About
I have been EXACTLY where you are now.
Long ago in a galaxy far, far away…oh wait, that’s another story.
I graduated with a degree in art and art education, sure that I was going to spend my life happily ensconced in a classroom, elbow deep in paint and clay for my professional life.
What is the expression?
Man plans, God laughs?
After only one year as a teacher, I got handed my pink slip – along with tens of thousands of other teachers in the aftermath of a giant tax restructure in Massachusetts.
Even my dad, who was a teacher with over 20 years experience, ended up losing his job.
I spent months searching the classified ads (it was the 1980’s – don’t judge) and looking for the teeny-tiny teacher job ads underneath the giant, full-page computer/tech job ads.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out that I might be looking in the wrong place.
Me? Work with Computers?
Because so many teachers lost their jobs, the state of Massachusetts offered a very competitive training program to train teachers how to be computer programmers.
I went for an interview and was told that my chances of getting into the program were slim. The guy who was organizing the program told me that they anticipated that the 30 student seats would be filled by math and science teachers – not art majors.
And he sent me on my way.
I was PISSED off. Who did this guy think he was, sending me off without knowing anything about me?
I hit the library and bookstore and got EVERY book I could find on programming. Again, it was the 80’s – the Internet did not exist outside a few university labs. You wanted information, you had to actually go and search it out.
I spent weeks studying for the entry exam and when the results were posted, I had one of the highest test scores – and was the only art major in a classroom full of math and science teachers
For the next nine months, I spent six days a week, from 3 pm to 11 pm learning how to program.
After completing the program, I spent the next six years doing tech support for sales. I created and delivered training programs to clients and staff, and installed and managed software. I worked on cutting edge voice and data tech.
It was fun, the work was stimulating and challenging - but the hours and frequent travel were not family-friendly.
I took a few years off while my kids were little. By the time my son started kindergarten, I was ready to get back out there.
But I had no confidence in my skills. I thought the technology train had passed me by.
Being outside the industry for almost 10 years, I thought there was little chance of jumping back in.
I decided to follow my other passion – writing – so I went back to grad school to become a journalist. A lucky set of circumstances led me to a web design course as part of my graduate program.
This was in 1997 – way back in the land of blinky rollovers and frame-based pages.
I was immediately hooked on web design. I felt it was the perfect marriage of tech, writing, and art.
For the next 15 years, I helped clients create web sites and web content. I loved the challenge and constantly-changing tech.
But the more websites I designed, the more I realized I liked doing the “content” side of the websites I was creating. I pivoted my business toward content creation.
The next phase of my business was rocky.
My mindset was all wrong. I was competing rather than standing out. I continued to do writing projects, but I really felt lost. I always felt that I was “missing” something.
That I wasn’t enough.
Connected enough.
Technical enough.
Networking enough.
And that’s when I made it my mission to BECOME ENOUGH.
I learned. I studied. I took courses. I would be connected, technical, networked. But what I couldn’t learn in a book or seminar was how to be brave.
I needed to take chances.
And that’s where I am right now.
Taking chances. Betting on myself. Betting that helping other women would, in fact, be the bravest thing I can do.
Put myself out there. Put my learning out there.
Interested in taking a chance on yourself?
Maybe you think YOU can be the next big thing. You are ready to finally say yes to your dream of creating a business. Whatever your goal, you won’t get there unless you start.
Start your journey. Today. Right this minute.
Learn, take action.
See how high you can fly.
What's the best way to start your journey?
Step one: Sign up for my 30-Day Fast-Start Challenge. Get a daily email give you a daily challenge task that will give you the building blocks to start your business.
Step two: Read my books. If you are just getting started, pick up Make Money at Home. If you have a business, but want to take it to the next level, my Profit-ize books dive deep into marketing and business development.
Step three: Sign up for my email list. Lots of education and can't-miss advice to grow and PROFIT-IZE your business.
Step four: Read my blog. I have tons of articles on everything from marketing to sales to business start-ups. This content is distilled from my 30+ years of experience helping small- and mid-sized businesses (just like yours!) to grow and profit.
Still have questions?
Reach out to me. Perhaps your question can help others and could be the basis for my email of blog content.
