19 Apr 2016 Park Wife helps grow bloggers’ world
by Brenda McClain
“If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you (Matthew 17:20 KJV).
In 2007, few knew anything about blogs. Stephanie Buckley knew. She lived in a state park in south Arkansas, homeschooled her children and needed an outlet for her creativity. It was also a way for her mother in Mississippi to see what was happening in her life.
Born in Meridian, Miss., Buckley comes from a place where “your bosoms can be fake, your smile can be fake and your hair color can be fake, but your pearls and silver must always be real.”
There is nothing fake about The Park Wife. Doing something she loved, owning her own voice was her sole focus. Until 2009, that is.
Buckley attended a cookbook signing for Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. It was the four-hour wait with Drummond’s fans and other bloggers that would change Buckley’s life. It was then, she thought, “Maybe I am not the only blogger in Arkansas.”
In Buckley’s own words: “My purpose was to gather, grow and connect other women bloggers around the state. It became a mission field for me.
To build this community where we were all just living life and documenting it in the cyber world. To be an encourager and live out Christ’s command to love our neighbor, even when that neighbor might live on a ranch in Oklahoma or in a big city high rise. We held our first Arkansas Women Blogger meet-up, and from there we all became friends in real life. Seven years after hurriedly throwing that ARWB site up, we have over 750 registered bloggers in our group and have held five hugely successful annual blog/social media conferences. We have become the place to gather, grow and connect with other women and help them wherever they are in their life journey.”
It was then Buckley also spread her mission into seven other states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. Women in other states with a heart for building community have come into her life in various ways, too. Buckley created the websites and shared tools to build these communities. Encouragement is important to Buckley.
“We work together and I am always there to lift them up,” Buckley said.
It was just a few years ago Buckley received a call that an Arkansas bank was looking for content creators/bloggers that could help provide content for a site they were launching. First Security Bank’s OnlyinArk.com was born, and so was Buckley’s business as a talent agency.
Today, The Women Bloggers (her company’s name) matches entrepreneurs (from freelance writers and bloggers to social media experts and consumers) with partner companies to meet the needs of clients. The Women Bloggers specializes in content creation for company blogs/websites and social media management of clients accounts.
The Women Bloggers current clients include: First Security Bank’s Only in Arkansas; Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Taste Arkansas; Rhea Lana’s; Riceland; Central Arkansas McDonald’s Co-op; Hot Springs CVB; and the Kendal King Group.
Many stay-at-home moms work for Buckley. “These are women with valuable skills to share while taking the time out to raise their children at home. Extra income eases some of the financial burdens that come along with that choice. Also, there are some highly successful, professional women in the group that teach me something daily. They are wives, moms, busy professionals. “I am in awe of them,” Buckley said.
She’s moved away from writing/posting on The Park Wife blog, though it still houses great content. She now writes and handles more of her clients’ blogs. Lest we think she’s given up blogging, Buckley says it’s time for her boys to start telling their stories at StateParkKids.com.
“As their mom, I am charged with raising them to be warriors that seek the face and heart of God, as they learn to wield a sword and conquer the ugly in this grand adventure called life,” Buckley said. “I want them to love Jesus and to love all people, to be hard workers and leave wherever they are better than they found it.”
