save a lot on travel by attending a local conference. 10 Tips for Attending (and Getting the Most Out of) Your First Blogging or Social Media Conference Once you’ve gotten registration (and travel plans, if necessary) out of the way, let’s talk about the other ways to get the most out of the event. Pack thoughtfully and light As yarn crafters, we often travel with yarn, hooks and needles, works-in-progress, and more. I’m definitely guilty of this. However… You may not have as much “down time” for crocheting or knitting as you expect, You may be picking up quite a few free samples, gift bags, and other items at this event. You’ll need as much space in your bag as possible to bring these goodies home. Don’t forget to bring comfortable shoes, as you may be on your feet walking and standing a lot If you organize and plan before the event, you’ll know exactly what type of clothing to bring for all the activities you plan to participate in. Dress for your niche Dress appropriately for your niche/brand. Fashion-oriented bloggers will need to dress differently from mommy bloggers. As a yarn-related business owner, don’t miss the opportunity to show off your handiwork. Handmade accessories (or clothing) are great conversation starters and help people to recognize you. There are hundreds (or thousands!) of people at these events, so everything you can do to stand out (while promoting your business) helps. At each of these blogging conferences, someone came up to me and introduced themselves, knowing who I was based on recognizing something I made! Bring business cards As an online business owner and blogger, you may think that everything is electronic, on your smartphone, or in the cloud. Actually, a lot of people are still dealing with paper! Here are two bonus business card tips: Design your own cards with a matte back with little to no text. This allows people to take notes on the back of your card, increasing the likelihood they will remember (and follow up) with you. Bring a small pouch for your cards and a pen. While many people use their ID badge holder for their own business cards and those of others they meet, I prefer to bring a small pouch that holds a pen and my cards, with room for picking up other cards. This allows me to always have a pen handy for my own notes. The pouch also keeps everything together once I get home for easier follow up. Read ALL of the emails This is the hardest tip to follow! Most events will bombard you with emails, especially in the weeks leading up to the event. When you are stressed out about taking time off for a conference, it might seem best to skip reading these all together. These emails often include special pre-conference events, opportunities to meet with sponsors, and other activities that may not be on the formal agenda. By deleted or skipping these, you may miss out on a lot! Organize and plan before the event Again, with the time pressures before the event, many bloggers just want to show up and dive right in. As an introvert, this strategy doesn’t work for me as I get easily overwhelmed once I’m on site. Instead, I review the emails and the posted agenda and I create my own schedule. This may include workshops or panel events I plan to attend, meetings with sponsors, meetups, sightseeing, or meals with friends. I create two tiers in my schedule – activities that I must attend (like a one-on-one meeting with a potential sponsor) and activities that I might attend (like a workshop that looks sort of interesting). When I get on site, I’m very flexiblle about ditching those activities in the second category. Know your purpose So, what are you hoping to get out of this event? Understanding your goal in advance will help you focus all of your preparations and your activities at the conference. Some of the main reasons people attend blogging conferences are to: Learn. Are you primarily in attendance for professional development? You may find it important to spend more time in workshops, panels, and other structured activities. Network. Are you primarily looking for other bloggers to collaborate with? You may find it helpful to keep your schedule flexible so you can spend a lot of time chatting informally. You might also want to connect with some people of interest before the event to set up meetings or interviews. Find a sponsor. If sponsorship is your primary goal, you may spend more time in the expo hall and at sponsored workshops, and be more thoughtful about the brands you wear or bring with you to the event. You could also reach out to some of the brands in advance to try and schedule one-to-one meetings. Get ideas for your own event. Perhaps you are planning a local meetup or small blogging conference. In that case, you may want keep a critical eye on the way the event is organized and presented. Pad your budget Conferences can get expensive. If (ahem) you’re also a bit on the cheap side like me, you’ll find it tempting to have a very tight budget. Keep a cushion for a restaurant lunch with new friends (rather than the on-site panel lunch), sightseeing, or to purchase books or other goods from vendors and speakers. If you’re also an introvert, you may also need to skip some of the larger meal events and eat alone, so having some leeway in your budget is helpful. Go the expo (or marketplace or vendor area) during off hours If you want to speak to sponsors and vendors, schedule your visits in the off hours. These will be different depending on the conference, but in general the night before the main conference “kick off,” during workshops or popular panels, and early in the morning are quieter times. Avoid the scheduled “expo break” times, if possible. Add recovery time to your schedule You may be losing out on a lot of work or family time to attend a conference, so what many people do is work up to the last minute and then try to immediately jump right back into the swing of things when they return. If you’re traveling, you may be jet lagged or have a travel delay. Even if you are in your hometown, you’ll find that you may be exhausted after the conference. You’ll probably be doing a lot of walking, projecting your voice in loud spaces, etc. Be sure to add some recovery time into your schedule. You may find that prescheduling blog and social posts for the week of your return will give you some breathing room. Another bonus tip: Preschedule some of your social media activity related to the conference, using the official conference hashtag. This will give you more time to focus on the conference and not on sharing while on site. Don’t forget to follow up Separate yourself from the pack by following up with people after the conference. Build time into your schedule after the conference for following up with potential sponsors, collaborators, and others that you meet. Even if you do one or two emails a day, you will be doing more than most people. Think about how/if you want to follow people you met at the event. I find Twitter lists very helpful because I can keep track of people I met at an event without going over my follower limits. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in July, 2015. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

This Week’s Episode Today’s topic was suggested by last week’s guest, Sedie Maruska. I’m going to share a 7 step process for pitching your ideas to conferences and events. This process is what I use both for yarn-related events, like regional fiber festivals, and for other types of venues, like blogging or social media conferences. The 7 steps are: Define your goals Identify potential venues Find the speaker or workshop guidelines and understand the compensation practices Choose your pitch Refine your pitch Submit and wait Follow up (maybe) Some Background As a teenager, I was part of a pilot program to train youth as HIV prevention peer educators. As a result, I received a lot of training in public speaking. This was very helpful because I’m a very introverted person (and was even more so as a teenager). I ended up entering into a career path which involved a lot of public speaking as a result. Pitching workshop ideas to professional conferences has been part of my career since way before I entered the yarn industry, and I wanted to continue that practice for my yarn-related business. I’ve presented workshops at several local and regional fiber festivals, including the Finger Lakes Fiber Arts Festival, the North Jersey Fiber Arts Festival, and the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival. This year, I began presenting at blogging and social media conferences, including the We All Grow Summit by Latina Bloggers Connect, Social Media Week New York, and the upcoming BlogHer15. 1) Define your goals There are many different reasons you might want to speak at an event. Some common goals are… To build your platform. You may want to grow your reputation in a certain niche, or more firmly establish the association between your brand and certain topic areas. If this is your primary goal, you may want to narrow the topic ideas you pitch and the events you approach. You may also be soliciting potential clients or students for existing courses, books, and other products and services. To share the love. Perhaps you want to spread your love of knitting or crochet or meet new friends. Your reasons for speaking are more altruistic. To travel. Some speakers want to find a reason or a pathway to attending far flung events so that they can expand their travel opportunities. To gain free admission. You may have a specific event you’d like to attend, but the admission to the event is outside of your budget. Most venues provide free admission to their presenters, so this might be one way of making a specific conference affordable to you. To make money. Spoiler alert: Most conference speakers don’t make money speaking, at least not initially. In many cases, your time and/or travel will be only minimally compensated. Typically, a speaker must have a large existing platform to command high speaking fees. However, we all have to start somewhere, so if this is your eventual goal, you may want to begin by building your speaking portfolio. 2) Identify potential venues Once you have a clear idea of your immediate goals, you can start to identify potential venues. You can then narrow your focus to the events and conferences where you could most easily and quickly meet your goals by being selected as a speaker. My favorite resource for finding fiber related events is the Knitter’s Review list of events. Larger, more established events may be looking for speakers as far as one year in advance, while smaller, local events may be refining the speakers list just a month or two in advance. If you’re more interested in presenting on topics related to blogging or small business issues, She Owns It has a regularly updated list of Retreats for Women, Entrepreneurs, and Bloggers that I’ve found very helpful. You can find out about other local or regional events through your crochet or knitting guild chapter, your local yarn shop, the local U.S. Small Business Administration field office, your area’s chamber of commerce, or any face-to-face business or professional associations you belong to. You might also hear about events from LinkedIn groups, podcasts you listen to, or blogs you read. Don’t forget about local themed events like Social Media Week or heritage events in your area! New events are often more open to accepting speakers without an established background. Keep your eyes open on Twitter and other social media networks for announcement of new conferences and events. Colleges and universities often host events and conferences. Students often organize these events and are looking for outside speakers. You can find more information through the college’s events calendar. 3) Find the speaker or workshop guidelines and understand the compensation practices Review the event website looking for sections for teachers or speakers or information on workshops or the agenda. Sometimes you will find a call for speakers, an email list sign up for prospective speakers, or forms to fill out with a clearly stated deadline and compensation. More often, you will need to reach out to the organizers via email and ask for more details. If it isn’t explicitly stated, don’t forget to ask about compensation practices. I share some tips for pricing for events where you are asked to determine your own course fee. 4) Choose your pitch Once you’ve narrowed down the list of potential venues, consider your goals as you decide what to pitch. You may want to consider different formats (e.g., a hands on workshop, a multi-speaker panel, a presentation/lecture). You will also have to decide whether to pitch one idea or multiple ideas. Some of this is decided for you by the venue as fiber events in particular often prefer to have each teacher offer multiple workshops, thereby requiring multiple pitches. It’s important to follow directions for submitting your proposal. This is not the time to shine for your individual creativity :). 5) Refine your pitch Conferences and events usually use a juried process to choose speakers, teachers, and presenters. For that reason, I often ask a colleague to look over my pitch before submitting it. (If that’s not possible, spend some time self-editing.) Consider whether the tone and content is appropriate to the venue as well as if you’ve clearly “sold” yourself as a great presenter. 6) Submit and wait Submit your proposal following the event’s guidelines and wait to hear back. Some events have a clear timeline for responding to speaker proposals. 7) Follow up (maybe) In some cases, gentle follow up may be helpful to your submission. Rather than contacting the organizers to ask about the status of your application, you may want to share targeted updates that serve to highlight your expertise or skills as a teacher/speaker. Other Tips Be aware of any non-compete clauses for speakers. Some events require speakers to sign non-compete clauses agreeing not to present on the same topic and/or in the same geographical area for a certain number of days before or after the event. Consider “add on events” when traveling. If it doesn’t violate your speaker clause, consider setting up additional workshops, trunk shows, book signings, or other events in the local area at local yarn shops or related venues when traveling. If you don’t have a background in public speaking or lack confidence in public speaking, I recommend you check out your local Toastmasters chapter. Although I have never personally worked with them, I have heard good things from many members. Toastmasters is an affordable alternative to public speaking coaching. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in April, 2015. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

The Social Network Show welcomes Naibe Reynoso as the Co-host with Dr. J for the kick off of the Naibe Reynoso Series on the show. Naibe's first guest is Ana L. Flores. Naibe Reynoso, an Emmy Award winning Journalist, investigative reporter, TV Producer, and entertainment reporter, gives us an update on her current events including being named a Board Member to the Peabody Awards and becoming a spokesperson for AlertID. Naibe and Dr. J welcome Ana L. Flores, the Founder and CEO of Latina Bloggers Connect, Founder of #WeAllGrow Summit, co-founder of the award winning online community SplanglishBaby, and the co-author of Bilingual is Better, Two Latina Moms on How the Bilingual Parenting Revolution is Changing the Face of America. Ana talks about her latest venture, the #WeAllGrow Summit which is a conference for Latina digital content creators and influencers, and shares how she started Latina Bloggers Connect and the research that influenced her to write Bilingual is Better. Ana L. Flores is the Founder and CEO of Latina Bloggers Connect, Founder of #WeAllGrow summit, co-founder of the award winning online community Splanglish Baby, and co-author of Bilingual is Better. Ana has a personal mission. She believes that the potential of online community and education can uplift Latina women around the world. She sums it all up with her motto “When one grows, we all grow.” Born in Houston, Texas to Salvadoran parents, Ana grew up in El Salvador and often traveled back to the United States, ultimately attending the University of Florida. In the United States, Ana established herself as a television and entertainment producer and content creator for such outlets as Univision, MTV Latin America and mun2. Being fully bilingual made specializing in the Hispanic market in the United States and Mexico a natural choice. After becoming a mother, Ana co-founded the award-winning online community, SpanglishBaby, which has become a movement and the go-to source for parents raising bilingual and bicultural kids. In 2012, she and co-founder Roxana Soto released the book Bilingual is Better. Ana also serves as a member of The Hispanic Entertainment & Technology Board at Digital Hollywood. In December of 2010, Ana Flores appeared on the cover of Hispanic Business Magazine as “The New Face of Social Media," just one month after launching Latina Bloggers Connect, Inc, a digital influencer marketing agency specialized in creating strategic content marketing and native advertising campaigns connecting brands and social causes with digital Latina influencers and bloggers. She began LBC as a one-woman show, launching the site, developing content and making connections with bloggers and marketers of prestigious Fortune 500 companies. Today, Latina Bloggers Connect is consolidated as the largest network of digital Latina influencers in all verticals with over 1500 opt-in influencers with a collective unique readership of 26 million. Featured on Univision, Telemundo, CNN en Español, PBS Parents, Baby Center, Vme TV, NBC's Today's Moms, and Parenting Magazine, her most recent honors include being named to both Babble's Top 100 Mom Blogs of 2011 and 2012 and Babble's list of Top 50 Twitter Moms of 2011. Ana has had the honor of being invited to speak at conferences such as BlogHer, LATISM, Blissdom, Blogalicious and BlogWorld Expo, and of partnering with LATISM to spearhead the Top Latina Bloguera Retreat in Washington D.C., where 70 bloggers were invited to receive a briefing at the White House. And in 2012, La Opinion (the largest Spanish-language paper in Los Angeles) recognized Ana as one of 30 “Mujeres Destacadas”. ​ Ana coauthored the book "Bilingual is Better: Two Latina Moms on How the Bilingual Parenting Revolution is Changing the Face of America" and can also be found on her personal lifestyle blog MadreVida.com, her weekly Babble Voices column, as a latinamom.me writer, and as a contributor and advocate of the...

This Week’s Episode Before I launched the Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show, I sent out a survey to a few online friends for feedback on show topics. Kathy Kelly from the Crochetbird blog asked about ways to engage with blogging community. Thanks for the suggestion, Kathy! In this episode, I share 6 suggestions for engaging other bloggers.  6 Ways to Engage with the Blogging Community Commenting Participating in challenges Joining link parties & blog hops Finding blogger groups Attending blogger events and meetups Connecting with bloggers on other forms of social media Each of these different ways of engaging has its own benefits and challenges. Deciding which ways work best for you will depend on your goals. 1) Commenting Commenting on other blogs is a great way to engage with bloggers. Unfortunately, due to spam, trolls, malware, etc., some bloggers don’t allow comments or have so much security to cut through that it makes commenting near impossible. Include a link to your blog in the comment form, and, if appropriate, include a specific link to a post that’s relevant. When possible, include a substantive comment. Try not to include links within the comment unless they are highly relevant to the discussion and/or you already know the blogger. (The best analogy I’ve heard about this is that including links in the comment is like a party guest jumping up in the middle of dinner to shout, “Come on over to my house for dinner instead!”) 2) Participating in challenges There are several types of popular blog challenges, including: Daily blogging challenges DIY challenges, like Me Made May or the Seamless Pledge. Yarn-related challenges, like Knit Picks’s 52 Weeks of Dishcloths.  Blog improvement challenges, like ProBlogger’s 31 Days to Building a Better Blog or the Ultimate Blog Challenge. You can join in a current group challenge, or follow along with another blogger’s personal challenge, or work through an old challenge. Challenges can help you improve or diversify your blogging skills while engaging with other bloggers. 3) Joining link parties & blog hops Link parties and blog hops are organized activities that take place on a regular basis. A host (or hosts) write a blog post and participants can add links to their blog post directly in to the post. Link parties come and go so ask for recommendations or use search to find a party. Each link partu has its own culture and rules. Generally speaking, you are expected to visit several of the other posted links and comment. It’s often the norm to visit every blogger who comments on your blog as well. 4) Finding blogger groups You can find blogger groups on every social media platform, so choose a setting where you feel comfortable. Some of these groups are private or secret, so you can discuss some of your blogging concerns more privately. Others are public. Most of these groups combine elements of blog support (discussions about tech issues, posting ideas, etc.) with cross-promotion. Some are open to all bloggers and others are focused on specific types of bloggers. Some groups you may want to consider are: Blogging, The Blog Hub, French Blogs, and Self-Hosted WordPress on Ravelry. Facebook groups with the words “blogging,” “bloggin,” or blogger in the title. HubSpot shared a list of 20 LinkedIn Groups Every Marketer Should Join. You can also click these links to find LinkedIn groups with blogging or blog as keywords. There are also blogging communities for specific cultural or social groups. You can also ask your fellow blogger friends for recommendations or see which groups they promoted on their blogs. 5) Attending blogger events and meetups In person meetups and events can be a great way to connect with bloggers. Events can be the places to introduce yourself to a blogger with a large following or finally get to meet your online friends face-to-face. She Owns It: Celebrating Supporting & Connecting Women Entrepreneurs has a great list of events, most of which are relevant to bloggers, here. If you live in or near a major metropolitan area, you can probably find a local group of bloggers via MeetUp.com or Craigslist. You can also engage with other bloggers at yarn industry events, like The National NeedleArts Association trade shows. You can meet bloggers from your region through local or regional fiber events. You can find a calendar of such events here on Knitter’s Review. Large events may include workshops or other training opportunities that can help you improve your blog. Face-to-face meetings, especially the larger events, may involve more costs. Some very large events can be overwhelming for introverts. 6) Connecting with bloggers on other forms of social media Most bloggers have a presence on other forms of social media. You can engage bloggers on whatever platforms you are mutually involved in, including Ravelry, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest. Engage authentically with the bloggers you follow by commenting, sharing/reTweeting their posts, and writing feedback via social media. It’s nice to include links when you can (though, for space reasons, that can be a challenge on Twitter!) Some blogger groups have their own hashtag. For example, Blogs by Latinas and Latina Bloggers Connect use #LatinaBloggers. Using a hashtag can help other bloggers in your group identify your Tweets to share and comment. Before you engage with other bloggers… Consider why you want to engage with bloggers. Are you trying to improve your own blogging? Groups might be best for you. Do you want to monetize your blog or become a pro blogger? Events and meetups might be best for you. Are you looking for new blogs to follow? Link parties/blog hops and challenges might be best for you. Do you want to increase your following? Commenting, link parties/blog hops, challenges, and connecting with bloggers on social media may be the best way. You may find that just one, or a combination of these ways works well for your goals, comfort level, time restrictions, and budget. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in September, 2014. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).