Member ProfileBy: Mary Christie  Leslie Goldberg is the founder and principal of Blue Sun Communications, a corporate communications consulting firm that specializes in developing and managing publications from inception to final copy. Her company also offers training courses in business writing and grammar to groups and individuals within companies.
Prior to
founding Blue Sun, Leslie worked in editorial publishing and in
marketing. After receiving an M.S. in Mass Communications at Boston
University in 1991, she worked at B.U. in their writing program,
teaching a class and running the Writing Center. While the primary
focus of her career now is on freelance work, Leslie has maintained her
connection with academia, teaching writing courses part-time at two
universities, B.U. and Tufts.
After having a
child in 1992, Leslie put her professional energy primarily into Blue
Sun. Running her own company and being able to work out of her house
have provided her the opportunity to continue to use her many skills.
At the same time, she has the flexibility she needs for a rich family
life.
Connection to APCC
While
in graduate school in the Fall of 1991, Leslie chose a creative
project, "Creating a Curriculum for Writing in a Corporate Setting," to
use as part of her Masters graduation requirement. It was while she was
researching this topic that she first learned about APCC and noticed
that they would be having a conference in Boston later that year. The
listing for a panel discussion, "Getting Started in Consulting,"
particularly caught her eye. Leslie did not let the fact that she had
just had foot surgery stop her from going to the conference; she
arrived on crutches with both feet in casts! The effort was very
rewarding; she found information to use in her research project and, in
joining APCC, she found a link to another professional community.
Leslie has enjoyed her connection to APCC. With the email discussion group (APCC-L@listserv.acns.nwu.edu),
she is able to take in a lot of information. She thinks that it and the
online newsletter (Consulting Success) are both terrific resources for
training ideas. In addition, networking at conferences has enabled her
to make local contacts. She wishes there were more APCC members based
in New England, but she still considers APCC membership to be a great
value. The price is very affordable and provides many advantages. [Thank you; we think so, too – Ed.]
Leslie’s business strategy
Leslie
shared with me a few of the reasons that she has had such success with
her company. First, she thoroughly enjoys both writing and dealing with
people. Offering clients personal service is very important to her. In
addition, she often coordinates with other local solo consultants, such
as designers or photographers, to form teams to produce publications.
Through this process she can customize her work to fit clients' needs.
In fact, she can provide "soup to nuts" at a fraction of what a client
would pay to an agency for similar work. This also makes her services
more affordable for non-profit companies, which have more limited
budgets, but usually make wonderful clients. The contact with various
team members has led to a local "Women in Communications" networking
group, which meets periodically to exchange ideas.
Although
it can be a challenge to find the time and energy for networking and
marketing yourself, Leslie thinks that networking in your own
geographic area can lead to valuable referrals. In addition it is
important to be persistent with leads to build your business. Many pan
out eventually, but it is also important to know when to give up. Even
though the conventional wisdom now stresses the importance of finding a
well-defined niche, Leslie has found that being versatile is just as
important. For example in her field, "good writing is good writing."
She does not need to limit herself but can work in a variety of
industries. In fact, there is a benefit to the cross-fertilization.
What Leslie likes best
Leslie
loves the fact that she gets to apply her talent and experience in
writing to corporate life. Writing can be solitary work. She balances
the isolation of writing by establishing warm personal connections with
her clients. In addition to enjoying these interactions, she also gets
to see her materials published in printed form. Furthermore, she
appreciates the flexibility of working at home and being her own boss.
She can vary what she does: sometimes she teaches, sometimes she sees
clients. She can dress up or work at home in jeans. Her professional
life is balanced between being out in the business world and having
time for solitude.
What else does Leslie do to
balance her life? She is an avid equestrian and downhill skier, and
enjoys volunteering at her synagogue, walking her dog, and raising her
two children.
Favorite business book
Leslie recommends When Words Collide, a grammar and usage handbook for media writers, by Gale Kessler and Duncan McDonald.
You
can read more about Blue Sun Communications and see samples of
published materials such as newsletters, brochures, and press kits at:
http://bluesuncommunications.com/portfolio
You can contact Leslie at:
Email: bluesun@bu.edu
Telephone: (781) 862-7773
Fax: (781) 862-0399  |
