Do you remember where you were when you saw the Internet for the first time? I do. I was working at Henry Holt and an assistant asked me to check out something cool. He showed me a page of text on his computer. Nothing impressive yet, then he clicked on the word Paris and we went to a site in France. Like magic.

That was it. I was in love. Two months later I quit a job and a company I loved to chase hyperlinks and surf the Internet. Thankfully Holt became my first client and so FSB Associates was launched. That was 18 years ago today. Wow. Will you believe me if I told you it felt like yesterday?

So I have been thinking about the lessons I have learned along the way and here is what I came up with:

1. Be honest always, with your staff, with your clients and most importantly with yourself.
2. Keep every promise, even the small ones. Apologize profusely if you can’t keep one.
3. Treat everyone with respect. Apologize if you act disrespectfully. We all have bad moments.
4. Be on time, always in every way. It’s the easiest way to earn trust.
5. Don’t borrow money.
6. Bigger is not always better. It took me 16 years to learn this one.
7. Value your time. It’s the only way others will too.
8. Get yourself an excellent partner (in business and in life). I owe all my success to one very amazing man.
9. Hire really, really, really good people.
10. Know when to quit an idea. You can’t be brilliant all the time.
11. Never stop learning and evolving.
12. Define your ideal client/customer then develop services to help them.
13. Learn to say no graciously, and often.
14. Everyone messes up; Give second chances.
15. Nobody can do everything well, define your niche and master it.
16. Don’t spam ever, anywhere, in any format.
17. Be grateful everyday that you get to live with passion and do the work you were meant to do.
18. Take time off and unplug. Took me a long time to realize that I was more productive, more creative and more enthusiastic about my work when I took regular unplugged breaks. I wrote about Finding Balance in a 24/7 World.

Having your own business is awesome. I would recommend it to anyone who has a passion for their work. Go forth and learn lessons of your own. It is not an easy ride, expect sleepless nights, and be ready to face every fear and every insecurity, but at the end of the day there is nothing better than living an authentic, flexible, brave, scary, passion-filled life.

© 2013 Fauzia Burke. All Rights Reserved.

Author Bio
Fauzia Burke is the Founder and President of FSB Associates, a digital publicity and marketing firm specializing in creating awareness for books and authors. For online publicity, book publishing and social media news, follow Fauzia on Twitter: @FauziaBurke. To talk with FSB and ask your book publicity questions, please join us on Facebook.

Steve Jobs stepped down as the CEO of Apple on Aug. 24, 2011, and if you read the news on Twitter first, then you also saw the millions of tweets thanking him and feeling sad at the news of his departure. Think about that for a minute: we, the people, were thanking the CEO of a company for making us better.

Most of us don’t even know the CEOs of companies, but we know Steve Jobs. We know him because he was always on our side. His decisions about design, beauty and elegance were not about technology; they were about us.

Apple makes great products, but I was not always a Mac fan. Actually, until 2007, I was a PC user. I just assumed that Macs were for those creative types, the artists and graphic designers and photographers and movie makers. I am a publicist and a small business owner. I figured I could do with a PC.

Our family’s love affair started with the iPod, of course. John, my husband and our home and company CIO, had bought several MP3 players and told our tween girls that they were the same as an iPod, just a lot cheaper. Of course, that was not going over well, so we bought them iPods. Those were the first Apple products in our home.

Upon seeing the elegance of the design, both John and I got iPods, as well. Then John bought a Mac Mini for the home to test it out in June 2007. We thought our girls would enjoy the music, photo and movie programs. Not only did they enjoy them, but we loved them, as well.

In fall 2007, John then bought himself a MacBook Pro, and for our daughter’s 13th birthday we got her a MacBook (we owe our current Mac devotion to her love of Apple products). After seeing John’s laptop, I, of course, had Mac envy and wanted a MacBook Pro for myself.

Now our home was almost totally powered by Mac computers, and we were loving them. The programs and templates allowed me to do my best work. The laptops were effortless. Gone were the days of my laptops overheating (yes I am talking to you, HP) or freezing for no reason (that’s you, Microsoft). I could already feel that this laptop was about me. It just worked.

In our Web design department at FSB (our firm), we moved to Macs in the office. Now the Macs had started moving into the office, as well. We were switching our website development to Dreamweaver and did not want to buy the expensive program for PC, so in came the Macs. They were, of course, a big hit.

In the meantime, one of our publicists’ computer crashed from a virus (remember the blue screen of death?). By this point, John was frustrated by how much tech support was needed by the PCs and decided to get her a Mac Mini. This required our company to change our software needs, which were PC based, so we developed an awesome database that was Web-based. Now we were platform-agnostic and could work from anywhere. Fabulous!

By 2008 the entire FSB office was converted to Macs. Everyone loved them and felt that they were so much easier to work with. None of us was thinking about how to work with our computer. We were just doing our work, and the Macs were just working. It was all about us.

Then there is the classic story of getting our first iPhones. John really wanted one, but I figured a phone is a phone, and I did not care. But he convinced me that it would be a great anniversary present for each other. I rolled my eyes but went along with it. So on our wedding anniversary, we were standing in line at a Mac store waiting to buy our iPhones. I rolled my eyes and told him he owed me. Then we got the iPhones, and 24 hours later I was converted and was found saying, “You can take my iPhone from my cold, dead fingers.”

There was no turning back. We were Mac devotees. Yesterday I started to count how many Apple products we own, and I lost the count at 30. Our home and our office are completely powered by Apple products, and we could not be happier.

As a small business and a tech-savvy family, our Apple products have made our lives better. We do our best work on our Apple hardware and software. The Macs in the office, including the server, have saved us money and hours of frustration in tech support.

Like millions of others whose lives have been made better by your products, we, as a family and a business, thank you, Steve Jobs, for improving our family life, saving us money in our small business and giving us the tools to do our best work. We all wish you the best of health and continued success.

This week we welcome Dina R. Rose who has a PhD in sociology from Duke University and is the author of the popular blog, It’s Not About Nutrition where she focuses on helping parents find the right approach to get kids eating right.

After her mother’s premature death from obesity-related illnesses at the age of 65, Dina knew she wanted to give her daughter a better — and happier — food-life. Dina made helping parents solve their kids’ eating problems her life work. Most parents know what their children should eat, but have trouble putting this knowledge into practice. Dina offers parents the relief they need: practical, research-based strategies so they can stop struggling and start succeeding.

A Food Sociologist, Dina answers the how not the what when it comes to nutrition. The foods children should eat is not so much a mystery as getting them to actually accept and enjoy a regular healthy diet.

In her workshops and one-on-one sessions, Dina gives parents the tools to teach kids to eat right without having to rely on calorie counting systems, complex menus, or portion limits. By making smart decisions based on the latest in parenting, sociology, nutrition, and food psychology research, parents can learn to:

• Deliberately and consciously shape children’s eating habits.
• Identify why children eat the way they do.
• Manage events as they happen so unexpected treats don’t ruin your plans.
• Use taste and texture to teach kids to eat a wide variety of foods.
• Avoid the 3 most common ways parents inadvertently teach bad eating habits.
• Teach children how to try new foods.
• Identify how parenting style influences children’s eating.
• Solve eating problems that arise at different developmental stages.
• Know what to do instead of bribing and begging kids to eat.
• Consciously shape children’s relationships to food.

Look for Dina Rose’s upcoming book, It’s Not About Nutrition: Unexpected Lessons In Teaching Your Child Healthy Eating for Life. For more information on how to get a preview of this book, visit the It’s Not About Nutrition Web site and make sure you visit Dina’s blog as well for the latest in parenting and nutrition.

The clip below features Dina Rose on Better Connecticut where she provides tips for parents on how to feed their children healthy foods.

Are you a social media fan?

Join the It’s Not About Nutrition community on Facebook and catch up with Dina Rose on Twitter.

Our new Amplify e-book marketing program is off to a running start. Publishers are realizing that e-book publicity is going to have to play by different rules than those traditionally found in paper book campaigns. Why? Walk into a bookstore and you’re practically tripping over new releases placed strategically on tables and shelves for all to see.  E-books on the other hand aren’t availed the same service online where millions of titles vie for attention.  The hit-and-run campaigns publishers are used to are short-term events for paper books that won’t cut it with e-books and now with brick-and-mortar booksellers against the ropes, book publicity faces a whole new challenge and importance.

FSB’s Amplify marketing program focuses on turning a short-term event into an extended engagement that increases a book and author’s online visibility. By grouping similar e-books together and promoting them over a six month period, campaigns are amped by boosting their volume, duration, and networking communities. Early adopters of the Amplify program are spearheading the online book publicity movement and among them are publishers such as F&W Media, TOR Books, Vanguard Press (Perseus), and Reader’s Digest Trade Publishing.

F&W Media is currently featuring a line of crime novels under the brand, F&W Crime, whose titles seen below are a good example of what makes up a typical Amplify program lineup. By promoting individual books as part of a whole, each title benefits from the support of other titles, the publisher, and FSB’s 16 years of experience, personal relationships with online media outlets, and a far-reaching social media network that includes a team of Twitter support.

Screams & Whispers by Randall Peffer

Young Cape Cod public defender and commercial fisherman Michael Decastro ventures to Saigon with his father to come to the aid of his long-lost client and love-interest Tuki Aparecio, who is in a fight of her life with a mysterious dragon lady from Indochina’s underworld. Screams & Whispers from FW Crime is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Untouchable by Scott O’Connor

A year has passed since Lucy Darby’s unexpected death, leaving her husband David and son Whitley to mend the gaping hole in their lives. The Kid hasn’t spoken since his mother’s death, and only communicates through a collection of notebooks. Untouchable from FW Crime is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

County Line by Bill Cameron

When the steadfast Ruby Jane Whittaker drops out of sight, dogged ex-cop Skin Kadash sets out to discover what drove the woman he loves to leave her life behind. Skin and Peter cross the country on a desperate journey deep into Ruby Jane’s haunted past — and toward an explosive confrontation. County Line from FW Crime is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Liquid Smoke by Jeff Shelby

Private eye Noah Braddock has found peace in his relationship with Detective Liz Santangelo and has called a tentative truce with his alcoholic mother, Carolina. So when lawyer Darcy Gill demands that he look into a death row case, he’s more interested in catching some waves. Darcy then plays her trump card: the man scheduled to die is the father Noah never knew. Liquid Smoke from FW Crime is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The weather may be cold outside, but book buzz surrounding our projects has been heating up the office. The publicists here are hard at work vying for precious exposure at a time when everyone is scampering for attention during the holiday shopping season. Perseverance has paid off, though, in the form of solid placements that have caught the attention of web viewers everywhere. Below you’ll find a sample of some of our recent favorite placements.

The Network is Your Customer by David Rogers

On The Huffington Post consultant and author David Rogers borrows from his book, The Network Is Your Customer, to share “Five Strategies for Business Growth in a World of Customer Networks.” This article represents important social media trends that are poised for greater action in 2011.  The Network is Your Customer from Yale University Press is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Now Build A Great Business! by Mark Thompson and Brian Tracy

Mark Thompson and Brian Tracy, the business dynamic-duo behind the book Now, Build A Great Business!, speak to a young generation of entrepreneurs with advice on team building in the article, “Being A Great Leader Means Not Doing It Alone,” on Under30CEO.com.  Now Build A Great Business! from AMACOM is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Cooking For Isaiah by Silvana Nardone

Those with celiac or on a gluten-free diet can shed worries over a lack of variety when they see the kind of spread author Silvana Nardone has to offer in her cookbook Cooking For Isaiah. Silvana Nardone and friends share an extravagant wheat-free feast while demonstrating what’s possible with a little kitchen ingenuity in the article, “Gluten-Free Potluck Dinner,” on ivillage.com.  Cooking For Isaiah from Reader’s Digest is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The Nighttime Novelist by Joseph Bates

In The Nighttime Novelist, author Joseph Bates takes the labor out of writing for aspiring novelists by breaking fiction into small easily digestible sections and making the most out of daily time constraints. An article on suite101.com does an equal job by effectively outlining the contents of Joseph Bates’ book in, “The Nighttime Novelist is a Succinct Guide for Part Time Writers.”  The Nighttime Novelist from Writers Digest is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

ZooBorns by Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland

Authors Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland, who have compiled a high-resolution collection of irresistible photos of newborn animals in their book ZooBorns, share the joy of nature’s precious creatures on pawnation.com in the article “Zoo Babies From Around the World.”  This book is sure to be a hit for the holiday season.  ZooBorns from Simon & Schuster is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

John Lennon: Life is What Happens by John M. Borack

John Lennon’s monumental contribution to music and society is easily seen through the  wealth of attention the late Beatles member received this month surrounding the anniversary of his death on December 8th. For John Borack’s book, John Lennon: Life is What Happens, we created a slideshow presentation that eventually was chosen as a feature slide presentation by Slideshare.net on their “Books” page.

While we were able to secure coverage on multiple websites for John Borack’s tribute book, the article “Bros Before Hos: Lessons From John Lennon” on AskMen.com stands out for its connotation of equality. Despite his superstar status and advocacy for peace and freedom, John Lennon was not pardoned from the bitter laws of romantic relationships.  And that makes him closer to us all.  John Lennon: Life Is What Happens from Krause Publications is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Dead Or Alive by Tom Clancy

The FSB Associates Web Site Development team continues to create and maintain a wide variety of Web sites for authors and publishers. One recent project that we’re particularly proud of is Tom Clancy’s website, www.tomclancy.com, which features excerpts from past titles such as The Hunt For Red October and a video book trailer for his newest novel in almost a decade, Dead Or Alive.  Dead Or Alive from Penguin Group is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

by Ken Ishii
Web Editor

We all know Thanksgiving is a time to contemplate the things that we’re thankful for among other activities that involve a mouthful.  So here goes.  At FSB we’re thankful for the continued support from authors, publishers, editors, and bloggers that have become so tightly knit for one common purpose. The love of reading.

We’re not too sure who to thank for this next one, but we’re grateful for the incredible networking revolution that has formed this phenomenon we call social media.  Where would we be in this big wide world without the ability to group together like-minded folks from all corners of the globe?

That brings us to the FSB ambassadors that connect our authors to a world of readers out there.  The talented crew here has put more books on the map than previously imagined. We’ve seen big article placements on Business Insider, Monster.com Excelle, and CNN Living in just the last two weeks alone by our three star publicists Anna Suknov, Julie Harabedian, and Leyane Jerejian. We’re pretty sure our authors are going to share in the thanks this week as well. A tip of the hat goes out to all of us behind the scenes including Digital Media Specialist Jaime Saranczak, Office Administrator Ruby Mansuri, and myself for helping set a stage for smooth campaigns and business support. A big warm thanks goes out to our leaders Fauzia and John Burke for their guidance and expertise in bringing the best out of the team here at FSB Associates.

It can’t all be about business though.  In fact, I’m truly thankful that there’s a nationally observed holiday for celebrating recognition.  A day of gratitude for being able to lift our heads from keyboards and mobile devices to see we haven’t completely lost one another when we surface from our digital mines. With virtual spaces replacing the physical world, it has never been more important to share time with family as now.  What with our voices drowning in a sea of algorithms and our vision of the world filtered through ever finer pixillation, it becomes increasingly difficult to hold on to what we know in our hearts is the real world when even our senses deceive us.  So, for the sake of preserving our physical surroundings, let’s make an oath to pull the cyber-plug and connect with family this week.  In fact, let’s make it a regular thing.  After all, while trends in politics, technology, and business come and go, you share them with relatives who, living and resting, are eternal.

Happy Thanksgiving!