The Red Jacket Diaries blog

Sue Horner is a freelance writer in Oakville, Ontario, who blogs about writing, newsletters, communications and running an independent business in The Red Jacket Diaries blog.
10 tips to network like a pro

10 tips to network like a pro

(Updated January 2021) Whether you run your own independent business or work in a corporate setting, you need to get out and network. Like having a profile on LinkedIn (as I’ve suggested), networking gives you another way of building your connections. And in the...
How freelancers can use LinkedIn

How freelancers can use LinkedIn

After a conversation this week with someone just starting an independent business, one of the first things I did was send my new friend an invitation to connect on LinkedIn. This social networking site has more than 100 million members in more than 200 countries, and...
Marketing on a tight budget

Marketing on a tight budget

For Tom Kaufman of TK Enterprises, attitude is everything. “Do you want to soar with the eagles, or gobble with the turkeys?” he demanded at meeting of IABC/Toronto’s Professional Independent Communicators. Tom’s topic was “Marketing on a tight budget,” and he...
A hope for peace

A hope for peace

9/11. It’s become shorthand instantly understood around the world for a day filled with tragedy. Can it really be 10 years since we watched, horrified, as one plane and then a second crashed into the World Trade Center? I was at work in my home office when my...
Hello from Royal Roads, week 2

Hello from Royal Roads, week 2

My second three-week residency at Royal Roads University is two-thirds done, closing last night with a class party that was all kinds of fun. Week one ended with tea at the historic Empress Hotel overlooking Victoria harbour; the photo shows me feeling a bit like...