Meet Sheila Scarborough: Outstanding Chapter Member

By: Lauren Holbrook

On April 28, the Austin chapter of the Association for Women in Communications will honor Sheila Scarborough with the Gladys Whitney Hearst Outstanding Chapter Member award at the annual Banner Brunch.

This award is traditionally given to a member of AWC Austin who has advanced the chapter through outstanding service and personal and professional achievement.

Scarborough, a U.S. Navy veteran and entrepreneur who co-founded Tourism Currents, truly embodies an outstanding chapter member. Serving on the AWC National Marketing Committee, she has used her passion for social media to bring new tools to AWC, including a series of webinars, Freelance February, and a weekly Twitter discussion, #AWCChat. Scarborough has also served on the Freelance Austin committee and in 2011, joined the AWC National Board, serving as a liaison for three chapters, including Austin.

Recently, Scarborough took the time to share more about her experience and AWC initiatives.

AWC: How did you make the transition from serving in the U.S. Navy to launching a career as a successful writer and speaker?

SS: I’ve always been a writer, and I published articles in the Navy’s professional magazine, Proceedings, when I was still on active duty. The average Navy person also spends a lot of time as a leader in front of troops; we are used to speaking. Transitioning to travel writer was simply a matter of learning how to approach a good travel article as opposed to, say, one on network-centric warfare.

AWC: What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the world of freelance? How can they engage with AWC Austin and Freelance Austin?

SS: Come to a few meetings of Freelance Austin. Read the Resources section of our website for presentations and guidance from previous speakers at our meetings. We’re a helpful group!

Have more cash on hand than you think you need. Hustle. Be bulldog-persistent. Don’t forget to eat right and exercise; you are your own production machine. Take care of your body and feed your head. Focus on IPAs: Income-Producing Activities. If whatever you are doing isn’t leading to more business, stop doing it. Be fearless.

AWC: How did you get the idea for Freelance February? How has it evolved over the past two years?

SS: We were bouncing ideas around in our AWC National Tech in Communications Committee conference call, and the idea came up to do some webinars focused on freelance communicators. We decided that they might be more effective as a series, and February was open. I volunteered to pull it together, and last year asked Austin freelancers to help out as speakers.

This year we had people submit topic proposals, based on the success of the series last year, so I think we’re in good shape for the future. We see it as not only a way to support freelance AWC members, but also to give many of them opportunities to be a speaker. Most of our speakers have never done a webinar, so it’s good training for them to learn how to present online.

AWC: Tell us a little about #AWCChat, the weekly Twitter discussion you launched.

SS: When I joined the National Board of Directors, I felt strongly that AWC, like every association, must prove its continuing value to members. Everyone is taking a hard look at how they spend their professional development and networking money. I’ve been on Twitter since late 2007, and Twitter chats have been hugely valuable to me for networking and learning all kinds of things, so in the spirit of “do what you know,” I asked to start #AWCChat.

Since it’s an open chat, we have new people every week, and many of them had never heard of AWC, so it’s not only great for current members, but can also be a way to interest new members.

AWC: What have you learned from joining the AWC National Board and is there anything that can be applied to our Austin chapter?

SS: Leadership and people who will do the work are critical to a chapter’s success. The value of AWC is connections among communicators. You don’t need a bunch of money to make that happen, but you do need people who will be persistent and keep gathering people together and spreading the word. Even if a chapter meets in someone’s living room, so what? Take the lead and make that chapter be everything it can be.

We are blessed that the Austin chapter takes so much pride in the organization, is always striving to improve, and that members step up when needed.

AWC: What should we look for in your upcoming book, The Elastic Waist Entrepreneur?

SS: Middle-aged women have lots to offer as online entrepreneurs, and you often don’t need a lot of money to start an online business. Technology and the social web mean that anyone can put their dreams into action, and if you don’t know much about technology or business, there are tons of free and inexpensive resources that can help you launch.

The thing is, you can’t just talk, talk, talk about your business dream. At some point, nail a date to the wall and tell yourself to shut up and do it!

Please come celebrate Shelia and other Banner Brunch award winners on Saturday, April 28, from 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. For more information and to register, visit www.BannerBrunch.com.