Reflections on
a Different Kind of Bootcamp:
Can One
Course Really
Change the Course of a Life? You Bet !
By Valerie Young
The following article originally
appeared in
The Changing Course Newsletter.
In it, you'll meet some of the people who
teach for the American Writers and Artists
Institute as well as some who have taken the
copywriting course.
Bootcamp is the place you go for basic
training. I can assure you however, there
was nothing "basic" about the
Bootcamp I
just returned from.
For four days in picturesque Delray
Beach, Florida, I had the great privilege of
joining 100 enthusiastic – and very
determined – dreamers. I was there as a
guest of the American Writers & Artists
Institute's (AWAI), who had asked me to
address the annual (and sold out) FastTrack
to Success Workshop.
The people who attended the workshop,
affectionately known as "Copywriting
Bootcamp," all came looking to make a major
career – and lifestyle – change by training
to become professional freelance
copywriters. Simply put, copywriters use
words to sell products, services, and/or
causes.
While plenty of copywriters work for
advertising agencies or in the marketing
departments of big companies, freelance
copywriters thrive on being, well... free.
Not only do freelance copywriters get to
call their own shots but it’s a portable
occupation. As freelancers, they can make
their living from literally anywhere in the
world with an Internet connection – and they
can make an excellent living in the process.
I could tell you about the big name
writers who taught the workshop. People
like:
-
Copywriting guru and prolific author,
Bob Bly, who has written a whopping 50 books
including Secrets of a Freelance Writer: How
to Make $85,000 a Year...
-
Or, Michael Masterson, the brains
behind the AWAI's self-paced course called
Michael Masterson's Course in Six Figure
Copywriting. Michael is a master at taking
popular misconceptions so called copywriting
"experts" have about what works and turning
them on their head...
-
Or, Don Mahoney, the former woodworker
who had to stop because the dust and
chemicals were killing him. Don never earned
more than $12,000 a year that way. In his
first year as a copywriter he tripled that.
By the end of his second year he was making
$80,000 and today Don enjoys $20,000
MONTHS...
-
Or, Jennifer Stevens. Jen wrote the AWAI's Travel Writer Course and is a highly
successful freelancer, frequent traveler,
and mother of an adorable – and active –
toddler named Edward.
I could tell you about some of the
special guest speakers... people like:
-
Sara Pond, Creative Director at
Nightingale Conant, the world leader in
personal development who shared the secrets
of writing for the self-improvement market
as well as why she'd rather hire
AWAI-trained copywriters.
- Or, self-promotion expert, Ilise Benum
who shared her winning strategies for
helping new copywriters land clients...
fast. (Receive
free self-promotion tips from Ilise.)
And I could go on and on about how
workshop participants got lots of direct
one-on-one feedback on actual in-class
writing assignments. Or, how everyone had an
equal shot at turning those assignments into
their first paid writing job. Or, how if the
"winning" participants' copy outperforms
what the client is already using, (known in
the business as the "control copy"), that
they'll earn an additional royalty fee each
and every time their copy is used.
(Royalties are a big reason why copywriting
can be so lucrative.)
But I'm a student of dreamers, not
copywriting.
So as great as it was, the real story for
me wasn't the course, but the participants
who are actively engaged in changing the
course of their lives. I learned a ton from
Michael, Bob, Jen, Ilise, and all the
others. But the real education for me came
from getting to know the participants
themselves. I got to hear their reasons for
taking the course, their aspirations... and
their challenges. I think you'll find their
stories as inspiring as I did.
For example, I'd barely arrived at the
workshop when I was approached by a
soft-spoken woman from North Las Vegas named
Linda. "You're Valerie Young," she said
grinning widely. "I just wanted to say thank
you." "For what" I asked.
Linda paused, and in a voice not much
louder than a whisper, she said something
I'd hear from a least a dozen people over
the next few days: "You're the reason I'm
here." (I could have sworn she had tears in
her eyes when she said it, but then the
lighting was not all that bright and after
all, what's there to get emotional about...
it's only a copywriting course, right?)
Linda went on to explain that it was my
newsletter that first introduced her to the
AWAI. Right now she's working at a health
club as a massage therapist. The money is
good but it’s physically demanding. More
importantly, Linda says, she's just really
tired of working for someone else. Instead
of completely throwing in the towel and
massage oil, Linda plans to set up a small
private practice but focus primarily on the
far less physically taxing business of
copywriting.
Then there's Raymona Abouzeid. Raymona
lives in a rural area of Michigan where jobs – even the low paying kind – are scarce.
Despite having a B.S. in Human Growth &
Development right now she's working as a
cashier. It's what Barbara Sher would call
the "good enough job" – it pays the bills,
takes up no more than 40 hours a week, and
basically allows Raymona to build her dream
on the side.
How does a cashier from Shelby, Michigan,
find her way to a copywriting course in
Florida? As it turns out Raymona's mother,
Elizabeth, got a packet in the mail on the
benefits of being a freelance copywriter.
Since her mom isn't looking for a new
career, she tossed it. A while later another
envelope arrived. This time, Raymona's mom
decided, "This must be for my daughter." How
right she was. The way Raymona sees it,
finding out about this copywriting course
was nothing short of "providence."
Like I said, everyone had their own
reasons for signing up for being there.
Some, like Kammy Thurman, already run their
own freelance writing business. Kammy came
looking to add direct mail copywriting to
her repertoire.
Kammy also has a more personal goal. Her
husband has a job in the mining industry in
Billings, Montana, but his real passion is
photography. Kammy and her husband are on
what I call the Family Plan. They're both
actively supporting one another's goal of
doing work they love while being
work-from-home parents to their three young
children.
Like a lot of people, twenty-something
Raj from Morgantown, West Virginia, sees
copywriting as a means to an end. After
earning his degree in broadcast journalism
from the University of West Virginia, Raj
took a job in a recording studio. He likes
his job, he says, but his real passion is
writing music. What drew Raj to freelance
copywriting is the opportunity to earn a
good living while freeing up his time to
work on his music.
Ditto for Sharon Hetrick from Malibu,
California. Unfortunately, I didn't get to
actually meet Sharon at the workshop. But I
did receive a lovely card in the mail a few
days later. After 15 years in real estate,
Sharon told me she was ready to go after her
dream of being a playwright. I'll let Sharon
tell you the rest:
"Well, I have quit selling real estate,
have started a new business in copywriting –
and went back to college... My first play
was read by actors last month. It is a
wonderful new life. My copywriting career
allows me to still feed by family and
affords the time to write my plays." (Feel
free to write to Sharon at
sharon@consultawriter.com)
I was amazed at how many international
participants had made the trip. For Brit,
David Litton being self-employed is nothing
new. After being downsized ten years ago he
started his own business conducting training
programs for clients all over the world.
Although his business was very
successful, at 57, and recently married,
Dave was tired of living out of a suitcase.
He says he never fancied himself a
copywriter but figures he's done enough
writing during his curriculum design days
that learning a new way to use words would
be an easy stretch. And with that,
Casablanca Copywriting Inc., was born!
Dave phoned from England yesterday to
tell me he'd double-mortgaged his house and
is building a villa on the side of a
mountain in Spain where he plans to
permanently relocate his family, including
his 87-year-old father whom Dave looks
after. Despite living in Europe, Dave says
he plans to focus on the U.S. market and is
busy brushing up on his American slang.
(Feel free to write to Dave at
davidlitten@adslmail.newnet.co.uk)
Unlike Dave, Patrick M. says he
always knew he wanted to be a writer. While
serving with the U.S. military in Germany,
Patrick met and married a German woman and
decided to make Germany his home. The
29-year-old recently left his job as a
government contractor ("too many headaches,"
says Dave) and is now living the far more
carefree life of a full-time copywriter.
Winner of the "Proactively Planning
for a
Change Award" has to go to Captain Kim
Anderson. At 30, Kim is already a 13-year
veteran of the Canadian Air Force. Right now
Kim wears a Canadian uniform while stationed
in the Pentagon, where she's a communication
and electronic engineering specialist. When
she retires from the military on October 31st,
Kim figures she'll be well positioned to
transition right into a whole new career.
What surprised me more than the large
international contingent, was the wide range
in ages. There were probably close to two
dozen retirees there, each eager to use
copywriting as a means to earn extra income
yet still enjoy the independent life. When
asked the question, "Why copywriting?"
76-year-old Bud Ingersall, a twice retired
computer programmer and consultant from
Navaree, Florida put it this way, "I figure
I can write letters so I can learn to do
this too."
On the other end of the age continuum is
20-year-old college business major, Anik
Singal. Anik is a very enterprising young
man who has already started his own on-line
business while maintaining a 4.0 grade point
average (GPA). Following the advice to
"teach what you know," Anik has written an
eBook for high school and college students
and their parents outlining study methods he
says can easily improve anyone's grades in
half the study time (Learn more about Anik's eBook.)
I think what most impressed me about Anik
though, is his dogged determination to
follow his own path, despite stiff
resistance from his parents. You see Anik is
a first-generation Indian-American who's
eyes light up when he talks about his love
for figuring out what makes people tick,
writing, and entrepreneurship.
When it comes to choosing a career track
however, Anik's father has other ideas...
two to be exact – engineer or doctor. That's
it. (If you've seen the summer sleeper, Bend
It Like Beckman, just substitute copywriter
for soccer player and you'll get what Anik
is up against.) For Anik, the hard part was
convincing his dad to let him come to
Copywriting Bootcamp. What was clear from
talking with him though, is that this very
creative and determined young man will have
NO trouble succeeding at whatever he puts
his mind to.
By far the most exciting part for me was
running into people I'd met at last years'
Bootcamp. One participant who was back for
a refresher was Beth Erikson. Beth is from
rural Minnesota where, like Raymona, jobs
are few and far between. Before launching
her copywriting career Beth worked at a
small department store doing alterations.
She earned $7 a hem.
Shortly after completing the copywriting
course, Beth got her first paid writing job.
When she looked at that $300 check Beth says
all she could think was, "Wow! That would
take a LOT of hems!" In two years, Beth went
from earning minimum wage to becoming, not
only a successful full-time copywriter, but
a published author and Ezine publisher to
boot. Besides launching a whole new career –
and life – Beth got something else out of
Bootcamp. A chance meeting outside their
hotel rooms was the beginning of a now close
friendship with another returning
participant, Vickie Heron of Denton, Texas.
Although they see each other but once a year
at Bootcamp, Beth and Vickie regularly
review one another's work and even pass
along assignments during busy times. That
kind of support can be invaluable when you
work alone.
Then there's 29-year-old Susan Clark.
When I met Susan last year she was working
as a news writer and producer for the WB
television affiliate in Los Angeles. Like
the vast majority of Bootcamp attendees,
Susan had also been a student of the AWAI's
self-paced learning course (which by the
way, she too learned about at Changing
Course). Since she was working full time
(and as she put it, "wanted to have a social
life too,") it took her about a year to
finish the course.
And what a difference a year makes.
Remember the assignment I told you about
where Bootcamp attendees have a shot at
their first paid writing assignment? Well,
Susan's submission beat the control in 2002.
This success led to another assignment
and another until, after 12 short months,
she had enough work lined up to quit her job
and write full-time. Susan says lot of her
success has to do with the highly supportive
staff at AWAI who helped her line up her
first paid writing gigs through Agora
Publishing.
Oh yeah, remember those tears I thought I
saw in Linda's eyes? Turns out I was right.
Linda and I got to chatting in the ladies
room a few days later. She said she wanted
to once again thank me for putting the AWAI
and their copywriting course on her radar
screen. Suddenly Linda started to weep.
After I heard her story, I understood
where the tears were coming from. Six months
ago this vibrant looking 53-year-old
suffered a stress-induced stroke that left
her paralyzed on one side of her body. On
top of putting in a ton of hours at her job
as a massage therapist at a local health spa
(ironic isn't it), she was coping with lots
of challenges in her personal life – the
empty nest syndrome, the end of an important
relationship...
Yet, with her health back and a new
career on the horizon, Linda explained at
this point that her tears were tears of joy.
Although she'd signed up for the AWAI's
self-paced copywriting program months
earlier, Linda says she'd never made it a
priority. Instead it was something she
planned to get to "some day."
The stroke was her wake up call. That was
it. Linda told herself it was now or never.
In Linda's case, the chance to earn a good
living without the long hours and the stress
that comes with working for someone else is
nothing short of a lifeline. Getting herself
to Copywriting Bootcamp was Linda's way of
turning "Someday" into Today.
People sometimes ask me why I'm so gung
ho on the American Writers & Artists
Institute and their copywriting, travel
writing, resume business, and other courses.
The answer is simple... I've seen how these
courses can and do change lives.
While everyone had their own reasons for
being at the workshop, they all agreed on
one thing... the time had come to take
control of their life. As the great hockey
player Wayne Gretsky once said, "I always
miss 100% of the shots I don't take."
Whatever your dream, your age, your
geography, or your circumstances, it's never
too late to take a shot at it.
Learn more about
the American Writers & Artists Institute's
Accelerated Program for Six-Figure
Copywriting course.
More Information
Other American Writers
and Artists Institute Reviews
live
life on purpose
