For a number of years now I’ve been a contributing columnist (pro bono) to Focus New England, delivering the monthly Business Minds column. When they announced they were closing their doors due to the coronavirus – and that they wouldn’t be returning – I was sincerely saddened. I’d loved getting to know different business owners, what they have achieved, their challenges getting there, and what has inspired them.
One of the upsides of this challenging period is a little extra time to ponder, and ponder I did! I made a call to my colleague of many years, Joanna Dolan, a professional editor, and we had a chat.
I had made the decision that I wanted to keep writing stories about our local businesses and share them with our community. I saw an opportunity to expand to include startups and interviews with our business and community leaders. Instead of talking me off the cliff, Joanna took it a step further, suggesting that together we could start making it a weekly feature.
Joanna has an amazing, international business and I’m incredibly excited at the opportunity to work with her on this passion project.
Together, we invited Rachel Roan, the principal of a brand-new startup, Reel Spark, to join the volunteer team. Rachel is a talented young writer as well as a photographer and videographer.
From there, we were incredibly lucky to welcome the talented Laurence Nussbaumer of MonfiaConnect, who designed, branded and launched our website. And we are even more excited about his ongoing collaboration, helping us make sure that everything runs and works as it should.
We don’t pretend to be journalists, nor are we intending to produce a print publication. Rather, we want to continue to share the positive stories of business in the New England and beyond, to talk to businesses that, despite these trying times, are looking to the future. So many of our regional businesses are quiet achievers, so if there is a business or a leader you feel we should feature, let us know.
Together we hope to provide an opportunity for our local businesses, start-ups and leaders to celebrate their achievements and share their stories. We hope you will enjoy them and, in turn, be inspired by them.
Introducing Vivid Minds. Vivid Futures.
Ingrid Rothe
