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It’s no secret that I’m married to Vitality South’s VP of Technology, Chris Elkins, and we have 2 beautiful girls, Vivienne (10) and Layla (8). This past Sunday at church I asked them to walk ahead into the building where I would join them momentarily. While extroverted little girls might have ran in without looking back, after all they have been attending this same church regularly since infancy, my little girls looked at me like deer in headlights at this request. After seeing their shocked little expressions, I suggested they hold hands and go together. They firmly grasped each others hands and resolutely marched in together without looking back. While I know that both Vivienne and Layla were independently afraid, collectively they were very, very brave. They borrowed each other’s strength. They motivated the other to move forward.  I think good team members do that very same thing for each

A couple of weeks ago, my 8 year old, Layla, pulled and gave me a dandelion as she has hundreds of times. She gave it proudly and with love, but then recalled its descriptor as a “weed” and sheepishly apologized and said “but you may not love it – it’s a weed”. We had a lesson on the meaning of weeds as something that was unwanted, and we decided that dandelions are not weeds to us because we love them. We were both happy gifting and receiving dandelions as they are beautiful flowers for us. This morning I was mowing my yard. As many of you know, this is when I do my deep thinking. I discovered a plant that I had wanted and planted growing somewhere unintended. This beautiful, carefully selected flower is now a weed to me. There is nothing wrong with it, it’s just located in the

Several years ago, I watched a faith-based movie called Facing the Giants. I have forgotten most of the movie at this point, but there are two parts that I do remember. The first is a story that a coach told the team. It was about two farmers. They both desperately needed rain for their fields and both prayed for rain, but only one went out and prepared the fields to receive the rain. As a business owner, it’s sometimes easy to know what we need, but the “doing it part” isn’t always so easy. For Vitality South, we are in a season of growth. The number of projects that we are working on would have been overwhelming for our previous team and likely disappointing for our customers if we didn’t make some adjustments. So far in 2021, we have hired 7 new quality employees, which more than doubles our headcount.

Our oldest daughter, Vivienne, was working on her 4th grade vocabulary and one of her words was technology. The definition she was given was a beautiful way of explaining the word in the way that we see it. The definition was “using information to solve problems.” A lot of times we tend to overcomplicate the idea of using technology and either our eyes glaze over in trepidation or we envision some sci-fi television scene. But the truth is, much of the best technology is incredibly simple. I feel that some companies have totally missed the boat; good technology makes your processes easier, not harder. Vitality South has mentioned on multiple occasions that we have custom software development solutions and that we handle IT, but we’ve never completely explained on this platform exactly what we do. But I do feel that the simple definition sums much of it up. Yes, we

We are very excited to welcome our new VP of Technology, Chris Elkins, to the team. Chris brings so much to the table, and with him, we are rolling out all kinds of technology services to help the community. He is an expert in IT, cybersecurity, and software development.    Chris has a wealth of experience in technology. He has been working on computers since he was a teenager. After working in IT companies in various states, he moved back to Tupelo to work at Journal, Inc. (Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Mississippi Business Journal, and various local newspapers) where he served as IT Director for 5 years. There, he was head of the technology infrastructure, programming, and development teams, and in charge of the deployment of ad technology for web and mobile across many high-traffic websites and mobile apps. He developed the premiere, real-time election reporting technology and dashboards for

I have a friend named Richard Allen. I got to know him and his beautiful wife, Caleigh, when my sister and I visited with them in Rome, Italy. They were missionaries there for a couple of years and did many amazing things. Richard partially funded their relocation to Italy selling t-shirts that read “Do Smart People Things”. That’s an unusual sentiment for such an encouraging guy, so I had to ask about it. He worked in an alternative school before his missionary days; advising wayward youth to walk the straight line and make something of their life. This phrase became his motto in answering many questions or life choices he heard in his time such as “I’m going to a party tonight.” or “How can I make a lot of money when I grow up?”. This is the phrase that came out of his mouth again and again. So, of

Having a physical office location is a significant expense for most newer businesses. In the old way of thinking, a business isn’t a business without a storefront. Some businesses can’t function without it, but for some, I can’t seem to justify the expense of it. Let’s dig in deeper. Need it! Some businesses MUST have a physical location. A business that sells impulse physical products MUST have a physical location. For example, a coffee shop that sells ready-made drinks can’t operate effectively without a building. Also, businesses that depend upon walk-in traffic require a storefront. Don’t Need it! There are many service businesses that absolutely do not need a physical location. Pest control services, electrical contractors, plumbers, etc where the customer never comes into the facility likely do not need traditional physical office space. They may WANT a physical space, but needing it is a different thing. (As the business

This time of the year, we usually reflect on what we’re thankful for – and for most, including myself, that mostly centers around health and family. But as the years  progress, I realize more and more that many of those that we love so well have no legal claim to the word “family”. I spend 40+ hours per week with some amazing people with whom I share no blood ties. I have friends that I think about or talk to daily. And some friends, I may not see as regularly, but know at the drop of a hat would stop and help me or I for them, at any point along the way. Also, my blood family supports my business in so many ways that you couldn’t see from a distance. Just this past weekend, my entire family stuffed, sealed, and stamped invitations for an upcoming event (thanks Mom and Dad!).

I frequently get asked the question “how much does a website cost?” I typically respond by asking “how much does a car cost?” With a car, you can find a rundown jalopy with a bad engine for $100, you can buy an ultra-premium luxury car for hundreds of thousands with all sorts of bells, whistles, and added functionality – or anywhere in between. The other option of course is to spend countless hours learning the art of car building and make it yourself. Websites are no different. It depends on what kind you get. Why are websites so expensive? I’ve also heard this question. It’s a loaded question. Let’s put it like this: if you had a frontline employee at your company tell you that they could make you a website if you gave them 4 weeks on the clock to do it, would that sound affordable? Let’s say they

Don’t just wish for it. Work for it. My bumpy path that lead to my dream of starting my own marketing agency. When I graduated from college with my Marketing degree, I, unfortunately faced the problem than many in my shoes can relate to. It is really hard to break into the marketing field. Most jobs available out there require 7+ years of experience — or that was my impression at least. I was fortunate enough to land a great job with an amazing company, but it was a far stretch from a marketing job. It was a sales job for an industrial supplies company. Looking back, I can see that I needed the sales and customer service experience. At the time, I just felt lost.   Knowing that I wasn’t where I was supposed to be, I went back to school at nights. I felt defeated with my search

Wednesday morning of this week I took a tumble. Which is an understatement. I slipped on my driveway in the rain and completely face-planted; landing hard on one side of my body – and ached from my ankle up to my head. I’m ok – and fortunate; it could have been a lot worse. What struck me as particularly ironic is, in the heat of the moment, laying on the ground splayed out in pain, I was more concerned about the well-meaning neighbor that witnessed the event than I was my own injuries. Doesn’t it seem like the only thing worse than a mistake is a mistake made with an audience? In business, mistakes are inevitable – even though we all try our best to prevent them. And the nature of business means that they are often witnessed by others – sometimes internally, sometimes externally. What I’ve found in my

My name is Emily Durham and I am the new Content Creation Specialist at Vitality South. My primary job functions are to help create web copy, write blog posts, monitor and create social media content, and write press releases.    I am a 2020 graduate of the University of Mississippi, where I earned my B.S. in integrated marketing communications with a minor in general business and a specialization in public relations. I learned a great deal in my years at Ole Miss and hope to return for my master’s in the future. Throughout college, I worked for various companies gaining experience in both public relations and journalism, including the Oxford School District and HottyToddy.com.   I have been passionate about writing for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I always loved English class the most because that was where I got to do what came easiest to me.