Web Marketing Therapy

Featured Wild Web Woman Positive Role Model: WMT Interviews Ann Levine to Learn Tips for A Successful Entrepreneurial Career (Part One)

July 14th, 2009
by wildmarketingchiquita

The Wild Web Women at Web Marketing Therapy loves creating and fostering mutually beneficial relationships with our clients. We use our hearts to understand our clients’ needs and do our very best to help them reach their goals. As a result, we oftentimes find ourselves developing rewarding relationships with our clients that help us learn and grow from them!

One of our favorite Wild Web Woman, Ann Levine, founder of Law School Expert and author of The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert, has been kind enough to share some of her insights into starting her own business and taking a leap of faith in her career.

Fellow WMT blog followers-read on for inspiration from one of our most esteemed clients and one of the most successful entrepreneurs of the web!
1. Why did you choose your current career and how did you get started?

I got kicked to the curb. Completely wrapped up in my seemingly high-powered career as a litigator, I spent my entire pregnancy with my first child paranoid I would be fired and then I finally was four months after she was born. I went home and had to fire the nanny, relying on my mother in law to watch the baby as I pounded the pavement looking for another job. I came up empty handed. Then, while walking the baby in the park with a friend, I said, “I should help people applying to law school.” I spent a week researching “how-to” everything – how to get a website, design a website, accept credit cards, advertise on line, business licenses, second phone lines, etc. At the end of the week, I told my husband I needed $1,400 to start the business. He said, “How about $750?” I said I really needed $1,400. I made a profit within the first three weeks and quickly hit a six-figure income – within two years, I exceeded what I made as an attorney. Today, I am pretty sure I make more than any other attorney my age (or even 10 years older!).

2. What is your favorite tech-y word? (i.e. “tweet”, “Facebook poke”…etc.)

Network. (Not tech-y but isn’t it what all that other stuff is all about?)

3. As far as utilizing social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to communicate your business to your clients, what are some of the challenges and what are some of the benefits to your business?

Because of Facebook, I’m a real person to my clients and not just a stock photo. They see what I’m up to, pictures of my kids- they know I am a real and approachable person. Plus, I can find them after they are done working with me when I need referrals for new potential clients. Twitter gives non-clients (people in the market for my book but not consulting services) access to me. They have the opportunity to actually ask the author specific (personal!) questions. Through twitter I’ve met people in related fields who have promoted my blog, book, expertise, and value to their clients. Linked In isn’t something I use very often because I don’t work in the corporate world and most of my target market isn’t there; the folks who I use as networking and reference contacts are on Facebook and Twitter so I concentrate on those networks.

4. Out of all the social media tools on the web you use, which one (if any) are you most “addicted” to just for fun?

Facebook. Facebook. Facebook. I spend more time there than on Saks.com and NeimanMarcus.com combined – and that’s saying A LOT.

5. What are some of the valuable mistakes you have made in the past regarding online marketing and what have you learned from these past setbacks?

I spent way too much on PPC Campaigns not knowing what I was doing. I hired companies to handle my website and PPC campaigns and felt like I was coaching them and they were merely executing. What a waste of time and effort!

6. Looking at your history of great professional achievements, what are some of your proudest accomplishments? Reflecting upon these, what skill or personal factor do you believe helped you the most in achieving this accomplishment? (i.e. What motivates you to your success?)

Whoa. This is heavy stuff. Ok, I guess I have to pick self-publishing my book (“The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert”). I wrote it and published it in about 4-5 months. The personal skills that allowed for this? I enjoy writing and I think I’m pretty good at it and I am EXTREMELY self-motivated. I also work very quickly and type faster than the devil.

7. Do you have a personal mantra that you would like to share with other Web Marketing Therapy readers?

Don’t let the bastards grind you down. (My dad taught me that one – he says it in Latin, but I think the English version is pretty darned effective too).

8. If you were shipwrecked on an island and had to run your business from there, what three web tools would you bring with you to use?

My iMac, Blackberry, and a direct line to Lorrie and the WMT team.

Please stayed tuned for the rest of Ann Levine’s answers! Featured Wild Web Woman Positive Role Model Ann Levine Part Two will be live shortly.

Ann Levine is a prominent law school admission consultant who has helped 1,000+ applicants nationwide achieve their admission goals since founding Law School Expert in 2004. Ms. Levine works one-on-one with law school applicants nationwide and speaks at Pre-Law Clubs and Phi Alpha Delta chapters. For more information, visit Ann’s website.

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