Authors Find Helping Hand, Publicity Outlet Via Innovative Company

By focusing on creating opportunities for others, Becky Robison has built two successful companies.

The mother of three daughters works with authors and others to promote books and products online. 

“In all I do, my focus is on creating opportunities,”Robinson explained. 

“In creating Weaving Influence as a company larger than just myself, I intended to create opportunities for others, especially women and moms, to find ways to do meaningful, impactful work with flexibility,”added the Lambertville, MI, basedwoman.

Through www.WeavingInfluence.com Robinson’s first business venture, she now works with authors and thinkers in the business genre and helps them to promote their products and expand their online presences.

“In working with my clients/authors, I feel deeply their hope and desire to reach more readers with their books. I care about helping them be successful.”

Robinson started from scratch after a decade-long hiatus from work (taken to have and spend time with her daughters.)

 “When my kids got a little older, I didn’t know how I could restart a career or balance family and work commitments,”she admits.

When she sought to rejoined the work force, Robinson explored possible careers and learned an array of skills, including marketing using social media, which she soon discovered she could base a business on.

“I founded my company in 2012 without a business plan. Developing my business was a discovery-driven process. We added services and offerings as we saw what clients wanted and I had a few hard lessons in getting to a profitable business model,”she said.

By Sofia Fur

“I work with a mostly virtual team. Hiring coaches and other professionals (accountant, attorney) has been important in helping me create a more structured and successful company,”she added.

Robinson’s started her second business venture, Hometown Reads, (website?) launched in the spring of 2016 in the Midwest.

 “Hometown Reads is an idea I had early on but didn’t begin until this year when I had profit from the core company to invest and more capability and insight to begin something new,”she explained.

The focus of Hometown Reads is to focus on connecting authors with local readers and creating a network with other writers located close by.

Starting in Ohio, the idea is slowly expanding east and south from its base.

Robinson is also the author of Lead Change Group, a popular leadership blog, which “exists to highlight valuable thought leadership and create opportunities for leaders to make a difference through their content.”

Robinson manages to run a personal blog as well, where she shares both her life as an entrepreneur and her life as a mother.

Motherhood has certainly influenced Robinson’s career, as well as her temperament with colleagues and employees.

“I bring a lot of empathy and compassion to my work, both to my clients and my team. Because I’m a mom juggling work and family responsibilities, I understand the struggles other moms face. Just recently, a team member resigned because she’s having family issues. I can identify with the choices moms make, especially when their kids are young,”she said.

“Being a mother makes me keenly aware of my limitations and the need for balance, and has likely slowed me down in some ways. I can only work so much. I can only do so much. I have had to learn to source help, at home and at work.”

“What I love about balancing my business ventures and my kids is that they get to watch and participate on this journey with me,”she continued.

“Last summer, I took the girls on a road trip to visit team members in various states. My oldest daughter, now 15, works for Hometown Reads. She mentioned how exciting it is to be a part of a growing company. I like that I can create an opportunity for my daughter, as well,”Robinson reported.

“I haven’t given much thought to the fact that I’m in a male-dominated field. As far as how it feels to be a successful woman, being successful isn’t something I spend much time focusing on either,”the entrepreneur smiled.

All in all, Robinson’s goal is creating opportunities—whether it is a client, an employee, or family on the receiving end.

“The main thing is, I work hard,”she said.

“Every day, I have a lot of work to do to serve my family, team, and clients well. I know that focused, consistent effort creates results. So rather than focus on success, I focus on what’s ahead, what I’m trying to create, and what I need to get done, personally and professionally.”

You can read more about Becky’s personal journey on her blog, beckyrobinson.com.

By Sofia Felino