Hey, you. How are my five six lovely readers doing today?

It’s been about six week since all sorts of cha cha cha changes started happening around here on AnnieSorensen.com. Since then, things have been a bit…crazy.

This is my enormous thank-you for sticking with me.

Thank you thiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much!
(That’s a lot.)

I know that my traditional motivational and entrepreneurship and personal development type posts have been mixed up amongst the ridiculous personal musings and canine antics and lovely bookshelf photos and tomboy outfits. If it’s made your head explode, not to worry, I’m right there with you.

I had no idea what to expect when I removed the limitations from myself in early May and just started writing about whatever came to mind. It’s been fun. Really, really fun.

I also had no idea how much writing I had in me, until I allowed myself to write about any topic I wanted.

So far, all posts have generally fallen into one of four categories:

Business – all of the original stuff I wrote about prior to May, and will continue to do so. Personal development, inspiration, motivation, Feature Friday, entrepreneurship, network marketing, social media, etc.

Musings – the personal stuff. The life stuff, canine stuff, Hubz stuff, and just all around this-has-nothing-to-do-with-anything-but-it’s-part-of-my-goofy-life…stuff.

Books – all of the book geekiness. Book reviews, thoughts on reading, reading list updates, book gift guides, etc. Mmm mmmm good.

Style – tomboy style at its finest. My newest discovery in the things-I-like-to-write-about-but-never-knew-it category, this is kind of uncharted territory. It will be fun. Photos, outfits, stories, and shopping.

Soon, this site will be separated into convenient little areas. So those of you that want to read about my beloved black blazer won’t have to dig through book reviews to do so, and those that only want to hear about the insane canine that shares this home with us won’t have to worry about scrolling through inspirational quotes and thoughts on entrepreneurship to get there.

You’ll be able to go down whatever path your heart desires. Paying attention to the others as much or as little as you would like.

Sound like a plan?

It does? Good.

Until then, thanks for navigating the muddy waters of my posts. I sincerely hope that you find something that you enjoy. Something that makes you smile or makes you think. Or, if I’m lucky, both.

I love to write, and to think that even one person outside my family takes a moment out of their day to read what I have to say…well, it amazes me constantly.

Thank you for being here.

Appreciating you always,
Annie

Thank you all for your wonderful messages, emails, comments, and texts about the changes happening around this ‘ole website. First of all, I still have a hard time grasping the fact that there are more than 2.3 regulars that read my crazy musings. Hearing from so many people in such a short period of time has been overwhelming and wonderful and shiver-inducing.

Second, I think I figured out how to get more of you to come out from Lurkerville…write more personal posts! And by personal posts I mean crazy, Type A, book-obsessed, popcorn-obsessed, canine-obsessed posts, of course. What fun it is to “see” you guys come out. Return to the sunlight again soon, you hear?

Third, you? You rock. Oh, and you too! And that’s all there is to say about that.

I thought I’d take another minute to point out a few tweaks I’ve made to the site in the past couple days.

Mini ‘About Annie’ The first widget in the right-hand column is now a miniature About page. For newbies that land on my site, they have a face to put with the name and a short description of what I’m about. The About page is still there with all the details, but now it’s not a required click to figure out who I am and why the heck I’m yelling at you about personal development or my canine-baby. I saved you a click! You can thank me later. And speaking of About pages…

Simplified About page The old page was just too…much. It’s simpler, shorter, and more to the point. Here’s who I am, what this site is about, why you might care. Done and done.

What’s Vemma? Previously, I linked to my Vemma website via one of the Supporters icons. That wasn’t really accurate. They weren’t supporting my site by advertising with me, I advertise for them! So now it has its own widget with a purrty new image. Click it, learn about Vemma, go forth and prosper.

Currently Reading Because I know you’re all simply dying to know what book is currently fighting for its life (and its crisp pages) while stuck in my purse 24/7, there is a place for that. Under the subscriber box is a new Currently Reading widget. I’ll update this as close to real time as possible. If I’m reading one book, I’ll only display one book. If I’m currently in the middle of two or three…you get the point. (When I finish reading the book, I’ll update the widget and add the title to my reading list.) The books are linked to Amazon via an affiliate link. I get paid if you buy something after clicking on it. Don’t judge me for it.

Hmm, I think that’s about it!

I would love to do a complete re-design of this site, but that’s not important right now. Maybe sometime this summer we’ll get around to making bigger changes. Or whenever I run into someone who will design it for me.

Is that you? Are you a designer-person?

Hello? Hello?

Dearest Universe,
Please send me the perfect person to re-design my website. Thank you and Amen.
Love,
Annie

Ok! As I’ve said before, I hope you like what you see around here. And if you don’t, TOO BAD.

Wait. Just kidding.

If you don’t like what you see around here, THEN JUST LEAVE.

Woah! I’m getting a little rude here! Let’s try this again.

If you don’t like what you see around here, then, well, I guess you’re still ok. Or you could just suck it up. Or you could leave. Or you could email me and tell me what you don’t like?

Whatever.

Just a quick note from the AnnieSorensen.com team to say, Hello! And, Please be patient with us! We’re going through a site re-design, so if there’s a few things that look or act a little wacky, we apologize.

We’ll be back up and looking all fancy-like shortly. In the mean time, thank you thank you THANK YOU for your patience.

And thanks, as always, for visiting.

Beats me why I haven’t yet featured ShoeMoney because, I mean, seriously, the blog is fantastic. Jeremy Schoemaker, who’s been marketing online for longer than I’ve known the definition of blog, is continually innovative, always looking for the latest trends, monetizing them, and then sharing every, single detail of how he did it with his wide audience. Affiliate marketing, brand building, social media, marketing research & reporting – you name it, ShoeMoney teaches you about it. Jeremy’s personality shines through in all of his posts and he’s real, relatable, and crazy successful. Go check it out.

Fooducate is one of my favorite food and healthy-eating-for-life blogs. They discuss topics that appeal to everyone, no matter where they fall on the food spectrum, from the most dedicated organic vegans to the average Joe who’s just looking for a bit more information on how awful he’s sure that daily quarter-pounder with cheese is for his health. Plus, you gotta love their tagline; Eat a Bit Better. Fits in nicely with Live Your Best Life Everyday, don’t you think?

One of their latest posts discusses the study just released out of the UK that proclaims organic food to have no additional nutritional value when compared to food conventionally grown/produced. Their summary of the study, their point-of-view, and proposed action steps are a perfect example of why I love this blog. Go check it out…here.

P.S. You can follow Fooducate on Twitter, too.

A quick highlight of one of the websites on the AnnieSorensen.com blogroll that’s specifically related to my network marketing business with Vemma and Verve, the personal blog of Tyler and Mimi Ford. For those looking for product information, business tips, and corporate updates on Vemma and Verve, the Ford’s site is second to none. It also offers a wonderfully healthy dose of personal wit and wisdom – and fun – that makes checking in with the site a few times a week more than worth your time. Tyler and Mimi are inspiring entrepreneurs who are fiercely dedicated to continual learning and personal development, selfless leadership, and inspiring others. Quite a perfect fit with this site, don’t you think? Whether you’re in need of a Vemma-specific site or wisdom from two Arizona-based outdoor lovers, TylerandMimiFord.com is worth a look.

A few share-worthy sites I’ve spent some time with this week:

Zappos blog & core values Do you really know how cool of a company Zappos, the online customer service company disguised as a discount shoe store, is? Very, very cool. I mean, just look at their core values. Neat, eh? While you’re there, read the story of how Zappos began and where they see themselves going.

Young Entrepreneur I’ve only just begun digging into this site but it has already proven that it has a lot to offer. Discussion forums, blog posts, articles on all types of entrepreneurial topics such as Buying a Business, International Trade, Starting a Business, Sales and Marketing, and more, the site is jam-packed with information and support for business owners. All applicable way beyond a ‘young’ entrepreneur. In their own words, “YoungEntrepreneur.com is an award-winning small business website for entrepreneurs and small businesses and is comprised of entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs who are truly passionate about economic development and enjoy promoting the formation and success of innovative and growth-oriented companies.” Neat.

Darren Rowse A super-blogger with multiple sites, Darren is best known for ProBlogger.net, which helps other bloggers learn how to be the best blogger they can be. This week he launched DarrenRowse.com, his namesake site, to use as a forum to chat about whatever random thoughts cross his mind, topics that don’t neatly fall into the categories of his other domains. Considering Darren’s large following and how knowledgeable he is about so many topics, his new blog surely will not disappoint.

Two Sales Girls Jamie Verkamp and Laura Lake, two marketers by trade, also launched their brand new site this week, TwoSalesGirls.com. A place for support, education, and fun for all female entrepreneurs, TwoSalesGirls is a membership site that includes a strong focus on discussion and support and promises weekly podcasts, monthly mastermind calls, and regular email newsletters. (In the spirit of full disclosure, TwoSalesGirls asked me to be a Charter Member of the site and I excitedly accepted. I will be contributing to the discussion forums and participating in the podcasts and calls over the coming weeks and months.) The site is geared towards those in sales (which is, what…all of us?) but just as easily provides benefit to all kinds of entrepreneurial women. Their launch is blowing away expectations, go check it out.

What cool sites have you run into this week?

I’ve recently been introduced to Carrie Wilkerson’s blog, the Barefoot Executive, and am loving getting to know the site. The Barefoot Exec describes herself as “the definitive resource for helping women achieve extra income and career goals while working from home,” but I’ve found that her insight, experience, and posts could apply to any entrepreneur. Last month she wrote about leaving a 9-to-5 and venturing into full-time entrepreneurship, and I loved the “homework” she detailed out for anyone considering such a leap. It’s probably the best how-to-figure-out-what-you-truly-want-to-do-with-your-life list of thought-provoking questions I’ve ever read. The list is printed out and has been pasted into my journal; I think they’re that powerful. Even if you think you know what your true passion is, I’d imagine reviewing Barefoot’s post and considering the questions would at least provide an additional detail to your life’s purpose.

Barefoot Executive: Achieve it in 7 Steps

What did you learn about your passion?

After several years of having a disjointed web presence I can finally say that I am now consolidated into one tidy little spot. AnnieSorensen.com represents everything about my personal brand – personal development, books, nutrition, network marketing, and fitness, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Amazon, and SmugMug. Here you’ll find everything that I’m passionate about along with a healthy dash of pointless-ness. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for visiting.