Lori Shepherd, Founder and Owner, 25SecondsPR
When I decided to strike out on my own in 2014, leaving the big PR firm I had been with for years, I knew I needed some help on an as-need basis. My preference was for someone who can write well as well as assist me with administrative projects.
I found Sarah on a now-defunct site that matches freelancers and clients. I loved her writing, her disposition, her professionalism and her work ethic. I have had Sarah write about many topics and I've always been very happy with what she's delivered. Health, cannabis (medicinal benefits and about the industry), race issues, yoga, and many others, Sarah is always up to the challenge. And no matter the administrative task I ask her to complete, it's always on time and to my delight. There's a reason she's been with me for so many years.
Of note, in 2020, I suggested Sarah to ghostwrite the memoir of one of my clients. He still raves about it! I will continue to work with Sarah for years to come.
Sarah Zorn, Senior Manager of Copy, PetPlate
I oversee the blog for PetPlate, a Black-founded and female-run human-grade dog food company. We were looking for writers who could craft engaging and informative articles that could appeal to a wide swath of pet parents and consistently drive traffic, all the while embodying the commitment to diversity and forward-thinking qualities we value.
Sarah fit the bill on all fronts. And just as importantly, she’s a total workhorse, tackling ambitious projects on tight deadlines and approaching expert interviews with the enthusiasm of a student, which is reflected to great effect through her work. I highly recommend Sarah to any client lucky enough to have her.
Ashanta McGhee, Former CMO, JustinCredible Cultivation
I met Sarah about three months after I was hired to be CMO of a cannabis cultivator in Massachusetts. She was hired as the personal assistant for the CEO alone. Due to the many skillsets she possesses, she was quickly called upon to support the entire C-suite.
Once she joined my team, everything started running like a well-oiled machine. She was the piece I was missing to move the needle on marketing. Although Sarah insisted she'd never been a salesperson, I found her to be a natural. With her assisting me, we were able to sell more cannabis to dispensaries than I could alone. And the dispensary managers loved her. (Unfortunately the cultivation company we both worked for closed in 2022.)
I highly recommend Sarah to anyone asking and you are truly getting a diamond in the rough with how attentive she is and inquisitive she is to make sure she is not only getting the job done bit also getting it done as close to perfect as possible.
Joretta King, First-time author
I met Sarah when she was serving as a writing coach in a class I took for women who had a book in them, but didn’t know how to bring it out. Sarah helped us all bring our stories to life. Once the class was over, and I was finished with my memoir, I reached out to Sarah to edit and publish my book. She also hired someone to do the layout & design and to design the cover image.
Knowing we had multiple milestones to work through, Sarah suggested we use a project management tool to stay organized. I am an aesthetician, and honestly, I don’t know one project management tool from another. Sarah suggested Trello, Asana and ClickUp, as she is proficient in all of them, but wanted me to choose the one that was least intimidating. After looking at all of them, I decided to go with Trello. I appreciated her willingness to accommodate me.
Now that we’re nearing the end of the book project (it is scheduled to publish in February), I asked Sarah to stay on and assist me with a few administrative things, such as:
- Posting on my social media
- Set up the accounts for me in Bowker and IngramSpark
- Reach out to beta reviewers on my behalf, create spreadsheets to keep track of the reviews and orders that are coming in
- Book me for speaking engagements
- Create a book trailer
- Create my website to promote the book, which meant designing, simple coding and writing
Along with Sarah’s competencies, she’s also easy to work with. She’s very communicative, professional, knowledgeable and accommodating. She knows that as her client, I ultimately have the final say, but her experience in marketing, administrative assistance and writing make it easier for me to make decisions.
Seun Adedeji, Founder and CEO of Elev8 Cannabis Dispensary
When I started working with Lori Shepherd of 25SecondsPR, we decided it was best to hire a ghostwriter for a series of articles about me. She recommended Sarah Ratliff. No matter the publication (Forbes, Bloomberg, Suit & Artist, Marijuana Venture, etc.), Sarah was able to channel me. I am a very complex person, not to mention the fact that Sarah is not an unambiguous Black man. It was natural to think of Sarah to ghostwrite my book. She did such a great job, I insisted on giving her an "As told to" credit.
Carmen Renè, Founder and CEO of Blissful Essential Oils
I met Sarah when she was the writing coach for a self-publishing course I took. I wanted to write and publish my book. I loved her easy-going, yet confident style. She treated us exactly the same, no matter how much experience we had or how shy some of us were. When it came time to edit and publish my book, I hired Sarah and love what her team did with my book, The Emerging Woman.