See below to 1 find MySaline on social media, 2 how to contact us, and 3 all about Owner & Publisher, Shelli Poole.
- MySaline Facebook Page
- MySaline Facebook Group
- Bryant Facebook Group
- Bauxite Facebook Group
- Sardis Facebook Group
- MySaline Facebook Group
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CONTACT US
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How a “C” student with learning disabilities created the top media in Saline County, Arkansas
Who even is Shelli Poole?
How did a “C” student with a reading disability end up starting a business that would be the top news company in Saline County, Arkansas? Shelli Poole was always quick to catch on to a concept, just not great at reading a book to get to that point. Born and raised in Arkansas, she did well early in school, even moving up a grade for reading and other classes. But like many people with dyslexia, she eventually hit a wall.
At age 12, she was skipping school in favor of sleeping in and watching The Price Is Right, Card Sharks, The Newlywed Game – you name it. A game show paradise for adolescents, but it wasn’t going to help her succeed in life – outside of perhaps becoming a game show host, and she hasn’t ruled out that possibility.
Maybe you’ve never in your life been on the to-do list of a truant officer… 6th grade Shelli didn’t know that job existed or what the word “truant” meant. But one day, while she was eating Cracklin’ Oat Bran and lounging on the velour wagon-wheel-themed couch, the doorbell rang. It was just before the Showcase Showdown on The Price Is Right – not good timing for a Tupperware rep to visit. Tippy-toeing to the front door and looking through the peephole, Shelli didn’t see a salesperson.
Nope, it was a tall man with a badge and a clipboard. She didn’t answer. He waited and knockedb again. She stayed by the door listening – and sweating. He knocked again. She cracked open the door enough for a nose and an eyeball. She doesn’t remember what he said, but it was scary enough to get her to school that day – and make perfect attendance for the rest of the year.
Still, the upper grades of education loomed, and longer reading assignments came along with it. Junior high and high school also came with new struggles to find your place among the masses. Shelli had a skill for conversation and making friends. She also proved her smarts by scoring high 90s on standardized tests, but continued to lag in school work.
Bottom line: She couldn’t make it to the end of the page. “Where the Red Fern Grows,” “White Fang,” “Canterbury Tales,” all the titles you’re supposed to read in school… She did read the titles and didn’t read much further. It didn’t help that most people didn’t know yet what ADHD was, and she had that going for her too.
She skipped school a little more, got behind before the tests… and tried a little self medication. Alcohol and marijuana were surprisingly obtainable for a 17-year-old in the 1980s. Barely getting by, she graduated high school with a 2.67 grade point average and then went back to watching game shows with no concept of the future. Months later, at the aggressive behest of her mother, Shelli became “motivated” to get off the couch.
While she qualified for college, and was actually recruited, she really did not care to continue with book learning. So off to work it was. Ironically, she worked as a receptionist for a college for about a year. Soon, a good friend moved to Los Angeles and Shelli decided to go as well.
What was she going to do in Los Angeles? Play guitar, eat cheap fried chicken, keep the fringe straight on her leather jacket, and the poof high in her blonde hair. With a love for art, a friend invited her to come to a drawing class. That turned into registering and attending college.
A commercial art degree seemed like a path to a happy combo of employment and fulfillment. While studying, she worked for Bright Ideas advertising agency in Tarzana. She was learning how the business worked from inside and out. It was 1991 and it proved a difficult year for her employer who ended up laying off several people, including Shelli. She would also and her effort toward a commercial art degree soon. Watterson College in Sherman Oaks was in financial trouble and closed a month before she graduated. They still gave her a Commercial Art diploma – and some of her money back. No job, no school, back to Arkansas.
Looking for a job in a smaller city, with a diploma from an out-of-business art school isn’t a quick path to success, actually. The indignant laughter of potential employers – Spectrum Magazine in particular – crushed her spirit like mint leaves in a mojito.
With not much more than clerical skills, Shelli opted to attend the University of Arkansas – Little Rock (UALR). She was several years older than the other students and a single mom when class began in the Fall 1994 semester. But there comes a point in your life where the obstacles don’t matter. This meant daycare, school loans, and multiple part-time jobs at once – as a radio DJ, dry cleaner clerk, makeup salesperson and more. She got awards in school, she made connections in the media business, and she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Radio TV & Film – and with another “C” average.
Employers don’t care about grades and she immediately got a job in the news room at the local NBC television affiliate. A year later, she was married now and moving to Fayetteville, Arkansas with the family. She worked at a couple of TV stations there, in sales and producing TV commercials. Next, her husband’s employment led the family to the Dallas, Texas area where she worked for the City of Allen in video production. Part of that job meant being a captive audience to the city council and school board meetings. It was there that Shelli realized the power of local government. When her husband’s job in telecom vanished due to the collapse of WorldCom, The family once again returned to Arkansas. Looking for any job at all, Shelli ended up at the Arkansas Department of Transportation as an entry level clerk. She was promoted doing the graphic design and layout of the Department’s magazine and employee newsletter, among other publications. And of course, she learned more about government and politics.
Meanwhile, living in Benton, she was learning about her new city but there wasn’t much online. I’m 2005, blogging was growing out of infancy. Individuals could easily share opinions and expertise on the internet – and maybe look kind of professional while doing it. Shelli started with a blog, sharing all the new things she was learning about Benton, and called it “Bent On Benton.”
With quick success from that project, she wanted to expand and founded MySaline.com in 2007. The website took off, with a strong and growing readership. It grew exponentially, and became too big to handle alongside a full-time job. The formerly overwhelmed pothead high school grad on the couch had created two important full-time jobs for herself and she had to choose.
Many face the choice between the security of a solid job and the freedom to make your own way. Business owners know it’s not always easy, fun, or even lucrative. But it’s your baby. When it talks, you smile. When it walks, you cheer. When it flies, you rejouce.
Shelli Poole has been producing news media since 2007. She’s still working daily to know and share Saline County’s culture, politics, organizations, crime, businesses and all its residents. MySaline is currently the most popular news media in Saline County, out-performing the next competitor by double the readership.
Shelli Poole lives in downtown Benton, Arkansas. She has two grown children, a daughter-in-law and one grandchild. She is a member of Benton First United Methodist Church, Benton & Bryant Chambers of Commerce, and Rotary Club of Bryant, and Co-founder of networking group Ladies Out Lunching.