By Gini Dietrich
YAY! I am super excited to share today’s Spin Sucks Inquisitee!
Corina Manea is a huge Spin Sucks supporter; she’s was a brand ambassador during the book’s launch and she was one of the featured bloggers during this year’s scavenger hunt.
She also is one of the kindest people I know who never sleeps.
She lives in Spain and has been known to email me at 9 p.m. my time, which is the dead, middle of the night for her.
Her business, NutsPR, launched a little more than a year ago (if I remember correctly) when she left the corporate world to go it alone.
And go it alone she has.
She is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I know you’ll love getting to know her in today’s Spin Sucks Inquisition.
What is the Biggest Mistake You’ve Made in Your Career?
I am spotless…I don´t make mistakes! Ever!
Now, back to reality…not listening to my gut.
Every time (and there have been a few) I listened to somebody else (family) about what should I do next, I ended up unhappy.
Office politics (not policies), I hate them!
When I was starting my career, I was very, let’s say “young” and thought that colleagues should help each other, so the whole team won.
Apparently, it was not the case.
Fortunately, I learned quickly and changed the department, up, not down.
I also learned that, no matter how good you are at what you do, sometimes you have to move on, it´s not worth fighting.
What is One Thing about Yourself that Would Surprise Most People?
Only one?
That I would do anything for my pet, a German Sheppard named Rex, now a 14 years old Senior (he deserves a capitalized “S”).
For example, when my boyfriend and I decided to move to Spain (from Romania), I made the impossible to bring him with us.
Our decision to leave Romania depended on if we could take him with us or not.
At that time (seven years ago), embarking an animal on a plane was a slow, difficult, and nasty process, especially for the pet.
We fought with the Romanian customs officers who wanted us to dismantle the cage instead of checking it themselves (as the protocol said), stressing our “little” dog.
He was terrified.
Imagine a 90 pound German Sheppard looking terrified!
Exactly!
It made us really angry!
We put on such a show that the customs head officer came to see what was happening and, of course, we passed like the wind.
If You Could Achieve Everything You Ever Wanted in Life, but Had to Die 10 Years Sooner, Would You Make that Trade?
I strongly believe we can achieve everything we want in life, but we have to be focused, determined and work for it. Nothing that is worth comes easy, nor for free.
On other hand, life is more than having things, i’s about experiences, it’s about meeting people and enjoying being with them.
Maybe sounds a little cheesy, but my best experiences come from the simple things like: Having dinner with my significant other (I love this wording), watching a sunrise when everybody else is sleeping (I do that especially in summer), spending time with my pet, reading a ton of books, or just being in silence with my thoughts (I need it from time to time).
Life is short as it is, why would someone want to make it shorter? Oh, and until now, I did achieve everything I wanted, so the future looks bright!
So no, I would’t do the trade.
Hey, I have an idea: How about achieve everything in life and die 10 years later? Ha!
What Industry Advice or Practice Would You Most Like to Cry Foul On?
Where should I start?
I “very much liked” when, after an hour of explaining to a client how social media works, I am asked, “How many followers and likes you can provide for the money I pay you?”
I mean, in that moment I really, really wanted to cry!
Or when a client told me a couple of years back that he would give a try to this “social media thing” for six months and if nothing happened, well, he would close the accounts.
After all he did not need it, but as everybody does it…
What is the Best Book You’ve Read in the Past Six Months?
Why, Spin Sucks, of course! I read it twice actually.
Hold that thought!
I am not just saying it because I’m on the hot seat!
It’s very well-written, it’s easy to read, and it addresses the real issues of digital marketing.
Every time I talk with a business owner who has no clue what PR and digital marketing are, I clench my teeth and want to say: Read Spin Sucks!!!
The second best book is Ann Handley´s “Everybody Writes.”
It’s the writing guide we needed back in school!
Can I add another one, pretty please?
This is a non-business book and I think everybody should read it at least once a year, “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” by Joseph Murphy.
It was written many years ago, yet it’s amazing.
My lips are sealed. Go read it!
Why Does Spin Suck?
Hmm…Really, why?
Because lying, spinning the truth always comes back to you in a way or another.
You never actually get away with it. Sooner or later you get caught.
And because of people (I won´t say professionals because they are not) who like to “spin,” our industry gets a bad name. For every “spin,” a true professional has to work 10 times harder to show there is another way things are done.
Like Warren Buffett, famously said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
Where You Can Find Corina Manea
You can find Corina on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.
You can also find her in the comments here and on the Arment Dietrich Facebook page.
I also highly recommend her blog, which you can find at NutsPR. She has a refreshing writing style and talks about the things we all think about all day.
Now off you go! Go introduce yourself to Corina.
photo credit: Mihai Petre