Crazy Eight

As a young girl I loved to play card games with my friends and family. I was a fierce competitor and, admittedly, beating other players was always the goal. One of my favorite games was Crazy Eights. 

I hadn’t thought about this childhood pastime in a very long time until recently — when I was talking to a new subscriber (and fellow business owner) about the launch of Houston Woman Magazine. 

I commented, “The magazine’s first issue came out in early 2004. Time has passed so quickly. It’s hard to believe the magazine is eight years old!”

She smiled (knowingly) and asked, “So, what’s it been like to watch your ‘baby’ grow?”

Without hesitation, I said, “Crazy! It’s been a crazy eight!”

Since that conversation, the words, Crazy Eight, have taken up permanent residence in my head, reminding me just how aptly the words  describe the past 96 adventure-filled months. When Houston Woman Magazine started, I had been a publishing entrepreneur for nearly 20 years. I knew launching a magazine would be tough and full of unexpected challenges. But, little did I know in 2004 how the scope of work would expand and evolve! 

The cliché, “You don’t know what you don’t know,” comes to mind.              

I thank God often for giving me the passion and skills to do my job but not a crystal ball to see too far into the future. Too much information could have been a bad thing; it might have smothered my ambition and kept me from taking bold steps in a new direction! 

I had expected to work hard – to attract advertisers who wanted to reach my niche market (successful Houston women) and to attract readers who wanted to stay informed, inspired and connected. What I didn’t expect were all the projects we would take on to broaden the scope of our mission.

The first of these projects was the creation of the Nominate HER Awards Program in 2006, designed to Honor Excellent Role Models in our community. Over the span of the past six years, we have presented 37 HER Awards and shared with you just as many inspiring stories of service to others. In May, we will present eight more HER Awards at the Sixth Annual HER Awards Luncheon and, again, we will tell you all about the recipients in an upcoming issue.

In 2008, we began recognizing Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women of the Year. We asked our subscribers to help us identify those who should be acknowledged, and they did. Now, five years later, being named to this list, featured in our special “50 Women” issue and honored at an exclusive Afternoon Tea at the St. Regis Hotel have become treasured experiences for many.  

In January 2009, we formed the Houston Woman Business Book Club to — once again — inform, inspire and connect successful women. That group has been meeting monthly ever since. And, to date, nearly 30 best-selling business books have been read and discussed. 

In April 2009, we launched the First Annual Houston Woman Business Directory to encourage women to do business with other women. The fourth annual edition of that directory is in the works now, with distribution planned for mid-June.

Somewhere along the line, we started hosting networking events, blogging, making friends on Facebook and posting updates and content on Twitter. 

As I told that new subscriber, ‘It’s been a crazy eight.”

I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.