Nancy VanReece

Strategist | Way Maker | Artist

Madison, TN

IT STARTS WITH A PROMISE - AND ALWAYS HAS A STORY

FROM THE GRASSROOTS UP

Filtering by Category: business

Batch Nashville Appoints New Vice President of Business Development

February 01, 2017  /  Hon. Nancy VanReece

Fast Growing Gift Company Strengthens Resources

Nashville, TN - Batch Nashville (http://www.batchusa.com) announced today that Nancy VanReece has joined the company to develop their growing roster of local and national clients. Nancy VanReece has worked with companies of all sizes in Nashville and nationally, having spent the last three decades with her own Carpe Diem Management as a consultant, digital media trainer, and operations expert

Nancy joins Batch as its first Vice President of Business Development to continue Batch’s success providing locally-made gifts to many of the largest companies in Nashville, as well as national corporations that are choosing Nashville as their convention destinations. Nancy comments “I am excited to start this new challenge with Batch Nashville and look forward to working with the leadership team to further develop their already extensive product line, especially as it relates to the convention and tourism industry. I am fortunate to be joining such a renowned company that prides itself on premier service.”

Sam Davidson, CEO said “Nancy’s experience and industry knowledge has already made her a key addition to the Batch team. Her appointment shows our commitment to being the leading gift company in Nashville. Because Music City is a sought-after destination for group travel, as well as corporate relocations, she will play a pivotal role in the future growth.”

About Batch

Batch (http://www.batchusa.com) is a gift and retail company that was launched by three friends in 2013. Since its early days as a subscription box company, Batch has focused on working with local, artisan makers to offer food and home goods ideal for personal gifts, corporate gifts, events, and weddings. Batch Nashville’s retail store is at the Nashville Farmers’ Market. It also operates in Batch Austin in Austin, Texas.

Nancy VanReece

Nancy VanReece

Comment
categories / business

Take care of the ball

March 12, 2015  /  Hon. Nancy VanReece

The third of a three-part Sports Series

We can't help it, sports analogies are part of the American DNA of story telling.

I find it humorous when the reporter interviews the basketball coach at half time and they say basically, the same thing every time:

"We need to take better care of the ball."  "We need to make our passes, get the rebound, and make our shots."

Great coaches will go beyond that,  they give tangible input in context. They allow the lieutenants do the same. Then, before breaking, they ask the players themselves for feed back before driving home the over-all message.

"Git where you need to git. Take pride in every possession." - 

Pat Summitt

What are you doing in your business or nonprofit to take care of it, defend it, and take pride in every activity?  Are you allowing feedback?  Take care of the ball!

Comment
categories / business, SPORTS
tags / Pat Summitt, baskeball coach, analogy, story telling

Kitchen Table ello

September 30, 2014  /  Hon. Nancy VanReece

Hello and welcome to my kitchen.  There has been a lot of talk about a new social media platform called ello.  It's not really that new, but it seems to be getting a lot of buzz lately due to that Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) problem.  Brian Solis wrote a brilliant observation for LinkedIn.

 

"Everyone"  is jumping on to see what it is all about. The truth is, it's not that different.  We are still trying to find each other online. But we are really looking for are relationships. Communication with colleagues, friends, classmates, family members.  I don't see ello doing much different work than what has already been done.  But, this is yet to be seen.

The underlying observation is that the overwhelming desire to talk to each other still exists.  Across continents and across cities. So, let's do this, instead of jumping on to the latest social media network, let's back track and use an old one.

Right before you are about to send that email this week, call them.  See if they are around for a coffee or a Google HangOut or Skype or Facetime - hang out at the kitchen table. Make some real friends in real life again.  And then start sharing with them on the platforms that you are both already on.

Business to business, customers to business, business to customers, friends to friends.  It is all a matter of communication. It is a matter of telling the stories that need telling, in context.  it is just one human being talking to another.

redphonetalk

If seems redundant but here is an overwhelming truth: People Like to Talk to Each Other.  Tweet This  --- So this week, go old school, pick up the phone.  Have a cup a coffee with a friend, invite them to your kitchen table.  Let me know how it goes.

Comment
categories / business, social media
tags / ello, social media, communications

You don't even need to be online to be a Social Business.

September 16, 2014  /  Hon. Nancy VanReece

Lessons learned from the #SocialShakeUp Conference in Atlanta this week

Video Blog From #SocialShakeUp

I was going through my notes today. A lot of notes, as a matter of fact I actually used paper and pen to take notes.  I was going through a lot of it realizing that much of it reaffirmed what we are doing at Carpe Diem Management and Parachute Media.  From the opening talk with Brian Solis about the "embrace" of the customer, acknowledging that that first moment is recognized as an opportunity.  The first handshake, if you will.

People are not robots made of statistics.  A social business is open and more transparent.  We reviewed how to Listen, Learn, Track/Measure/Apply then Build, Engage and Convert.... all this stuff!

I gotta tell you though, after all of today, the thing I took away was this;  You don't even have to be online to be social.*

In fact, as I was leaving Nashville for Atlanta I stopped for coffee at Ugly Mugs.  Jarod, the proprietor, stood there and spoke to the two people in front of me, he knew where they were from, where they worked and what their coffee was. He asked me where I was going, he asked how my partner was doing and gave me hope for safe travel and encouraged me to come back when I returned to give him tips on what I might learn.

Jarod, you need to be here giving them tips! Because a "social business" is just that. It is understanding your customer, meeting them where they are, knowing who they are, and having a conversation.

If you really want to learn about social in business, go to Ugly Mugs in East Nashville.

* It scales, if you do. If you want to scale, let us know, we can help do that.

Bonus Note Take Away:  
The amazing powerful women at this conference is inspiring.  I've grown my Smart Women in Social Twitter List up to 108.  Feel free to follow the list!

 

 

Comment
categories / business, social media
tags / social business, social media
“As a newly formed, public-facing enterprise, our organization benefited from Nancy’s deep understanding and valuable experience in Public Affairs. She established community relationships — public and private, near and far — that will prove critical to our company’s success.
She is a positive and dynamic contributor.
Nancy defined the important role of Vice President of Public Affairs and Business Development beyond the scope of our expectations and executed the complex nature of this dual role seamlessly and with utmost professionalism.”
— Fred Kennedy, Harken Hall
“What can Nancy NOT do? Seriously - she approaches any role, job, task, or initiative with integrity, authenticity, and passion. She’s not afraid of the hard work needed to get the job done and is quick to look for wins for all parties. She also shows up with her community. Nancy is not merely well connected; she’s deeply connected and brings that network to any opportunity that has a chance to make the world better. ”
— Sam Davidson, Co-Founder Batch USA, LLC
“I worked with Nancy for 4 years and I can attest that she is a life-long learner, leader, and relationship builder. Nancy has never met a stranger. I’ve probably sat in over 100 meetings with her and she’s always found something to connect with the person across the table- “a virtual connector of dots.” That takes both empathy and emotional intelligence. Nancy is thoughtful in her approach to everything she does which makes her excellent at business development. She is able to think strategically at ten-thousand feet while being detailed oriented in the execution of tasks. Ideas are nothing without execution and Nancy balances those effortlessly. Having Nancy is your corner is nothing short of incredible.”
— RYAN CARTER, FOUNDER/CEO PARCHUTE MEDIA, LLC
“Nancy did a spectacular job rebuilding MDSave’s social media presence. One heck of a turnaround job. She was creative, reliable and has a solid work ethic. She came to the table with fresh ideas, was always on time and always kept a great sense of humor.”
— Chad Blackburn Vice President Business Development MDSave,Inc.

"I came to Nancy because I wanted to build my brand through blogging/social media and had zero knowledge about how to do it. She was the perfect person for the job. Her blend of social media expertise and calm, positive demeanor was exactly what I needed. 

Consultant/coach/patient trainer, she helped me create a path to launching my blog and gave me skills along the way. She made me feel like what I wanted to achieve was possible, and then got me there. There is lots left to do, but I feel confident that we will partner to achieve the long term results I'm hoping for."

- Lisa Pote, Consultant

“Nancy VanReece is the real thing. She knows how to build an effective social media brand/platform. Even better, she makes this complex, arcane world accessible (and dare I say FUN) for her clients. She stands on the valuable ground where social media, branding and marketing intersect. I’m incredibly relieved to have her on my team!”
— Amy Lynch, Generational Edge
“What can be said about Nancy VanReece that you may not already know? There is a general consensus (and a look at her LinkedIn recommendations confirms this) regarding her wide-ranging talent for just about everything at which she tries her hand. As communications director at the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation (GBBF), I was responsible for helping to coordinate a statewide summit featuring thought leaders and communications experts in the non-profit arena. During the planning phase for the event, when charged with finding a presenter for the topic of social media engagement, I knew immediately that Nancy was the best possible choice. Nancy is on the cutting edge when it comes to helping organizations create comprehensive social media engagement strategies. Her presentation at the Tennessee Executive Residence was eloquent, sleek, articulate and – most significantly – effective. Our attendees left the summit invigorated with a real sense of how to implement Nancy’s ideas and reach more of their constituents in the ever-evolving ecosystem of social media platforms. I cannot recommend her highly enough, and I hope to work with her often in the future.”
— Kirk Graves, Communications Director, Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation
“Nancy has completely transformed our social media program, creating a viable and robust presence for us across a variety of platforms, from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to Google+ and Pinterest. She has played a critical role in upgrading and maintaining our website, and she piloted the launch of the Nashville Symphony’s mobile app, which today has been downloaded more than 5,000 times.

Nancy’s commitment to the job has been beyond compare, as she has spent countless evenings tethered to her iPad, monitoring and responding to the outpouring of feedback we receive through our social networks. Day in and day out, she has created, organized and posted dynamic content that represents the full breadth of who we are and what we do here at the Nashville Symphony — our concerts, our musicians, our education programs, you name it. We are a better institution for all of the incredible work that she has done, and she’ll be greatly missed.

In her own words: “I have enjoyed my nearly two years with the organization. Over 16,000 tweets and 2,200 Facebook posts later — totaling 204 million impressions — we have grown a great community on 11 platforms having 500+ conversations a week. I look forward to working with new clients as effectively!””
— Sr. Director of Marketing|Communications, Nashville Symphony
“Nancy put together a intensive 2 day workshop for Engage Kingsport and Kingsport Cultural Arts. The workshops gave individual artists the confidence and tools they need to enter the Social Media world as well as helped regional arts organizations refine and enhance their current social media strategies.”
— Bonnie Macdonald, Director, City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts
“Nancy was fun and informative. As the Luncheon Keynote Speaker for the Tennessee Conference on Social Welfare, Nancy provided great insight to a representation of over 20 different social service agencies. Her presentation spoke to each agency and everyone left with a more forward thinking mindset of social media and how it can be most effective and beneficial in telling their agency’s story! We loved Nancy!”
— LaTamera Woodley, LAPSW