• [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.

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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.

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[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

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