This must be how parents feel on their child's birthday. Alright, maybe I'm slightly dramatizing this and I'm not actually buying that cake (at least not a whole one,) but nonetheless, happy 1st birthday to my little baby, Barneys, Bergdorfs & Bill$. When I tell people I wrote a book, I don't feel like it was as large of a feat as most people do. And that is not to pat myself on the back at all. The entire time I was writing I didn't really think "I'm going to be an author" or that people would begin to introduce me as "she's the one who wrote that book." I guess this was mainly because I didn't think it would be such as success and I had NO idea what I was doing. I kept the entire venture pretty low-key because of that fact. I told a few of my friends but until it actually was released for pre-order, most didn't know. I lost track of how many times people have responded to my story of writing the book with, "wait, didn't you major in finance though? How did you know how to write a book?" The truth was and is...I really didn't. But the other truth is...it wasn't that hard. The entire point of this post is first to celebrate how far the book has come in a year. I released it with a very mediocre, manuscript-esque cover that my self-publishing company offered to do for me for a fee. From there the 1st edition sold over 300 copies on Amazon through essentially all grassroots marketing thanks to my friends and family posting. I felt the book had plateaued in the beginning of this year so I decided to enlist the help of Madisen Theobald to create a new cover and re-release. With that, the success has continued and I am so proud of the impact this book has made on girls everywhere. Seeing Instagram posts from all over the country from people I have never met in my life is a very cool feeling. Also, it is TOTALLY fine to be super proud of your accomplishments. It's not being braggadocious (yes, Trump said it in the debate, and yes, it is a word) to promote yourself and talk about your successes. It's marketing and it's smart. You are your brand. Just make sure to inquire about theirs as well. Don't be the one always using the word "I" (Mia Thermopolis warned all of us against this in Princess Diaries.) The second reason is to say you can literally do anything you set your mind to. I didn't have many naysayer's but whenever someone did pose the question, not in an offensive way at all, about how I had no writing experience, it only encouraged and fired me up more about my idea and how I couldn't wait for it to debut. I just prayed it wouldn't be a flop, which thankfully, it has been anything but. If you don't fear failure, then you're not really trying. If you're not afraid, then you don't really have the passion. But if you don't look fear and potential failure in the face and say "I'm ready to give it my best shot," then you are content, which is something I fear more than any sort of failed venture I might embark upon. This is not to say I am the almighty inspiration and for you all to go out and write books. But hopefully it does encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. Maybe something you've thought about doing for a long time but haven't known where to start or if you would succeed. Mine started sitting at my desk at an internship that had nothing to do with finances or writing, with a blank word document and an idea of creating a one-stop girls guide to all things money. Thank you all for the support. I hope to continue with this blog and make Barneys, Bergdorfs & Bill$ presence grow even further. If you all ever have any ideas for topics, press opportunities etc. please shoot me an email. Y'all rock (notice NYC has not curbed my "y'all" usage :)) xx, Sydney sydneyhedberg@aol.com
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Standing at the checkout line in an airport and see "50 Celebrity Diet Secrets Revealed!"...truth: I am SO guilty of plopping that baby down on the counter and forking out $3.29 on a fluff-filled, glossy magazine for the plane. I am a newspaper junkie and am one of (I guess a few?) that actually still prefer to hold a paper in my hands. Yes, it's inky and your arm will cramp up as you try and finagle the stupid thing to find the perfect way to hold it so you're not elbow jabbing the guy next to you. Regardless if you prefer it on your tablet or in paper form, reading something of substance is important. A lot of times people would just rather be uninformed, and I get it. News can be downright depressing and a little repetitive but at that same token, not being in the know stunts you. Is someone going to come up and quiz you on the topic you read about in the Wall Street Journal? Probably not. But if the CEO of a company happened to sit down next to you, wouldn't you rather know who he/she is and have something to talk about with them? The alternative is to be in Starbucks and have no clue you're standing behind Jamie Dimon (the CEO of JPMorgan Chase.) I'm not sure who said "knowledge is power" first, but it has been echoed for years and still rings so true. It's a v bad idea to be uniformed or uninterested about things happening around us. The millennial generation gets a terrrrrrrible rap for sticking our heads in the sand and knowing more about our favorite celebrity than any political figure (should we take a poll if we think Kim K was actually robbed?) That is a mass generalization, of course, and you can change your priorities any time you want! Check out a periodical subscription like the Wall Street Journal, New York Times or even a local paper. If you're a student or work for a big company, you can usually score a sweet discount too. The internet has made getting news even easier with companies like The Skimm that curate important stories into one concise location. This basically gives us ZERO excuse to not be informed. Also, this is still always here when you just need that glorious junk read ;) Yes, I am shamelessly putting a picture of a Kardashian in this post. Who does not want a raise at work? You go in every single day, work your tail off, and eventually you get called in to meet with your manager and they deliver the news. Dollar signs are flashing in your eyes and you start to feel a little like Khloe and Malika. But before you go using your dolla bills as a cell phone and buying a cool new fedora and some cigars (what, KK?,) think about your options. Up to this point you (possibly and probably) have been living JUST fine on your current salary. You didn't exactly need a raise, but I mean, who says "no, I'm good, I have plenty of money." It's really all about the Benjey's, #amirite? (That is a joke...well kind of.) Wouldn't the responsible (yawn) thing be to put some of that money away for later? The answer, as boring as it is, is yes. In a new study by USA Today, 66 million Americans have zero dolla's saved for emergencies. Wouldn't it be nice if you are driving to work one day and your sweet little Beetle Bug decides to overheat that you won't have to eat Ramen for the next month in order to pay for the tow truck and the inspection you were supposed to do 6 months ago? I think so. Another thing is retirement. Yeah, we're young and wild and free but this weird thing happens where you get older every day and one day we're going to get to retire. Waking up on Monday mornings, that may seem like an eternity but it is inevitable that one day you will get to stop working. Wouldn't you like to make that as soon as possible? If your company has a sponsored retirement plan (a 401(k)), you could up the percentage you contribute (Barneys, Bergdorfs & Bill$ covers this in depth.) If you don't participate in a formal plan, you can even just move some of the money into your savings account from your checking. Any sort of saving is smart. Of course you can treat yourself, but just do it in moderation. Photo: @khloekardashian Web: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2016/09/26/pay-raise-salary-save/90312018/ |