• [00:25] Introducing former daycare teacher and bartender, Carolynn Ananian, who pivoted to a successful career in financial copywriting.
• [01:12] Carolynn reveals why she explored numerous jobs before landing on a copywriting career.
• [04:26] Learn how her unique daycare teaching experience taught her some incredible skills she still uses in copywriting today – including the surprising truth about what toddlers and adults have in common!
• [10:29] Find out why working with lawyers on Wall Street steered Carolynn away from law school and saved her a quarter million dollars!
• [13:13] Discover how a chance interaction with a French customer while working retail at Williams Sonoma inspired Carolynn’s approach to understanding customer needs.
• [18:04] Carolynn shares how keeping a finger on the pulse of public sentiment helps her write better financial copy that connects deeply with her readers.
• [21:47] Learn how bartending (and talking to inebriated people!) gave her unique insights into human behavior that are essential for copywriting.
• [22:54] How she stumbled into copywriting – and the common misconception we all have about this career: “Why would I want to work with trademarks?”
• [28:27] How pulling an all-nighter at a bar during the Copy Chief Live conference landed Carolynn her first in-house copywriting job with Agora
• [32:07] Why she picked the challenging financial copywriting niche – and why becoming a financial copywriter is like getting a job on an oil rig
• [40:33] Get a behind-the-scenes look at Carolynn’s experience of joining Stansberry Research, one of the leading financial publishers.
• [50:15] Carolynn's advice for aspiring financial copywriters, including: the importance of knowing the right people – and surprising alternative roles to consider applying to.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, you will discover:

• [0:00:42] Zahidah’s background as a former Junior College teacher who taught General Paper in Singapore for 8 years
• [0:01:39] Her current job as a Public Relations assistant manager for a tech startup in Singapore
• [0:01:51] How Zahidah overcame her imposter syndrome and feeling unqualified when she was hired for her current PR role
• [0:02:30] A trip down memory lane – what she enjoyed about teaching, and the challenges she faced along the way
• [0:05:57] Her honest, highly practical reason for becoming a teacher in the first place – something we both share in common!
• [0:10:56] Zahidah’s fascinating past as a musician and songwriter
• [0:12:30] Our frank discussion on what it’s REALLY like to be a creative in Singapore
• [0:15:33] Zahidah’s turning point – the moment she decided to leave the teaching profession for good
• [0:17:09] Her thorough job search process – how many jobs she applied to on LinkedIn, and how long it took her to land her next role  
• [0:19:53] How Zahidah leveraged BOTH her teaching and music experience to transition smoothly into public relations, marketing, and communications
• [0:22:35] More about her current PR role and how she works on crafting compelling stories to humanize tech products in a more relatable way
• [0:31:35] How Zahidah balanced her career transition with her family responsibilities and raising two children
• [0:37:58] Her best advice for teachers who are thinking about leaving – what to try before making the final decision, how to manage expectations, and how to prepare for the lifestyle change

You can connect with Zahidah on LinkedIn.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[00:00] Introducing one of my biggest mentors, Joshua Lee Henry, and how he’s been instrumental to my copywriting journey…

[02:37] Joshua shares how he always wanted to be a teacher, including how he became a mega-church pastor and his original plans to become a professor…

[12:28] The powerful story of Joshua promoting his services as a copywriter, door-to-door, after falling on hard times (this is one of the stories that kept me going when I thought I was gonna give up on copywriting)...

[17:47] His first few copywriting jobs, how he got started prospecting clients, PLUS what gave him the conviction to choose freelance copywriting over another full-time job…

[22:35] Joshua’s SECRET to accelerating his copywriting career faster than anything – and replacing his income from his full-time job…

[25:16] Why you can’t get good – or far – in copywriting just by reading books or watching YouTube videos…

[31:02] The surprising skill overlaps between being a pastor, teaching, and copywriting… and why a planning sermon is like writing a 45-minute VSL…

[39:02] “The biggest HOAX of my life”: Joshua’s honest (and controversial?) opinion on going to college, and the more VALUABLE skill he thinks we should be mastering instead…

[43:52] A day in Joshua’s life: his experience as a financial copywriter and copy chief at Banyan Hill, other projects he's working on, and the difference between being a copy chief and a copywriter…

[51:04] Joshua’s words of encouragement for those sitting on the fence and considering a career in copywriting.

You can connect with Joshua here:

LinkedIn

Website

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.