"The Right Words - The Right Way - The Right Results"

Welcome to Vanessa's Desk. Well, not exactly to the desk (which is actually a really long table crowded with papers, equipment and pictures), but welcome to my Ryze networking page. I hope we can get to know each other.

When people ask me what I do, I'm often tempted to give the short answer - I'm a writer. But that's really just a title; and actually, it's a bit misleading. It usually conjures up images of some solitary, creative type spinning grand tales and best-selling novels. Although I am a bit shy, that description doesn't begin to capture my mission, or describe what happens when I'm "at my desk". So let me tell you a little about what I really do as a business writer and how I may be able to help you.

Have you ever had that frustrated feeling when you just can't get your ideas into the right words? Ever wish you could take the vision from your mind and make others see it like you do? This is my specialty. Talk to me and let me turn your vision into the words that make your ideas real to everyone.

Vanessa's Desk Services

Newsletters can be a great way to keep in touch with your customers, if done correctly. Not the kind that have a few teasers and a lot of ads; nobody even reads those. What you want is a newsletter that folks actually read and look forward to receiving. One where they can get useful information, one that makes them remember your business, buy from your business, and refer others to your business. Contact me today to find out just how easy and affordable it can be for your business to take advantage of this outstanding marketing tool.

By the way, you can sign up for the "Vanessa's Desk Building Business Newsletter" here, or on any page of my website. It includes FREE downloads available only to subscribers.

Your website is the face your business shows the world. Does yours need maintenance, updating, or maybe a complete overhaul?

It takes more than fancy graphics to make an effective website. You've heard the expression "content is king". This means that your words - what you say and how you say it - are the most important element in your website. If you want your visitors to stay a while, if you want them to come back regularly, if you want them to be able to find you, then you must:

• Carefully define your market - who they are, what they need and what they want.
• Target your message so the benefits are obvious to your readers and customers.
• Plan your content for maximum SEO results.

Let me help make sure your website says what it needs to say. Let me help you get the right results by using the right words in the right way. The first consultation and quote is free.

I can also help you with the face you show when you are networking. PM me for information on how we can spruce up your Ryze or other networking page.
You can visit these friends to ask about or see a little of my work here on Ryze.

Jacki   Karen   Sharon   Bea   Barb   Roslyn   Laverne   Robert J   Debbie   Kika   Gerald

Article marketing is one of the fastest and best ways to gain credibility and attract attention to your business. When you create new and useful content (write articles) for online directories, your business reaps several valuable benefits.

• Establish your ability and expertise in your industry.
• Create a viral aspect in your marketing when your articles are used by others.
• Improve your search engine position by having links to your website.

Let me help you develop your ideas into articles that will enhance your reputation and your business.

Copywriting and editing are services that many business owners occasionally find themselves in need of.

You are an expert in your field. You provide superior products, services and an outstanding customer experience. You're a master networker who really knows how to talk to people and sell your business. But, when it's time to write about it...

Your small business has done so well that you are no longer able to handle the all the details on a one-by-one basis. You need a system, written policies and materials you can rely on.

You have a regular newsletter or magazine that has grown to include multiple contributors, and many of them are not quite adept at handling language in a written format. In other words, great stories - not so great writers.

All of these situations are very easily corrected with a little help from your handy independent business writer and editor. Let me help make all your public presentations shine.

Personal Stuff

My Reasons

Two things have been true about me for as long as I can remember: I've always loved language, and I've always been intensely curious. Growing up with a mother who was an English teacher and later became a librarian, my passion for reading and writing came early and naturally. And since my grandparents owned one of the oldest florists in NC (where I loved to help out), my interest in business and business ownership was also "planted" early.

Since most folks like a list (and it's easier to tell the good parts), here's mine:

1. I am a caretaker, and have been a nurse, a doula, a group home manager and a foster mother.

2. I don't consider myself a truly "creative type", but I like making things. I crochet, knit, cook, write and build websites.

3. Books and music are essential to life.

4. I love and collect all things Star Trek. I've got all the movies, about 150 taped episodes, around 60 novels, several posters, an online club, a phaser, a captain Sisko action figure and a keychain communicator.

5. The ocean is my power place and I absolutely love the beach at sunrise.

6. I love change and growth, so this list will definitely change and grow over time.

I took my business full time after my divorce so I could be available to, and take care of my sons, who both had health issues when they were younger. As much as I love writing, being a good mom was always my first and best job. :)

David, 21, is my oldest son. He was born 3 months early at two and a half pounds. All the "experts" said that if he survived he would be severely disabled (blind, deaf, retarded, etc.). But they were wrong. He was the smallest baby ever released from the NICU at that time - only 4 pounds, and I carried him around in one hand for his first couple of months. Later, he developed severe asthma, and spent much of his first twelve years in the hospital. He's over it now and is a college sophomore studying business administration and operations management and holding down a full time job. Visit his Ryze page here.

Ron is my "baby" at 19, and recently graduated high school. We have had some issues lately, but Mama always loves her babies, no matter what. He inherited several health problems from both sides of the family. He has an enlarged heart and irregular heartbeat that we discovered after he had a heart attack at age 11, and he also developed a severe curvature of the spine (scoliosis) which would have left him crippled without the surgery he had at 15. These are the before and after pics.

This page turned out to be much longer than I expected. I didn't realize I had so much to say. :) If you really read it all - Wow, and thanks! And if you just skimmed through - I don't mind. Sign my page anyway; let's connect.

By the way, if you want to "network" with me please sign the page or leave a note. I usually can't see who you are if you just click the button.

I value all the friends and contacts I've made in my time on Ryze, and I look forward to building, learning and sharing even more. Exchanging ideas and building relationships is what it's all about. Maybe we can help each other. Maybe we can make a trade. And together, maybe we can make a difference.

Prosperity, Success and Many Blessings!