Anne Holmes, “Boomer in
Chief” of the National Association of Baby Boomer Women, is one busy lady, and
I don’t know how she manages to do it all. I think she has a few pints of
“Wonder Woman” blood flowing through her veins!
Today, we have the
opportunity to peek into the personal life of this amazing Baby Boomer Role
Model, and I hope that your enjoyment in reading the interview comes close to
my pleasure in conducting it.
MAB-In researching the National Association of Baby
Boomer Women, I came across numerous entities in which you are involved— www.boomerpreneur.com, www.boomerwomensworld.com, www.boomerlifestyle.com, www.nabbw.com,
www.boomerwomenspeak.com and www.boomerco.com.
There may be more that I didn’t readily locate. How do
you ever find time for sleeping at night?
Anne- I actually sleep seven hours every night. No
matter what time I go to bed, I don’t get up until seven hours later. I’m a bit
of a night person, or at least I used to be. So sometimes that means I don’t
get up until 9 (AM, not PM. I’m not so much of a night person that I sleep all
day and work all night!).
MAB- I just wonder--is there some secret to setting
your brain into neutral at night with so many irons in the fire?
Anne-Good question! Years ago,
I used to have a bit of difficulty getting to sleep. These days, it’s much
easier, since I’ve passed the stage in life where I have to get kids ready for
bed and make sure everything is set up for a fast getaway in the morning…
Now it’s pretty much a matter of following
my own relaxing rituals: I start by making sure to do something quiet and
relaxing towards the end of the evening. That might include chatting with a
friend we’ve invited over for dinner or watching an UPLIFTING or funny TV show
with my husband. (I stay away from crime drama and nasty stuff at night.)
Either way, I do it while drinking a mug of
hot decaf Earl Grey or Constant Comment tea. (If time permits, I like to do
both.)
Then somewhere after 11 PM, I really get
serious about relaxation: My “getting ready for bed” ritual includes a 15-20
minute soak in the tub, with some aromatherapy bath salts designed to promote
sleep. I make the water as hot as
possible, climb in and read a book. (This is when I get a lot of my NABBW book
review reading done.)
I follow the bath with a lot of lotion –
pretty much slather it on from head to toe.
Once I’m all warm and relaxed, I find it’s a lot easier to get to -- and
stay -- asleep.
While they don’t have to be the same, I
highly recommend developing your own nighttime rituals as a way to set your
brain into neutral and encourage good sleep experiences.
MAB-Your background indicates impressive experience in
marketing and communications. How did you happen to zero in on servicing the
baby boomer industry and having a heart for boomer issues?
Anne-My interest in people – especially women -- who have attained
50+ years of age started with research I did in grad school. I was getting my MS
in communications , and I happened to take an elective in gerontology. The
information was fascinating, and I was hooked! As a result, I did my thesis
research on how women 50+ preferred to receive news and other information. I
wanted to find out if they got their news and information differently than did
the 18-34 demographic.
Back then, of course, we Boomers were not
yet 50+. In fact, I referred to my
research pool as “my little old ladies.” Clearly, I had no idea back then that
becoming 50 does not mean we are old… LOL!
Anyway, my professors at the University of
Wisconsin thought my research was interesting, but none of my potential
employers were too terribly focused on that demographic. So when I graduated, I had to temporarily put aside my interests
in order to find a job. I started working at ad agencies, where I hardly ever had
a client who cared a whit for the “50+ demographic.”
I officially renewed my interest in 50+
women a few years ago, by starting a blog. You can still see it at www.boomerlifestyle.com;
though these days, I no longer have time to write all the posts myself.
Following that, things just began to fall
into place. I learned of the opportunity to buy the NABBW businesses a couple
of years ago, and we jumped at the chance.
And, of course, these days marketers and
businesses are starting to realize that 50+ consumers are a force that
continues to buy and influence buying decisions. Now that the “pig in a python”
Baby Boomers are 50, that demographic is “hot” and thus being knowledgeable
about -- and interested in -- the 50+
market is a lot more marketable.
Frankly, this is not something I foresaw
back in the 70s when I was doing my research. I should have, though…we Baby
Boomers have continuously changed the marketplace ever since we were born.
MAB-I see that you are the co-author of a new book, Activate Your Breakthrough! 23 Success Principles for
Baby Boomer Women Business Owners & Entrepreneurs. Please tell us more about your book and how it will be
helpful to us, purchase locations & links.
Anne-This book is a
collaboration between my mastermind partner, Ronda Del Boccio, and me. Ronda
and I got to know each other years ago when we both coached on behalf of one of
the big name Internet marketing coaches. She was the coach he referred clients to when they wanted to write books, while I
coached people who wanted to start a business. (My Boomerpreneur
website went live after I stopped working for that coach and started coaching
under my own name. )
As an authoring coach, Ronda has been after
me for years to buckle down and write a book. Finally, she suggested a way that
we could “kickstart” the process: She asked me for notes from a teleseminar I’d
developed on how to think like an entrepreneur.
She took the notes, on what I consider to be
crucially important success principles, added a narrative that pulls it all
together into book format, and published it through Amazon Kindle.
But, you don’t need to have a Kindle reader
to read it – there are a number of devices, including Amazon’s own Kindle Cloud
Reader, that make it possible to read this book even without a Kindle device.
The book sells for a mere $2.99 – and it’s a
true bargain at that price. I’d highly recommend it if you are a Baby Boomer
woman who is giving any serious thought to starting your own business. Its
purpose is to help you develop the mindset necessary to succeed in your own
business. It helps you think like a business owner, rather than like an
employee.
Based on my coaching experiences, I’d say
that’s one of the biggest threats to a start-up business’s success: Being
willing to do what it takes to think like an owner – to take the action that
makes things happen.
My own mother started a business in her 50s
after a divorce and went bankrupt as a result of this very thing: She had a
vision of herself as a successful business owner sitting at a beautiful desk,
wearing pearls and designer clothes and managing her staff. She didn’t realize
that when you’re in start-up mode, you have to be willing to get down in the
trenches and get your hands dirty. And that the hours are not merely 9 to 5…
Watching her fail and lose all her money in
the process – even though when we realized what was happening my brother and I
stepped in and tried to help her turn things around -- was one of the hardest things I’ve
experienced in my adult life.
The title’s long, but it makes clear what
the book is about: Activate Your Breakthrough! 23 Success
Principles for Baby Boomer Women Business Owners & Entrepreneurs. I’m happy to say that earlier
this year it spent a few weeks on the Amazon best-seller list in its niche
category.
MAB-At www.nabbw.com, expert articles in many categories are
offered including: Arts & Entertainment, Books & Authoring, Family
& Relationships, Fashion & Beauty, Giving Back, Health & Fitness,
Home & Garden…just to name a few. Is there any one category that seems to
generate the most interest to baby boomer women?
Anne-We have thousands of
articles on the NABBW site, written by our 30+ experts. We have that many experts because Baby Boomer
women are not a homogenous group. They have interests and experiences that
range all over the map. There are Harley riding "biker mammas" who are Baby
Boomers – and there are women who live for the symphony and the art galleries.
There are doers and there are viewers.
We try to have something for everyone,
though for some reason we seem to attract a disproportionate amount of Baby
Boomer authors.
So no, I can’t say that we have any one
category that dominates.
MAB-What’s next for Anne Holmes? Are there any
professional goals or passions that you have yet to fulfill?
Anne-I’m easily bored – don’t
like to do the same thing for very long. So, of course, I have goals and
passions that are yet to be reached. But I can’t tell you what they are. I like
to keep a bit of mystery in my life. You know how they put in all the
movies: “If I told you, then I ‘d have
to kill you.”
MAB-Would you share one favorite item from your bucket
list?
Anne-Sure! Someday, I’d like
to take a cruise around the world. I love traveling, especially being onboard
a large ship, where I receive constant pampering and don’t have to grocery
shop, cook meals or clean the house.
Thus, the concept of spending something like three months at sea,
visiting 40 or more ports of call in South America, the South Pacific, New
Zealand, Australia, Asia and Africa sounds like a blast.
I can’t see this happening in the near
future, but I’d love to do it while I’m still fully mobile and have the energy
needed to get off the ship at each port and go exploring.
With technology the way it is, I might even
be able to keep running the NABBW while I was at sea…
Of course, I’d want a nice luxurious
stateroom and plenty of attentive staff for the onboard times. I’d keep a log
of our daily experiences and take plenty of pictures along the way – then
somehow I’d turn the whole experience into a book… Maybe a nice, juicy novel.
Got any suggestions for how to get the novel started?
MAB-Yes, begin with an irresistible hook that makes
every reader eagerly dive into the story! Most readers today are rapidly bored
by a slow buildup approach. Grab them right out of the gate, and they will stay
with you as you navigate the twists and turns of your story—just a piece of
advice that I learned the hard way!
Anne, thank you so much for joining us today. It is
such a pleasure learning more about you, and I encourage everyone to visit the
following informative and entertaining Anne L. Holmes-produced sites:
www.nabbw.com, the forum at www.boomerwomenspeak.com, the monthly newsletter at www.boomerwomensworld.com and the highly popular new Facebook
page, at www.facebook.com/nabbw.
Anne was candid about sharing some of her own life experiences. I hope that you are considering writing about your own to pass along to loved ones. If we don't, our stories are forever lost. There is no going back--no rewind. Learn the secrets to a smooth-sailing memoir project in 7 Easy Steps to Memoir Writing: Build a Priceless Legacy One Story at a Time!
and begin capturing your stories today. Visit the www.awriterspresence.com home page to access the links to various formats (print, Nook & Kindle), and let's get started!!
Have a fabulous weekend, and God bless!
Mary Anne
