Mediaspace Solutions’ Five in Five interview series highlights individuals in the advertising and marketing field and their path to success. Interviewees answer five questions, varying in scope, and it is our hope that you are able to take something away from each post in the series. Subscribe to our RSS Feed so you can stay up to date on ‘What’s On Tap’ and be notified when the next Five in Five interview is published.
Today’s interview features Janice Hermsen. Janice is an entrepreneur, publisher and writer based in Reno, Nevada. Planning and marketing are top priorities in Hermsen’s activities and she helps her clients, both businesses and individuals, achieve their goals.
1. What's the one mobile app you can't live without?
My PayPal Here app is invaluable at the many offsite book signings we do at LeRue Press. If we can’t collect the money, all the marketing and advertising in the world is useless. Then to spread the word during our events, the Facebook and Twitter apps run a close second. There are so many good apps; it’s hard to choose just one.
2. How do you get your news?
As a columnist and radio host, I have many sites that feed into my email with press releases from around the world. In addition, I watch television, listen to the radio during my commute to and from work (when I’m not listening to an audio book) and read blurbs from the Internet as I see them on a friend’s Facebook wall. Surprisingly often, my Facebook page is the first place I see a story.
3. What is the toughest lesson you've learned in your career?
Diversify or die when it comes to business. With the recent recession, it has proven to be a lesson I’m glad I learned before it came around again. Through diversification, our printing business expanded to offer more products and added publishing (both self-publishing and traditional). The first time I encountered the need for diversification was in the early 80s. I was selling real estate at the time in a very tough economy with skyrocketing interest rates.
4. What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
I love Raisinets. I don’t eat them often anymore, but if I’m willing to splurge on something sweet, Raisinets are one of my favorite treats. My other guilty pleasure is watching cheesy disaster films (Airport, Earthquake, you know, the end of the world type movies) while I eat my Raisinets! My secret is out!
5. How do you spend the first hour of your day?
The first hour of my day is spent exercising and emailing, usually all at the same time. I love to walk but when I can’t, I use my husband’s Gazelle (that I said he should NOT buy) while checking my email and watching TV (usually news). I recently purchased a tablet so it will be a lot easier to do both these tasks at once. I find this is the most important part of my day to prep and organize, then hit the ground running.
That concludes our Q&A with Janice. Check out the entire Five in Five series here and come back soon so you don’t miss the next one.
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Hannah Hill is a marketing specialist at Mediaspace Solutions. Her marketing experience includes writing, inbound marketing, social media and event management. You can connect with Hannah on LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+.
