Now that you’ve read all about my business—

and what I can do for you—

please feel free to read about me.

As I look back over my life, everything I’ve done has led me to where I am now—writing copy to educate people about why they should trade their hard-earned dollars for a certain product or service.

It’s all about making people’s lives better.

I grew up in a very academic, competitive environment. Both parents—Stanford grads. Three out of four grandparents—college grads (not too common for people born between 1900 and 1905). One grandmother— Master’s in Education. This was the grandparent I admired most, and when I achieve a certain level of success in business, I’m going to start a charitable foundation and name it after her. Please check back to see the progress on this.

Dinner table conversation usually consisted of one trying to outwit and one-up another, an exercise that honed my reasoning and research skills. Having one’s facts straight was a matter of social survival.

In first grade, a school project I did for a Mother’s Day gift was a book called "All About Me." Re-reading it as an adult, I discovered that my favorite sport was frog catching and my favorite colors were purple and pink. I don’t remember wearing purple (favoring more conservative blue and brown), but now it’s one of my favorite colors. I still love frogs. (And most green things.) But I don’t wear pink.

The jobs I held as a kid included picking and selling things from my parents’ garden, lots of babysitting, caring for other people’s plants and pets, and tutoring younger kids. My first volunteer job was helping with a children’s theater production at age 15. I got to tell the lighting technicians what to do.

My second volunteer job was as a classroom aide for 11 fifth- and sixth-grade educationally handicapped boys, including those with ADD and ADHD. This might have been frightening were I not already five-foot-nine.

All through school, I excelled in art and English. I won my first art contest around third grade and earned all of my college English credit in high school. The general assumption among family and friends was that my college major and future career would be one or the other. I fooled everybody by majoring in biology, reasoning that English was too easy and art was more of a hobby than a job. But I kept and nurtured my love of the written word, and I still love art, too.

My first semester of college, my astronomy professor, upon reading the first college paper I ever turned in, said, "This is the best paper I've ever received on this subject." That was a proud moment. I went to school on a huge campus and didn’t own a car for three years. I still love to walk. I studied guitar for awhile (mostly taught myself), but haven’t played in years (so don’t ask).

During college, I worked as a librarian, soup and salad server, camp counselor, and security guard (carried keys and a two-way radio but no gun). My first few months after graduation I worked in a bank and a store. Librarian was my favorite job.

My first "real" job out of college was quality control technician for a national pharmaceutical company. Parts of it were fascinating, like knowing that the company made products that made people well. The predictable, boring routine of my job, however, threatened to unhinge me. I gave my notice, then created a procedural manual so that the next person could learn the job much faster.

The longest career I’ve had was Mom. While raising three intelligent, good-looking, interesting kids, I was constantly involved in a variety of activities—always striving to do more than the job required. I volunteered in all of my kids’ classrooms, in the school library, and in the art docent program. I coached Odyssey of the Mind and Destination Imagination teams when my kids were in the gifted programs.

I continued to take classes during these years, earning majority credit toward an Associate Degree in graphic art and a Certificate from Central California Bible Institute. I took foreign-language classes. I raised numerous pets and a Guide Dog puppy. Along the way, I began to develop my career goals, knowing one thing for sure: it would be some type of writing.

While building my writing career, I worked as a classroom aide. Some of my students had special needs. I loved explaining things to kids and spending one-on-one time with those who needed extra help and attention. I did not like the office politics and the educational baloney that gets foisted upon the public schools. By then, I was writing a novel and studying marketing, so my heart wasn’t totally in that job.

I was also writing articles for newspapers and magazines, which led to editing, then ghostwriting autobiographies. I taught a class on that subject to seniors. That was my first experience with teaching adults, and from it I discovered that I’d be interested in public speaking. That’s on my list of things to do.

During this time I was tutoring English As a Second Language adults (as a volunteer first, leveraged into one of my favorite jobs), writing grants and fundraising letters for construction of a no-kill animal shelter, volunteering at the county animal shelter, and helping disabled kids learn horseback riding skills.

I finished my novel manuscript and am working on the sequel. I’m waiting for just the right publisher, because I don’t believe in surrendering control of my work or accepting stingy advances and paltry royalties. In the meantime I’d discovered my true calling:

Copywriting. Copywriting combines my core passions…

• Writing anything that needs to be expressed in words.
• Educating people about products and services that will improve their lives.
• Finding just the right words and just the right voice to communicate the message.

You can probably tell from my life story above what I love most: good health, good food, books, art, music, education, kids, fitness, self-improvement, home, country, God, fellow human beings, animals, our beautiful earth. If you have a project for me and don’t see your niche in this list, just ask.

Some other things you might find interesting:

• I believe in gratitude.  
• I believe the Universe is full of love and abundance.
• I believe that by creating value for others, I become rich.
• I believe in sharing, but not to the point of making others dependent.
• I believe that creativity, not competition, is the way to fulfill our dreams and desires.
• I love Renaissance Faires and other events where I can play dress-up.
• I love music but don't play an instrument.
• I intend to see my novel made into a movie.
• I’m listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who of American Women, although I have no idea who nominated me.

Now you know me pretty well. Please e-mail me so we can talk about you and your project.

lisa.justrightcopy@gmail.com