I enjoy reading the bios of successful entrepreneurs. Check out Ali Brown’s bio as shared on an event sponsorship package I received recently and see how she tells her story:
One of the most dynamic female entrepreneurs of her generation, Ali Brown is founder and CEO of Ali International, a company that received the distinction of being named to the 2009 “Inc. 500” list of fastest growing private companies in the nation. Through her coaching and inspiration, she has created a dynamic multi-million dollar enterprise that is devoted to empowering women around the world. She has been featured on TV networks including FOX, ABC, CBS, CW, NBC, E!, and HGTV. Ali’s rapidly expanding business empire now includes Ali Magazine, the Ali Boutique, the Millionaire Protégé Club®, and Ali Events. She currently supports close to 40,000 members as they start and grow businesses for greater income and personal freedom. Her main website, www.AliBrown.com, highlights her spectacular brands and highly sought-after programs that have commanded recognition and respect within the industry.
Her stunning results are clear. The credibility of her performance is well demonstrated. I might re-write the last sentence to say that her sought-after programs have successfully guided thousands of entrepreneurs — from stay-at-home Mom newbie business owners to fully fledged savvy business divas — to achieve greater financial independence and realize and experience that their success has no boundaries. That seems more meaningful than “commanded recognition and respect within the industry.” I would add a sassy sound bite from Ali to bring some of her warm and generous personality into this description. Or, I’d also search through her considerable media credits to find a quote that describes her in compelling and inspiring terms with attribution to the source.
A succinct story that would lend even more impact to this bio is a story I’ve heard her tell. When she was a just starting out as a business owner, she didn’t have enough money in a checking account to withdraw $20 with her ATM card. There is something very compelling about a “rags to riches” story like this that goes a long way toward bringing even more of the right people to the table to benefit from the banquet Ali delivers to loyal fans and followers worldwide every day.
By the way, when you read Ali Brown’s longer bio on her website, you’ll find all these additional pearls. You just have to read more text to find them. I am a big proponent of putting all the best pearls front and center without having to ask the reader to go searching. Most radio and TV program producers won’t go to that trouble. More importantly, it is crucial to make it easy for members of the media to introduce you exactly the way you want to be introduced so the table is set for you to work your magic straight away.
Nancy’s “AFTER” Bio with These Edits Reflected:
“Nothing makes me more proud or excited, sometimes to the point of tears, when my members have a big breakthrough, share a success story that changed their lives, or multiply their incomes in ways that they couldn’t before imagine.”
— Ali Brown
One of the most dynamic female entrepreneurs of her generation, Ali Brown is founder and CEO of Ali International, a company named to the 2009 “Inc. 500” list of fastest growing private companies in the nation. When Ali was just starting out as a business owner, she didn’t have enough money in a checking account to withdraw $20 with her ATM card. By immersing herself in books and courses on marketing, success, and prosperity, Ali figured out how to grow her influence and wealth as she served prestigious clients such as New York Times Digital, Adweek Magazines, Scholastic Books, and Dun & Bradstreet. In doing so, she became a recognized and often quoted authority to a number of books and the media about driving sales and marketing via email marketing in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Business Startups, Personal Success magazine (U.K.), Success for Women magazine, and the Sydney Morning Herald. Today she empowers thousands of entrepreneurs — from stay-at-home Mom newbie business owners to fully fledged savvy business divas — to follow her lead and realize success without boundaries. Through her coaching and inspiration, she has created a dynamic multi-million dollar enterprise that is devoted to empowering women around the world. She has been featured on TV networks including FOX, ABC, CBS, CW, NBC, E!, and HGTV. Ali’s rapidly expanding business empire now includes Ali Magazine, the Ali Boutique, the Millionaire Protégé Club®, and Ali Events. She supports close to 40,000 members as they start and grow businesses for greater income and personal freedom. Learn more about all of Ali’s brands and sought-after programs and products at www.alibrown.com.
And, if radio interviews are a priority, I’d shorten this bio to two or three sentences so any radio host can just read those lines as they welcome Ali to their shows. That three-line bio could read as follows:
Ali Brown is founder and CEO of Ali International, a company named to the 2009 “Inc. 500” list of fastest growing private companies in the nation. A self-taught entrepreneur with her own “rags to riches” story, Ali’s events, products and programs empower thousands of stay-at-home Mom newbie business owners to fully fledged savvy business divas to create success for their lives and work without boundaries. Please welcome Ali Brown to the show.
These additions add impact and social connection to the story, and that makes the story even more worth telling, sharing, and remembering. And it sure makes it a whole lot easier for the media to get to the meat of the matter right away.
(Ali, if you are reading this blog post, know that I am a big fan of your work and would love to meet you one day. Can’t wait!)
