Make Money. Change The World.

Eric Michael Pearson Photography

To Do List
1. Make Money
2. Change The World

In one way or another, if you're a driven professional who cares about others, then this list is likely the subtext of your usual "to do lists". This wonderful slogan comes from my new OBSESSION Marie Forleo.

Hope you don't mind, but you're going to get the full story of how this amazing woman has helped my life and my business in just a few days.

So, I'm crazy about this new quinoa salad recipe I discovered at Elizabeth Rider's site. Us non-dairy pescatarians have to find our flavors somewhere. It's delicious! (see below for the recipe link)

ANYWAY . . . I was browsing her site, and I stumbled on a page where she was talking about B- School and how if you're an entrepreneur you HAVE TO GO TO B-School (B stands for Business). I thought it was something Elizabeth offered, but it brought me to a site for guess who? Marie Forleo!!

I put in my name and email, and before I knew it I had watched 90 minutes worth of amazing information. Marie's story really resonated with me because she started off on the NYSE, and even though she had a nice future ahead of her, she decided she wanted to do something more creative that could help others. She experimented with diverse work until she came into coaching. Now she's making money and changing the world.

Why do I relate to her story?  I currently work as a financial advisor, but my dream is to write my stories and get them into the hands of the women who want and need them. Not to mention helping other authors learn the biz and live their dream of being a full-time author.

When I finished the videos I was so inspired, and I wanted to go to B-School. Then I discovered she had a scholarship program, which I applied for by making my first youtube video ever! You can check it out below.

Between gettin' shit done, I've been glued to MarieTV. Marie's videos are funny, entertaining, and full of wisdom for your business and your life! I've been so inspired and learned a ton, so I wanted to share my top five take aways so far.

1. Everything is Figureoutable 
          - So what if you haven't done it before, you can and WILL figure it out.

2. It's not about what you know or sell, its how you position and package it. 
          - I don't know exactly how to implement this into my business, but I'm hoping B-School will     show me.

3. ( In a Jersey Accent) If you're tawkin to everybody, you're tawkin to nobody. 
          -Narrow your audience, customer, or market to a very specific niche. You become the expert and grow in your success.

4. If you don't want to schedule it, you probably don't want to do it. 
         -If it's important don't wait, do it NOW . . .okay that was from an earlier blog, but at least put it on the calendar.

 5.The world needs that special gift that only you have. (My favorite)
          - No additional commentary needed.

If you're looking to grow your business or within your industry, please check out Marie Forleo. You'll be glad you did.

Learn more about Marie Forleo here and click here to join B-school. 

Yummy Quinoa Salad Recipe  from Elizabeth Rider

The Man Test Cover Shoot

"Give me lips. Give me sexy. Give me SCANDAL!" These were the directions given to the star during the photo shoot of my new book cover. Did I mention the star was a martini glass?

That's right The Man Test will be officially released on March 25th! The cover reveal is just around the corner so stay tuned.

If you're asking yourself why I bothered to get professional shots of a martini glass for my cover when there are so many stock photos with similar concepts, the answer is because it's ORIGINAL.

I worked with Jessica Rose Goldner-Bowman, an incredibly talented graphic artist, on this cover concept. Jessica is the designer of my branding, and I was thrilled when she agreed to design my cover. The concept not only had to work for this book, but it had to translate to my future book covers. After all, The Man Test is the first in a four part series. After brainstorming the perfect concept, we finally agreed to keep it simple, but make it fun.

You might think shooting pictures of a still martini glass would be a quick task, but the prep and shoot lasted over two hours! I love working with Jessica because she pays attention to every detail, and she's diligent about delivering a stellar product. We shot inside, outside, olives on the left, and olives on the right. The lipstick mark alone took a good twenty minutes to get it just right. I'll save the rest for the cover reveal in a few weeks.

 I want to say a big THANK YOU to Jessica. You are amazing to work with, and I'm so excited to share The Man Test cover with the world.

Don't forget to stay tuned for the final cover. I can't wait to hear your thoughts.

More on the Cover Artist:
Jessica Rose Goldner-Bowman

Jessica is a Panamanian native born in Australia who now calls Virginia Beach, VA home and is bilingual in Spanish and English. She believes that a well-executed idea has the power to change the world and is passionate about using design to mobilize change.

As a solution seeker, idea junkie and creative machine, her innovative mojo always runs parallel to market research and results. Jessica is a graduate of Virginia Tech, where she earned dual degrees in visual design and communication.

EXPERTISE:

Creative Thinking, Graphic Design, Marketing Strategy, Copywriting, Photography, Illustration & Printing.

To learn more about Jessica Rose Goldner-Bowman and her beautiful designs visit: http://jessicarosecreative.com