The Business of Me: UNITY, Las Vegas, Aug. 1

Did you miss our live sessions?

Check out archived recordings and materials at the self-guided training page.

Whether you’re working in a mainstream news organization or striking out on your own with a blog, news site or freelance business, we’re all media entrepreneurs these days.

In this Aug. 1 session at the UNITY 2012 Convention in Las Vegas, learn how to brand and market yourself and to pitch your ideas, plus understand the basics of financial and time management. And leave with five things to do when you get home to advance your career as an entrepreneur.

Mark S. Luckie, Twitter’s creative content manager for journalism and the media, shows you the ropes. He started the 10,000 Words blog and sold it to Mediabistro. He’s also the author of The Digital Journalist’s Handbook.

PLEASE NOTE: Attendees must be registered for the UNITY 2012 Convention. The Reynolds Center is also sponsoring a second convention session from 1-4 p.m. Aug. 1: Occupy UNITY: Covering the Economy Better, with Marilyn Geewax, national economics correspondent for NPR. Register here for UNITY to attend either or both Reynolds Center sessions on Aug. 1. Luckie is also doing an abbreviated version of “The Business of Me” during UNITY from 10:45 a.m. to noon on Aug. 2.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

How to:

• Turn your idea into a business
• Brand yourself and project your worth
• Pitch your idea
• Build a community of followers
• Find funding
• Manage your time and finances

AGENDA: The Business of Me

• 9-9:10 a.m. Introductions and welcome
• 9:10-9:20 a.m. Who are some journalists who have made the leap to being entrepreneurs?
• 9:20-9:35 a.m. How to turn your idea into a business — What IS my idea? Is this a “business”? What resources exist to develop a business plan?
• 9:35-9:50 a.m. Branding yourself — What is my expertise? How can I use social media to establish myself as an expert?
• 9:50-10:05 a.m. Determining and projecting your worth — How to use web analytics to track your reach online.
• 10:05-10:15 a.m. Break
• 10:15-10:35 a.m. How to pitch your idea — Perfecting the elevator pitch, finding contacts and using psychology.
• 10:35-10:55 a.m. Exercise: Participants practice pitching followed by group critique.
• 10:55-11 a.m. Break
• 11-11:15 a.m. Building a community/following online
• 11-15-11:30 a.m. Financing your business — What about ad networks, crowdsourced funding and alternative ideas?
• 11:30-11:45 a.m. Managing your time and money — How do you balance a full-time job with outside work, plus keep up with the records for your business?
• 11:45 a.m. -noon Discussion: Five things to do when you get home to advance your career as an entrepreneur

Mark S. Luckie

YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Mark S. Luckie started a new job in June 2012 as Twitter’s creative content manager for journalism and the media. He leaves a position as the social media editor for The Washington Post. He founded the 10,000 Words blog in 2007 and sold it to Mediabistro in 2010.

Luckie is an experienced journalism trainer and also the author of The Digital Journalist’s Handbook.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

These UNITY conference sessions are sponsored by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism. If you have any questions about the center’s training, please email Executive Director Linda Austin or call 602-496-9187.

Self-guided training in being an entrepreneurial journalist

Please check out other Reynolds self-guided training on entrepreneurial journalism, branding and social networking:

• Getting LinkedIn — Sourcing through Social Networking
• Digital Efficiency for Business Journalists — 36 Tips to Tame Info Overload
• Sales Strategies for Freelance Business Journalists
• How to Launch You.com — Build Your Personal Website
• How to Be an Entrepreneur as a Business Journalist
• Social Media 101, 202, 303