Building Brands: Build your brand by building value

After a hectic day there is nothing better than settling in on the couch with a big blanket, a hot cup of tea and an “Antiques Roadshow” marathon. Did that statement just age me 100 years? I don’t care, it’s the truth. Listen, I love to work hard and play harder, but as I inch […]

Shelby Says: Finding community through book clubs

With the holidays (and my birthday) fast approaching, I was tasked with making a wish list to give to family, and like many people, my list contained books. I love to read, and I know I’m not alone in wanting to discuss what I read with people, so I decided to look into how to […]

Wendi’s Word: School year and Halloween time

It’s hard to believe here we are at the end of October already, and the last two months of the year are a hop and a skip away. Another month has passed and it can be summed up in field trips and no illnesses. Okay, so Oliver did have a runny nose and his first […]

Shelby says: Shop local in your community

Summer has officially come to an end, and with it ends vendor-event season. That’s not to say there aren’t events all year, but outdoor farmers markets and artisan markets are primarily summer happenings. Since I’m a self-published author, I love attending these types of events as a vendor. One of my favorite things about the […]

Telling stories, ours and yours, to make a difference

Last week at a local service club meeting, where I spoke about the importance of community newspapers, I had the pleasure of dining with members before the business portion of the meeting. One of those members happens to be a poker buddy of and neighbor to my dad (View Newspaper Group Publisher Wes Smith). While […]

We can all do better than ‘busy’

Like thousands of Michiganders, over the Labor Day weekend my husband Matt and I made our way Up North to a cabin. The cabin has been in his family for generations, and Matt loves it there. I wouldn’t categorize myself as the cabin-type, but every couple of years I agree to a weekend in the […]

Shelby Says… Be kind to your local writers and editors

I was surprised the other day when my husband Kyle walked into the living room with his phone in his hand and said, “September is ‘Be Kind to Writers and Editors’ month.” He then got me a drink from the kitchen and let me pick what to watch on TV, which I thought was very […]

Shelby Says: What it means to be a Citizen

Over the seven years I’ve been at The Citizen (sister paper to the Lake Orion Review), I have had the honor of meeting many incredible people who give back to their community in many different ways. And every year around this time, those same people get talked about for prestigious community awards. Not only is […]

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