When I teach the marketing module in my Soul Proprietor’s Formula for Building Your Business, I begin with a conversation I once had with my good friend and illustrator, Maggie Swanson. We walked regularly when we lived in the same neighborhood and shared frequently what was going on in our art/business lives. It dawned on me after knowing Maggie for awhile that she NEVER told me her professional accomplishments like getting called to do the cover art for Sesame Street Magazine or that she’d been commissioned to illustrate a series of Golden Books.

I, on the other hand, bragged about every opportunity that crossed my threshold. After I’d seen yet another amazing project she’d be working on in her studio, I finally said something. “Maggie, how come you never even mention all the cool things you’ve got coming in the door?”

She told me that when she was growing up, if she looked in the mirror admiringly as she passed one by, her mother would say, “Maggie, S-P-S.” I had no idea what that stood for. She explained, “Self-Praise Stinks.” Ouch!

Imagine my delight when Maggie and I were walking at Compo Beach last week and she shared a recent thrill. Here’s how she told it:

When my new book “Lucky Cat Paper Dolls” was published, I was so happy that I forgot one of my mother’s precepts, “SPS.” This has also encompassed self-promotion for me.

I sent a copy of the book to Jackson Galaxy, a cat behaviorist with a very entertaining show, “My Cat From Hell” on the Animal Planet network. Within a few days I got a lovely handwritten thank you note from him. Then I emailed the Modern Cat blog and sent a link to the book on amazon.com. I got an email back from the owner Kate Benjamin [which said] “Perfect timing! I was just with Jackson Galaxy yesterday and I saw your book and wrote down your name so I could remember it! Thanks for the link!

Today I was surprised to be featured on the blog!

This is how it works. Maggie felt a connection to someone aligned with her mission, reached out in an appropriate manner, and continued to act on intuition and inspiration. The results tell the tale of authentic networking–heartfelt and successful.

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