February 02, 2021

5 Things I Learned in My First Year Running a Book Club

February 02, 2021/ Emily Hessney Lynch

A few months before the pandemic struck, I thought to myself, “What if I launched my own book club?” I posted some polls on Twitter and Instagram to see if people would join a book club if I started one. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and I was thrilled! I started building a list of emails and before I knew it, I had 50+ names on my list.

Our first meetup was in February 2020 and we met in person at Writers & Books, an amazing literary arts nonprofit here in Rochester. Finding a place to meet was one of the hardest parts of organizing a book club at first! I reached out to many different spaces to see if they could accommodate a small group of 10-12 people, and lots of them wanted to charge a space rental fee. I proposed a partnership with Writers & Books where we encourage our book club members to shop at their new bookstore, Ampersand Books, in exchange for using their space, and they agreed! Due to the pandemic, we only met twice in person before switching to virtual meetups via Google Meet.

December 15, 2020

2020 in Books

December 15, 2020/ Emily Hessney Lynch

Last year, I wrote a glowing 2019 in review blog post sharing everything I was proud of accomplishing that year. We all know 2020 has been a hard year; it doesn’t feel quite right to write a 2020 in review post. It’s not that I didn’t achieve things this year--I did! I worked with some amazing clients on social media strategies, I got voted in as the new Chair of the Cameron Community Ministries Board, and I ended my passion project to make space for other creative endeavors in my life.

Instead of talking about any of that, I’m going to share some of the books that helped me get through this difficult year of social distancing and remote everything. I don’t know if I could’ve gotten through this pandemic without the solace of books. Going into 2020, I set a goal of trying to read less. In 2019, I read a whopping 118 books. This year, I wanted to read just half of that, 59 books. I even tried not reading for a week. Once the pandemic was underway, I gave myself some grace and allowed myself to read freely. To date, I’ve read over 80 books this year, but I do think I’ve felt a shift in my own reading habits. I’m now reading more intentionally, giving thought to what I pick up and why, what I’m hoping to gain from it. I’m paying attention to sentence structure and storytelling and symbols. I’m reading for inspiration rather than for an escape. And that’s an amazing thing.

Without further ado, here’s my 2020 in books.

December 03, 2020

Headshots Matter. Here's Why.

December 03, 2020/ Emily Hessney Lynch

The first time I had a headshot taken, I was 21 and starting my first office job after undergrad. I was working at my alma mater and the university photographer snapped a quick photo in front of a generic backdrop in his basement cubicle. I didn’t love the end result, but hey, it was just going up on our department’s website and nowhere else, so no big deal, right? A “meh” headshot wasn’t the end of the world, but it was a missed opportunity.

As my career has progressed, I’ve come to learn the value of a great headshot. It can make you feel way more confident and awesome as you market yourself online! For awhile, I used a black and white headshot an intern at another job took, but it never felt like me. When I finally got headshots I loved, it made a world of difference! I recently got new headshots and love them so much, which got me thinking about what makes a great headshot and how often you should update them. I figured I wasn’t the only one who has wondered about these things, so I talked to some of my photographer friends to get their best insights and tips!

November 23, 2020

Why I Ended My Passion Project

November 23, 2020/ Emily Hessney Lynch

This month, I did something that I could not have envisioned doing at this time last year. After investing four and a half years into it, I finally decided to end my passion project, I Heart ROC. I will always value the relationships I built by interviewing my fellow Rochesterians and sharing their stories on the site. It was an incredible experience and I am so grateful for it.

So, why did I end it? That’s exactly what I want to share on the blog today. In our society, people are always launching side hustles or passion projects. There’s tons of pressure to monetize your hobby. Do you enjoy baking? Start a bakery! Like making candles at home? Sell them on Etsy! It seems like you can’t do something just for the sake of enjoying it anymore. When I googled “passion project,” I got 470 million results; “side hustle” got 67 million results. Articles like “50 ideas for a lucrative side hustle” and “14 reasons to start a passion project” are everywhere.

There’s an abundance of advice about why you should start a passion project, but no one talks about when to end a passion project. When I googled “end a passion project” the results were mostly things like “how to stop procrastinating on your passion project.” That’s why I thought it would be valuable to share why I ended my passion project. Maybe you’re in the same place I was and need some help deciding. I hope this is useful for you.

Here’s why I ended my passion project.

October 28, 2020

How to Apologize When Your Brand Messes Up

October 28, 2020/ Emily Hessney Lynch

2020 has been a hell of a year. Between the ongoing pandemic and the fight for racial justice, there is a lot to be outraged about. For many consumers, that outrage comes out readily when a brand or business they love behaves badly. It creates disappointment, anger, disillusionment, and distrust. This holds especially true for small businesses that find themselves in the throws of being called out for toxic, harmful, and racist behavior. As businesses grapple with balancing how to hold itself accountable it is important to be mindful of what actions help and what actions hurt in the wake of a public call out. No matter what, no brand or business is above being held accountable for their actions and the first step should always be a sincere apology.

As a business owner, how can you apologize to your customers in an authentic and impactful way? What actions do you need to take to ensure things change and you make it right? Let’s explore that together.

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5 Things I Learned in My First Year Running a Book Club

2020 in Books

How to Apologize When Your Brand Messes Up

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