They say you just can’t find good help these days, and after working with a few half-hearted interns and helpers over the years, I’m inclined to agree. Understandably, no one cares as much as I do about the success of the Angie Away brand. I’ve learned through trial and error that interns want to work with me so they can experience the glamorous life I sometimes appear to live… not necessarily so they can learn the ropes and sometimes be my adult nanny.
(Read more about the oh-so-glamorous life of a professional blogger. HA!)
I gave up on hiring help for a while, but I keep coming back to the fact that Angie Away has grown too big for me to manage solo. It’s not a bad problem to have, but it’s one I’d like to solve.
I’ve lamented time and again that I need a clone. This special someone would understand communication theory, the intricacies of public relations and the blogosphere. It would be great if my clone could plan fun itineraries, manage my emails and make sure I don’t get too hangry.
Turns out, I’ve been training my clone all along.
Please welcome RACHEL ORTH to the Angie Away team!
You’ve seen her around here quite often. She’s my right hand. Little sis. Maid of honor. Hospital caretaker. The Jane to my Lizzie. The Dwight Schrute to my Michael Scott. The Anne Perkins to my Leslie Knope.
We are basically the same person, and that’s exactly the sort of hard-to-find characteristic I’ve never been able to find in anyone else. They just haven’t been able to read my mind, finish my sentences and automatically know every nuance of the Angie Away brand. Until now!
Last week, Rachel wrapped up her last day at her corporate copywriting job (sound familiar?!) to join me in the freelance life. Her first gig, obviously, is with me as my new… well, I hardly know what to call her. Clone isn’t much of a job title, but it serves the purpose. I also like Assistant to the Regional Manager.
Like so many of the best things in my life (Rick, this blog), hiring my sister to help manage/grow my business was not something I planned. One day, not too long ago, we were chatting about plans for future projects and at the same time, the lightbulb came on for us both. OF COURSE we should be working together. Once we said it aloud, it felt like the most obvious solution in the world.
Why didn’t we think of it before?
Rachel has more PR and marketing experience than anyone her age. Her resume is insane. When she was little, she spent weeks with me every summer my PR agencies in Atlanta and New York, so she’s more than familiar with my background. She knows more bloggers than most bloggers do! She’s a fantastic networker, an avid traveler and a magnetic on-camera presence. (If I’m not careful, she might just usurp me.)
She also has skills I don’t: graphic design, advanced video production, copywriting, advertising… she is the total package.
And bonus: she looks like me, so we can Parent Trap people anytime we like.
Now I can scale up and do double the work. That means more trips, more stories, more videos, more PR clients, more influencer campaigns and more costumed adventures.
I’m so stoked nepotism is working out for us!
I am unbelievably excited for this change. Running a business solo for 7+ years has been fun, but you can imagine how much more we’ll be able to get done as a party of 2. The whole Angie Away world is about to get LIT.
The good news for everyone else: Rae will remain in Orlando where in addition to working with me on both Angie Away and Jet Sisters projects, she’ll have her own slate of freelance PR, advertising, copywriting and theme park projects. She’s a woman of many talents, and I expect you’ll see them put to good use now that she’s a free woman.
