My name is Glenda Mathis and, no, I’m not part of the Copy Rules team but I was there when it all began…..
Years ago, five women met at a beautiful hotel on a gorgeous beach in south Florida. Come to think of it, we never had time to actually see that beach so I can only vouch for how nice the hotel was. We were there for a copywriters’ bootcamp put on by AWAI, and it was a non-stop three days.
Who can say why total strangers instantly connect?
Ann-Marie had written some guest articles for a newsletter we all received about getting ready for this bootcamp, so we recognized her name. She was also reporting from the floor, so to speak, writing another couple of pieces about the bootcamp for the same newsletter — and, if forced to be honest, we were just a little miffed that she’d thought of doing that and we hadn’t. That and the fact that she was already a published author. Karen had submitted a letter to the AWAI newsletter about how she was at the point in her life where it was time to “shit or get off the pot”. That caught everyone’s attention so there was a bit of recognition there. Tracey and Ann-Marie met in the cab from the airport….and so on.
Within minutes of sitting down at the same table that first evening, something happened. Looking back, it took place so quickly and has had such a profound impact that it’s a wonder the entire room didn’t hear the “click”.
We were inseparable at bootcamp. We were already writers, but we were there to learn how to become copywriters. Most of us had completed AWAI’s copywriter’s course and expected to hopefully leave bootcamp with some real assignments. What we hadn’t counted on was that Karen had gotten there several days early so that she could attend the Early to Rise Information Marketing Bootcamp.
She’d signed up for it because she had some extra time and it was being offered at a really good price when you combined the two bootcamps. It turned out to be a life-altering experience for her and she nearly drove us crazy talking about something called the Agora Model! It wasn’t until we actually listened to what she was saying that we understood the reason for her epiphany — for the first time we recognized the genius and the potential of information marketing. We were all sitting there as living proof that it worked!
We all remain close and help with each other’s projects, but our paths since that bootcamp have taken different directions. I couldn’t refuse the offer to become the executive director for the YWCA here in Lubbock. Tracey has become an authority in writing for social media on Long Island and has co-authored with Bob Bly. Patti is the marketing director for a high tech advertising agency in Akron.
Before Copy Rules, Ann-Marie and Karen jointly launched a newsletter for retirees and helped each other establish a web design business in Charleston and a fitness studio in Atlanta. But writing has always been what they love most and that led to the creation of Copy Rules.
Why should any of this matter to you? Because not only are they both talented writers, they get it. They understand the power of copy — that it can be the difference between a promotion or a business succeeding or failing. How the secret often lies not so much about making a particular sale but about creating and nurturing a process to move folks through your marketing cycle.
We all went to that first bootcamp as writers, but we came away knowing the difference between being able to write and being able to write to sell. If that’s what you’re looking for, then you couldn’t be in better hands than with my friends, Karen and Ann-Marie. There’s a part of me that still wishes I would’ve jumped at the chance to be a part of Copy Rules with them. Maybe one day…..
Best wishes,
Glenda Mathis, Executive Director
YWCA Lubbock, Texas
