10 Years with the Talented and Humble Flori Meeks

10 YEARS WITH THE TALENTED AND HUMBLE FLORI MEEKS

Today, we stand on the brink of celebrating a remarkable milestone: a decade of unwavering dedication and unparalleled expertise from one of our esteemed writers, Flori Meeks.

With over 25 years of writing experience under her belt, Flori’s writing journey began amidst the suburban streets of Detroit as a community newspaper reporter.

From those humble beginnings, she embarked on a dynamic career path that saw her serve as a neighborhood news editor for the esteemed Houston Chronicle and later as a copywriter for Powell Public Relations.

Throughout more than 10 years as a freelance writer, Flori's pen danced across the pages of newspapers and magazines, crafting compelling articles, press releases, and web copy for a diverse array of clients.

From Galveston Monthly magazine to Weddings in Houston magazine, from public relations firms like Judy Nichols & Associates to nonprofit organizations like Lifeway International and Newspring, Flori’s words have left an indelible imprint on the hearts and minds of readers far and wide.

Since joining The Writers For Hire 10 years ago, Flori has seamlessly blended her wealth of experience with her innate talent, lending her expertise to a myriad of projects. From crafting engaging social media campaigns to penning insightful books, blog posts, articles, press releases, and web copy, Flori’s contributions have been nothing short of invaluable.

In celebration of her decade-long journey with us, we sat down with Flori to learn a little more about her adventures with The Writers For Hire. Here’s what she had to say.

TWFH: What inspired you to join TWFH a decade ago?

Flori: I noticed an ad for The Writers For Hire. The company was looking for more writers, and it sounded like a good opportunity. I was doing a lot of freelance journalism at the time and was hoping to broaden my horizons.

TWFH: Reflecting on your journey with the company, what have been the most significant milestones or achievements for you personally?

Flori: One significant milestone for me has been ghostwriting nonfiction books. Before I started with The Writers For Hire, it never even occurred to me to attempt that. A decade later, I’ve helped write or edit quite a few books. I’m proud of that, and I consider book projects one of my favorite things to work on as a writer.

TWFH: What are some new skills or experiences have you gained along the way?

Flori: In addition to ghostwriting books, I’ve improved my skills as a website content writer and delved into social media marketing.

I also started writing about topics that were new to me. During my first year as a writer for the company, I started receiving assignments for clients in the oil and gas industry, including a pipeline services company. That was definitely a learning experience, but now I enjoy writing about oil and gas topics.

TWFH: Can you share any memorable projects or experiences from your time with the company that have had a lasting impact on you?

Flori: I’d say the team members here have had a lasting impact, especially Wintress Odom, the company’s owner. She has given me excellent advice over the years, and as a business owner and leader, she’s been a great role model.

But also, I think working with a team of strong writers and editors rubs off on you. It makes you a better writer and editor.

Not only have some of the team members here helped me sharpen my writing, editing, and proofreading skills, but they’ve also taught me about effective project management. They’ve demonstrated how to work well with subject matter experts, and how to respond when a client provides direction that isn’t necessarily in the best interest of the project.

TWFH: How would you describe the company culture and values, and how have they influenced your work and growth over the past 10 years?

Flori: The main word I would use to describe The Writers for Hire’s approach is collaborative. That’s been true since I started writing for them. We work on projects as teams. We share ideas and work on things with the shared goal of providing the best results possible for the client. After years of working on projects as an individual freelancer, the company’s collaborative approach appealed to me right away.

Besides that, there’s a real sense of belonging to a team here, even though most of us work remotely. I’ve gone through some personal highs and lows during my time here, from becoming a grandmother to needing emergency surgery. No matter what was happening, I felt like the people I worked with cared and were in my corner. We support one another. I love that.

As for how I’ve been impacted, I think working here has made me more willing to reach out to other writers for help, support, and advice.

TWFH: What are some of the major changes or differences in TWFH since you first started?

Flori: I don’t think we had a project management system when I started. Since we started using Wrike a couple (?) of years after, it’s made it much easier to keep track of what we’re working on, save and share client preferences and assignment details, and invoice.

We’ve used a few different platforms over the years to meet as team and hold client kick-off meetings. I remember meeting for years on a platform called UberConference. I don’t think it exists anymore. Since then, we’ve used Zoom, and later, Microsoft Teams.

The Writers For Hire also created a collection of resources we can use with guidelines for approaching website projects, RFP responses, kick-off calls, and other tasks.

The biggest change, though, has been how much The Writers For Hire has grown since I arrived, both in terms of the number of clients the company works with and the number of writers on our team.

TWFH: What have been some of your favorite projects that you’ve worked on with TWFH?

Flori: There have been some book projects that I found very rewarding. They called for interviewing people extensively about their lives, their family’s histories, or how they built their companies (or all of the above in a few cases).  I loved hearing their stories, their reflections, lessons learned.

There have been a few projects that called for traveling — I enjoyed that.

And I also got to help with some magazine articles that called for doing on-site interviews in some pretty interesting settings. It was fascinating to see the magazine’s other team members, from makeup artists to photographers, in action.

I’ve also found some projects rewarding, not so much because of the work involved, but because I’ve gotten to know and respect the clients who request them. I work with one client in particular who is an extremely outspoken advocate for the causes he believes in. I admire the client, so I’ve enjoyed helping with his projects.

TWFH: What have been some of the most challenging projects you’ve faced during your tenure?

Flori: One example was serving as project manager for an ambitious book project about the energy industry. The book tackled some controversial topics, and it also needed to include detailed information about the oil and gas industry, renewable energy, foreign governments, and climate change.

It was challenging to answer the other team members’ questions, keep the project moving forward, and transform chapters written by a dozen people into one book manuscript that flowed well, was compelling, and stayed true to the client’s voice. We did it, though.

TWFH: Can you share any advice or lessons learned from your 10 years of experience with TWFH that might inspire other writers?

Flori: Don’t be afraid to try projects outside of your comfort zone.

When you edit other writers’ work, try to provide the kind of feedback that you would find helpful.

If you disagree with something a client wants to do, or an approach they want to take with a project, explain why it isn’t necessarily a good idea. If someone is paying you for your writing and editing expertise, then respectfully providing honest advice is part of your job.

TWFH: Lastly, what does reaching this milestone mean to you personally, and how do you plan to celebrate this achievement?

Flori: I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the idea that 10 years have passed since I started with The Writers For Hire! It means a lot that I’ve been with the company for so long, though. I feel good about the quality of work it has produced over the years and about being part of that.

I’m not sure how I’ll celebrate, will have to think about that. 😊