76 | From Corporate Ladder To Community Builder with | Mel Carr

What if the fastest path to growth is letting go of the work you’re best at? That’s the challenge Mel Carr brings as she shares how an executive virtual assistant team, a simple publishing framework, and a service‑first mindset can flip a business from overwhelm to momentum.

We unpack how Mel built Clovercy as a US‑based executive VA agency that does more than check boxes. Her team steps into operations, digital marketing, and project management while helping founders protect their voice and standards. Mel explains why clear goals, SOPs, and honest communication turn delegation into leverage, and how AI, used thoughtfully, speeds delivery without sacrificing quality. Expect frank stories about clients who regained hours by handing off CRM migrations, content production, and admin; and how those hours reappeared as revenue, relationships, and rest.

The conversation turns to authorship and the Six-Figure Chicks movement. Mel breaks down why a single chapter can transform visibility, credibility, and confidence, especially for women who feel their story isn’t big enough to matter. We cover anthology structure, practical prompts for overcoming imposter syndrome and perfectionism, and the ripple effects: search discoverability, speaking invites, and deeper client trust. Mel also shares how her nonprofit, Her Right To Rise, connects published authors with young women through mentorship and community events, turning personal wins into a collective legacy.

If you’re ready to trade busywork for needle‑moving work, this is your playbook. Learn how to find the right VA fit, pair human expertise with AI, and package you

Are you feeling stuck? No matter how hard you push, you’re not gaining momentum in your business or your life? That’s exactly why I created the R.I.S.E. Coaching Program.

Over 8 weeks, I’ll guide you through a proven framework to help you:

• Get rooted in your purpose,
• Set and honor healthy boundaries,
• Strengthen your resilience when life hits hard,
• And execute with consistency so your goals stop collecting dust.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Meet Mel Carr And Her Mission
• 2:55 Building An All‑Women Executive VA Team
• 7:20 Leaving Corporate To Serve Entrepreneurs
• 12:05 Delegation, Clarity, And Trust
• 17:31 AI As A Workflow Accelerator
• 21:31 Creating Six Figure Chicks And Why It Matters
• 26:56 Tactics: Overcoming Blocks And Sharing Playbooks
• 32:26 From Chaos To Scale: SOPs And Fit
• 38:36 Nonprofit Alignment And Mentorship Day
• 43:11 Building The Right Team, One Task At A Time

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:00

Welcome back to Off Balance. I'm your host, Dr. Brooks. Today's guest is Mel Carr, a multi-passionate entrepreneur, author, and visionary leader. She's the founder of Clovercy, an executive virtual assistant agency, Six Figure Chicks, a movement and a podcast empowering women in business and in the nonprofit space. Her right to rise uplifts women through storytelling and authorship. Get ready for a conversation that would challenge how you think about success and productivity. Mel, welcome to Off Balance.

SPEAKER_01: 0:31

Yay! Thank you. I'm so excited. I love being able to talk about all of my passion-driven projects together and to be on such a platform like this.

SPEAKER_02: 0:41

Thank you so much for joining us. I am very excited. Before we dive into our conversation, I told our listeners a little about you, but can you introduce yourself and tell them exactly what it is that you do?

SPEAKER_01: 0:52

Yes, sure. See, my my first company, Clovercy, Cloversee's an executive virtual assistant agency. I love saying, okay, so what's the difference? We all know about virtual assistants. We've been around since COVID craziness has been the splurge of everything virtual. But when I created my company, I I thought I brought on, as my company grew, I brought on women to support me and be a part of the team. And so those women are based all here in the US. And so I thought, gosh, wow, what a great marketing piece and tool to leverage me above a crowded marketplace, is having a team of fantastic women who work for me and support our clients and that live here in the US. There are so many people here that want to work. And so I thought, okay, so how we are an up-level of virtual assistants. We have executive virtual assistants, women that are experts, knowledgeable in different fields, digital marketing, operations, business management. And then from there, my clients have been a part of book authoring and collaborations. So I knew the process and how that really up-leveled your visibility, credibility, and expertise by being an author. And a publisher came to me and she was, hey, let's do a book collaboration. The easiest way you can publish your first book, because all you have to do is write a chapter. And so I thought, okay, great. What am I going to write about? And then I came up with six figure chicks because I thought back to my corporate days of how challenging it was to really come together and celebrate our success with each other in the corporate world. It wasn't like, hey, thanks so much for your partnership and company XYZ. How much money do you make? Or did you land that big well of a client? We didn't talk about those things. We didn't celebrate our success with each other. And then coming into the entrepreneurship world, I was like, how can we really come together to talk about, celebrate our success without feeling judged? Like, we're not celebrating our success to be better than anyone else. We're celebrating and sharing our stories, our journeys of success to empower the readers, to empower other women, amen, to know that they can become as successful or more than us. And here's how we did it. It's like offering a playbook of how to become a successful entrepreneur or business person. And then from there, I thought, gosh, well, how can we leave a bigger impact? How can we leave that legacy part in empowering our next generation of female leaders? And that's where her right to rise was born, of being able to take our expertise, our knowledge, our wisdom, and empower our next generation. Because we've been there, we've done that. We want to share with others. And I want these young women to know that they have somebody in their corner, somebody here, women here, readily available to give their knowledge. I'm on a mission to impact and empower as many lives as possible.

SPEAKER_02: 4:28

So you wouldn't be in the entrepreneur space today if you have not decided to leave corporate. So what moment defined that mindset to say, you know what, I am going to shift from corporate to entrepreneurship?

SPEAKER_01: 4:40

I spent 16 years in Maui. I had climbed my way up the corporate ladder and then I went overseas for about seven years. So I lived partial time in Australia and the other part in the Quadrillan Morpho Islands. And from there, when I came back to the state, the US, it was like, gosh, I'm tired of making other people money. I'm like, how am I not going to do that? What am I going to rechange it? And so I came back with that thought of, gosh, what can I do? And I can take my experience leading, leveraging, building other companies and do it for myself and help the smaller business owners, the entrepreneurs that may not necessarily need a full-time administrative assistant or support. And that's when Clovercy was filled. And as I've been able to current my own experiences in building other companies, I've been able to assist and support other entrepreneurs in scaling their businesses because we should not be doing it all ourselves.

SPEAKER_02: 5:53

So when you got the idea to create Cloversy, what prompted you to say, I want to have all females? It just happened.

SPEAKER_01: 6:03

It's just so natural that my the first woman who was referred to me by somebody else, they were like, Hey, I think I I want to introduce you to this lady and she was looking for part-time work. She's a stayable mom. It cost her more to take her child's daycare than to have a full-time job.

SPEAKER_00: 6:25

I don't have kids, but I can only imagine. It's a lot.

SPEAKER_01: 6:34

And so from that one woman, she had a woman to refer, and I found other people through networks and my circle of influence, my trusted people connections. And from there, it just was like, gosh, I love working with women. I love supporting. I love being able to offer these women some sort of way to identify and be their own rent winner, part of the their own Halloween community, and be able to be like, yeah, I'm proud. I can I have some money in the bank and I can take care of my family at the same time.

SPEAKER_00: 7:11

It's just a win-win.

SPEAKER_02: 7:18

So when it comes to your company, now that AI is on the horizon, how is that impacting your virtual assistants?

SPEAKER_01: 7:27

I get a lot of oh, I'm scared AI is gonna take over. AI has taken over. There's nothing new. We've been using a lot of the AI assistants ever since we created the company or I started the company, and well before that. But it's all about managing the softwares, the platforms, being able to know what crumbs to use and to ensure that it's not just as easy as copy and pasting, it gives you the framework to create content or create ideas. And so I've welcomed all AI support into our work life. And the women that are on my team, they are on the same thinking of let's help our clients understand how to best use AI in in their own lives, but also just harness it in the right way to just be able to make our lives a little easier, but not let it take over. But it's also something that we just can't be afraid of.

SPEAKER_02: 8:34

Um so that is so true because some people are afraid of AI. They think that AI is gonna replace people, but unfortunately, AI is only as smart as the prompt. And so people are definitely needed in order to give great prompts to get a great result. So thank you so much for saying that. So, what inspired you to write Six Bigger Chicks?

SPEAKER_01: 8:58

Yeah, it was all about that time when I was sitting there after my couple of sis had said, let's do a book collaboration. It's great. I'll help you through the entire process. And so I thought, gosh, what am I gonna write about? And she said, Why don't you write about virtual assistants? And like that was at the start of COVID. And so I said, Everybody and their brother are writing about virtual assistants. How to become a virtual assistant, what to do. And I'm like, I don't want to be like everyone else. And then I thought back to my first business coach, Carrie Connolly. She sat me down and she asked me, How much money do you want to make your first year? And I'm like, Oh my gosh, I don't know. I just want to pay my bill, have a good life, leave the lights on. That's it, I'm good. She said, No, we need a figure. So we have to have something to work towards. And as my first business coach, I had no idea. I didn't know how to write out the goals and meet those goals and have something tangible to work towards. So I said, okay,$100,000. And so she wrote it down. And with her guidance, tools, knowledge, I was able to reach that, surpass that in my first year. And then when I was thinking about the book, I was like, gosh, what am I gonna write about? I want to write about something that can attract women to come together to understand each other and be able to share our stories like gosh, okay. Six figure chicks. And my publicist actually did not like that. See with like six-figure chick was so yesterday. Like, everybody wants to be a seven-figure chick. And I might yeah, but I don't know any woman that would be complaining about bringing home$100,000 to$999,000 a year. I wouldn't be sorry. And no, I'm glad you wipe demographic of women out there.

SPEAKER_02: 11:07

I like the title, it is so catchy. And I'm glad you listened to your instinct and went with six-figure chick because I think it's more attainable and reachable. Because when you look at the demographics and when you look at the average salary, I think six figures is way more achievable and reachable for women. So that was a good idea to keep it and not scratch it. So when it comes to six-figure chicks, do you provide strategies for women on how they can get to six figures?

SPEAKER_01: 11:36

Yeah, we provide a whole spectrum. Like it's these women, they each get one chapter to share their story of success, like their journey of sharing multiple times of their life or a short microcosm look. And then in addition to those chapters, every woman answers three kind of roadblocks or challenges that she's faced through her journey, like imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and we've all baked them, right? Yeah. So they share what they did to overcome them. And then we also offer positive spin on that. They answer questions on how what best business practices they use. Did they use family, faith, networking to grow their business or profession? So they really offer like their real raw, messy sometimes story that people can read and connect with. And so, like, oh my god, I did not know that about her, or wow, she went through the same thing I'm going through. And then we offer those practical, tactical Q ⁇ A's of to help the readers understand that they're not alone, there are other people that have gone through those things, or wow, she did that, and I was thinking about networking, but she really proved it worked. Or public speaking, oh my gosh, I've been so scared to try to speak on stages in person or virtual, but she did that, and if she can do that, I can do it too.

SPEAKER_02: 14:10

Yeah, I think sometimes we think that it's so unattainable, but when we see someone else's story or hear someone else's story, then we're like, wow, if she did it, I definitely can do it. So I can I order it and I should receive my copy. I think it either comes today or tomorrow. So I am so excited to read it. Which one I'm definitely gonna provide you. So I got the one that's it was, it just said it was green across the top. It was like international bestseller, and then it said six figure. I can't remember what the volume was.

SPEAKER_01: 14:40

Okay, it might have been the first one, yeah, because the first book, Six Figure Chips, didn't have a city name to it. Okay. Um, but yeah, I could wait yay.

SPEAKER_02: 14:49

I'm excited. So thank you so much. So I can remember when I got into entrepreneurship, I've had a lot of challenges, a lot of mistakes. So you are what we call a multi-passionate entrepreneur. So when it comes to that, what lessons did it teach you about your resilience and leadership?

SPEAKER_01: 15:09

Yeah, it was one of those things of gosh, you just need to learn to trust yourself and then trust others with your vision. And they don't know that until you really bring them in and share that vision with them so that they understand that there's so much going on, but you really have a passion and a vision for everything that you do. So it's about casting that clear vision by empowering others and to allowing yourself to grow through that. Because if you keep everything close to you and you don't share with others why you're doing what you do, they have no one, no way to understand how to help you and best support you. And then you're gonna be stuck in the rat race and feeling overwhelmed, and then you're gonna be like, gosh, why am I doing this? Why can't I why I should just go back to a nine to five?

SPEAKER_00: 16:11

But you know, having all of those going on at once is a lot.

SPEAKER_02: 16:17

That's really good advice because sometimes we want to do everything ourselves and it's hard to delegate. So, what made you decide that you wanted to run things differently?

SPEAKER_01: 16:29

Yeah, it's really easy to forget about delegation because usually when we do start our businesses, we all start by ourselves for the most part. And so as our businesses grow or we bring on more clients, add on more services, it's easy for us to forget, oh God, I don't have to wear all the hats anymore. I can start delegating and I can start bringing people into my company to help grow. And I find so often that with our clients, when we first bring them on, they've had virtual assistants in the past, they may not have had the best experience. So they're a little jaded and they're like, oh gosh, I don't know if I I want to do this again. Or they're huddled up by not knowing what to delegate. And then they're like, gosh, no one can do it better than me, or I don't have the time to train these people. And that's when if you find the right person, the right fit for you and your business, then you shouldn't have to spend hours every day training these people because they know pretty much how to do these tasks. What they don't know is how to how to understand, replicate your brand, your voice, your vision. And that's when you come in and you share that with them. And being able to share that information and not you micromanage everyone inside your company.

SPEAKER_02: 18:07

That's interesting. And you said that you used the word clarity. Some entrepreneurs, they're not really clear what exactly it is that the vision is for their company. So when they work with you, what strategies do you teach them to help them to move from just being busy and unproductive to actually having some type of clarity and scalability in their company?

SPEAKER_01: 18:28

Yeah, it's all about communication right from the start, right from the discovery call is figuring out exactly what their pain points are. Like, what do you not like doing? What do you not have enough time to do? What do you not even like if you don't know how to do something, you should definitely not be wasting your time trying to figure it out. Stay in your zone of genius, stay in your swim lane, don't get acquis. But it is all about communication and knowing that somebody or somebody are there in your border. They want to support you, but they cannot do that properly or as successfully as you'd want without that proper open communication. It's not a magic wand, hiring a VA. You can't just be like, you're hired, and then figure it out. But so we like to tell our clients, like, either, do you have standard operating procedures in place already? Do you have some sort of guideline for us to follow? Or if not, define your priorities. What's high level and build the partnership from there? And if you don't have standard operating procedures, we're here to help.

SPEAKER_02: 19:48

That's great because I can remember when I first started, I was trying to do my standard operating procedures, trying to come up with my policies and procedures. And that was difficult, especially because I didn't have anyone to aid me. So to hear that you also provide that type of service, that is great because I know a lot of entrepreneurs, especially when they start, they may not have access to that. And then as they grow and scale their business, I can imagine that it can be difficult because at that point you've been operating a certain way for a long time. And so now you have to have a mindset shift of, okay, now it's time to get some type of policies and procedures in place. So when it comes to your virtual assistant business, how does that tie into your nonprofit? I love it.

SPEAKER_01: 20:33

So it ties into everything. So my virtual assistant company, Clovercy, is the publishing company side for the Six Vivio Chicks Book Siri movement. We're also publishing partners with other clients of ours. I love being able to support those authors that want to self-publish their own book or their own book collaborations. But we're here to take care of the back end, all the day-to-day tasks, all the project management for those publishing needs. But then also for her right to rise. It's we're actually gearing up for our first annual mentorship day, February 2026, held here in Phoenix, Arizona. But my team of women who are already working in the six-figure chicks know that mission and vision and where we want to go and how we want to impact other lives, that they take care of all of the marketing, the digital graphics, the content, the project management with that, the communication. There's so much that goes on behind the scenes with anything. But it's about running a business on just a different level. And I have a whole new set of ideal clients that I'm trying to reach, those young women.

SPEAKER_02: 21:52

So if you have someone that's listening and they are stuck and they're unsure if they should build a team, what is the significance of having a solid team behind you?

SPEAKER_01: 22:03

Yeah, it's it empowered you as an entrepreneur to know that, gosh, okay, you do not have to be doing everything yourself, even if you started that way. But then also to know that you don't have to take that giant leap of hiring a full-time person. You can start small. I always say take baby steps, make a little list of what you don't like doing, what you end up doing at midnight, you should not be doing. And then prioritize that and be like, okay, let's see if I can pick up two to three points that I do I should not be doing. Whatever is not moving your needle forward fast enough for your business grow, like hands up. And then see about if you haven't tried a VA in the past, get with your closest associates, your friends, your other business owners. Like, how do you have a VA? How did you get your VA? Start with the people that you know and trust. Because those people are doing something right. Not every VA is meant for you though. You have to make sure you're you work well together, your your personalities are in line, the availability, but it's just turn small. I say for anyone that finds virtual assistance outside of the UF, great. If you have a great person overseas in another country, hold on to them because you don't know what may happen. But then sometimes they may not be able to do everything you need. And that's okay. Go find somebody who can. Doesn't mean you have to take it on or keep doing it. But yeah, just ask questions. Kick around. If you're networking, if you have friends in your circle that have other businesses, you're like, how do you do it? What do you do? Just keep asking until you find the right person to help you out. Help you like get out of the weeds from chaos to scalability. Like it's we should not be doing everything. And I am wanting to talk. I work at delegating as much as I can. It's a never-ending uh struggle as your business grows. Because you're like, oh my gosh, okay, last year did not look like this year. So okay, I don't need to maybe be doing XYZ anymore. If you're second year, third year in business, maybe you can afford a bookkeeper now. Stop doing the accounting if that's not your area of genius. It's just figuring out what takes up most of your time that is preventing you from growing your business more.

SPEAKER_02: 24:47

That's good. What's a common misconception that people have about virtual assistants?

SPEAKER_01: 24:53

That they just they probably think about the two things. Like they won't be able to do it until good as me. And it's gonna take way too much time to train them. And I love it because I think about some of the clients or people that I even talk to through networking. They're like, oh my gosh, I just spent two hours converting my contacts from one CRN system to another. And I'm like, it would take us five minutes at the mat. It's like those little things though, that it's easy. You can get caught in the weaves. V it on Canva, you could spend 30 minutes creating a design for one image where a skilled expert can hop onto Canva and create 50 designs in 30 minutes. Like, I'm to blame too. I can get stuck in that rabbit hole.

SPEAKER_02: 25:46

So if someone is listening and they would like to connect with you to talk about hiring a virtual assistant, what would that look like for them?

SPEAKER_01: 25:55

Yeah, I would invite them to schedule some time with me. Like hop on a brief call and just uh it's a discovery time, being able to say, okay, what are your pain points? What are you looking for? And if some people are like, gosh, I don't know what I'm looking for. I just know I am so tired every day. I can't get out of the weeds. Then let's just have a one-to-one. And I may not be the best fit for them or my team may not be. However, they may be, I'm hoping they could leave a conversation with a couple of golden nuggets and figure out, okay, maybe I need to go back to the drawing board and see exactly what I need help with. And that's what I'm here to do. As a business owner, I understand how challenging it can be. And I fully aware that I may not be able to help them, but I can sure try to give them some words of wisdom from one business owner to another and see if I could refer them to somebody else. Maybe it's not even a virtual assistant that they need, but maybe a bookkeeper or website designer or some other type of assistance that I couldn't help them with. But yeah, so we're on all social platforms. My team does a great job of that. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn. I love the fact that I can say I have not been on a steady content creation for years. My team does it all. They tell me what to like take pictures of and do videos, but I haven't been on the daily social grind for a while.

SPEAKER_02: 27:43

Your team has you spoiled. They have you spoiled, but that's awesome because that allows you to focus on the things that you need to focus on as a leader. So that's definitely very important. So, where do you see your industry in the next five years?

SPEAKER_01: 28:03

I see it's still growing strong. I would say that I came in right before COVID. So I came in at a great time because then everyone was forced to go virtual and online. And then I've seen the shift to gosh, everyone saw that was a hot like job company to create. You got you had everyone becoming a BA. Even if they didn't even, if we even if they didn't know what to do or how to run a company, they were like, Oh yeah, I'm a VA. And then you weed them out and be like, okay, you don't know how to run a business. But I still say, I say it's gonna go strong, continue, because it's been around for decades here in the US and overseas. And there are so many business owners out there that haven't even dipped their toes in the water yet to see, oh gosh, this can really help me. And yeah, then I think the the book publishing, the book authorship, that's a huge part that not a lot of people do know about. I'm so surprised at how many people that have no idea about the anthologies or the book collaborations. That is like the best lifelong marketing tool that any entrepreneur or professional can have. Because I say people will always give out business cards and you'll have a stack of them or whatever from a networking event or just meeting people. And what happens with those business cards? They either end up in the trash or they end up in a pile. But no one's ever gonna throw away a book. A book is always gonna be in somebody's home. It may change hands, but it will never be thrown away.

SPEAKER_02: 29:52

That is so true. So if someone is listening and they're like, male, I'm an entrepreneur, but I don't feel like I have a story. What advice can you give to them?

SPEAKER_01: 30:03

Oh my gosh. People do say that and are like, oh no, you do have a story. And it's so amazing because once they don't they sit down and they start thinking about, gosh, okay, what what did I go through before I had a business? Because I think back on one thing I just fully came into and started talking about is when I was 15, I was alone. I didn't have my mother, father didn't want me. I was sitting in the parking lot at Red Lobster going, I've gotta make more money, how can I do that? So I signed myself out of high school and I started working, or I was living on my own at 15. And I thought, just recently have I fooled Fully developed my confidence in sharing that part of my life. But I I do that so I can let others know that it's okay. You matter, we matter, and our stories defined who we are today. Because that story has stayed with me on entire life, of course, but that helped pave the way for me to really want to give back to our next generation of women, to let them know that we're here for them. Because if I had a woman in my corner or a woman near me that I knew I could just ask questions and advice, that may have changed my future. I may have stayed in school. I those little things that you just don't know you don't know that at a at that age of what to do, where to go, who to talk to. And you want to be a catalyst for that change. And to let other women know we all have stories, and our stories can impact others so that they know they're not alone. They can do more. And there are other people out there that are wanting to help them, talk to them, coach them, support them.

SPEAKER_02: 32:08

So how would an author go forth with the process of connect partnering with you in Clovercy?

SPEAKER_01: 32:15

Wonderful. Yeah, so if we have six figure chicks out there listening, they can visit six figurechicks.com. I'm always looking for authors. I'm actually launching or looking for authorship for Scottsdale Volume 2, Houston Volume 3, and Scottsdale or Six Figure Chicks Nationwide. So all women in other states welcome to come share their stories. If there's a woman or man out there that's, hey, I've been wanting to write my own book, I just don't know how. Check with me on a Clover Seat. Clover C would love to be able to be a publishing partner for those solo authored books. Like it's not that hard. It doesn't cost a lot of money to do that. But in for us entrepreneurs, sharing our story, I'll tell you as a little bit of depth and authenticity, because we're at a crowded marketplace. So for others to be able to know a little bit more about you and who you are, what made you, is priceless. It's life-changing. People will look at you in a totally different way of going, oh my gosh, I feel so connected to you and didn't know that about you. And now I want to know more.

SPEAKER_02: 33:36

Yeah, sharing your story would definitely help with that relatability. And it would actually open you up to a market that you were probably not even like looking for or considering as a part of the services that you provide. So when it comes to the authors that you have worked with, how has publishing with Six Figure Chicks changed your life? My gosh.

SPEAKER_01: 33:58

It's been an amazing ride just watching these women. Like I love watching them from the start to the finish. We've really launched five books so far. We're working on the sixth one that'll launch next month. But they come in excited by what they've seen in the past. And then when they start putting pen to paper and they write their story and they read it, they have other people in their family read it. It's life-changing. I love it when authors can see their name in print. And like getting goosebumps, talk to me about it. Because it is such an emotional journey of reflecting back and then seeing it in print and knowing, oh my gosh, and people around the world are going to know more about me. There are some authors that have shared their stories for the first time ever in the books. And even their husband didn't know about some of these life dreams and growth. But yes, they experienced that newfound confidence in themselves. Even like keen old speakers, people that speak to thousands of people, after they've written their story, they're like, oh my god, this is benefit goal. I never imagined the amount of confidence in myself of just knowing what excellence I provide until I wrote my story down and saw it in the book. And then we have over a hundred authors so far in the Six Big Chicks community. So it's all about building those new relationships with women you never would have met without this book, growing our businesses together, as well as leading that lasting legacy through the power of storytelling.

SPEAKER_02: 35:54

Yeah, the fact that people are open to sharing stories that they never shared before with you and your company that says a lot about the comfortability and how you make them feel. So that is kudos to you because I know when it comes to the writing process, it can be very difficult as well as just unknown because especially if you're this is your first time doing it. So what tools do your company help with as far as the writing piece? Do you guys help with editing and formatting?

SPEAKER_01: 36:23

Yeah, so we do it all, except for I mean, we can do it all. They like the author comes on and it's she does like writing, and she's open to writing her chapter. And we do everything else. We do the editing, we do the publishing part. So she writes her first draft, we take it from there. I have a team of editors, and editor chicken charge, Kristen Hugan, who's amazing. But she's also a ghostwriter. So we do have some authors that are like, I don't have a plan to write a chapter. Or I just fall on to. And so she helps them. She sits them down for a quick interview and writes their story in their boy. And then we have fantastic events pre-book launch. We have a group photo shoot that I bring in a professional photographer and all the authors. We get to meet each other, have fun, build relationships and great photos. And then we have the fantastic e-book log where we all come together and share with all of our community, reach that number one international best-selling status, US best-selling status. And then post-launch, we have book launch events with the paperback books. So when we have hundreds of these books in a room with all the authors, their friends, their family, it's their night to shine and to really own their success as a published author. And then next year, we'll have the annual mentorship day where we invite all of those hundred-plus authors to mentor with young women. And we're also partnering with another nonprofit called Amanda Hope. And the founder, Lorraine Tolman, is a six-figure check. And we're going to have the mentees create visual capes for the children in chemotherapy so they can give their next generation and smile. And just a magnificent experience to let them empower other people.

SPEAKER_02: 38:29

You definitely roll out the red carpet. That is uh listen, you take away all of the challenges that most authors have: the marketing, the pre-launch, all of the publishing, the making sure that the book can get to a bestseller. You literally take all of that out and just do it for them. So that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01: 38:50

Yeah, thanks. And David, why is there a clubracy? Like, we don't need to be doing it all. Like, if you have a story to tell or a service to sell, like you don't have to be doing everything behind the scenes.

SPEAKER_02: 39:05

And I know a lot of entrepreneurs, they're listening and they're like, everyone is an author, and I don't see how that is going to help my business. So can you explain to us what becoming an author can do for an entrepreneur within their niche?

SPEAKER_01: 39:20

Yeah, most of it. Great question because the authorship, having a book in your hand, it levels up your visibility, credibility, and the expertise. We are in a crowded marketplace. So if you're like me, I'm a virtual assistant agency. There are hundreds of thousands of EAs out there. But when I walk into a room, I have a book in hand always. Like this little book, people look at you differently. And they're like, wow, okay, you're a published author. You know how to make things happen. You share something more personal about you so that I can feel connected to you, other than those thousands of other VAs out there that are just behind a screen, or they don't come out and they don't share their personal side so that I had something to connect with that's more validating your certificates or your education. It's just that human connection of going, wow, you are a real person. I really like you, I love your story. But then other authors, we helped other clients publish growth and educational books and or books that are in their industry of self-help and educate knowledge. And those are great because again, they just compliment you as the expert you are. And then get on Amazon. That is another tool for you to be discovered. Like your SEO. Like people can put my name in on Google, six figure chicks Mel, and I'm gonna be top that number one research search. And then they're gonna see my other company below that, and then everything else on my social channels. So it just adds that extra layer of discoverability.

SPEAKER_02: 41:21

That is so true because when I publish my first book, I actually get coaching clients. They will say, I saw your book and I bought it. And then when I realized that you were a coach, I headed on over to your website. And so you are so true when it comes to visibility because a book can definitely get you into spaces that a social media post may not. And so I can definitely attest to that. So I'm so glad that you're letting people know that it is all about visibility and that credibility as far as whatever industry that you are in.

SPEAKER_01: 41:55

And I'll say I'll say one more little thing because so for you as published author, if you have for those people that want to speak on stages or do speak on stages, I guarantee you the one best thing to use your book in is speaking. Because, say, for instance, colleges, they have a list of speakers that come through that want to be speaking to their staff with students. Colleges will choose people that have published books, authors before they will choose others because they have budgets for books. They'll buy your books, they'll pay you to come speak at their university. There are lots of little things like that's just a itty bitty thing.

SPEAKER_02: 42:41

Listen, Mel is giving you all of the gems. So if you are listening and you are still confused or if you're still unsure, I would definitely suggest that you reach out to her and her company because they can definitely help you through the process. Mel, if someone is listening and they can only take one step after listening to this episode, what should it be?

SPEAKER_01: 43:02

Contact me, find me, website, social media, connect with me, DM, text, email, whatever you want.

SPEAKER_02: 43:11

Listen, so you heard it. You make sure that you reach out to her. You have shared so much information, and I am just so in awe about the virtual assistants as well as the six-figure chicks, and then your nonprofit. So as we begin to wrap up, what is one message or advice that you want to leave with our listeners who may be navigating their own entrepreneur journey?

SPEAKER_01: 43:33

I just got this from a dear friend over the weekend. Always say yes, no matter what. It will lead you to some some something amazing. Always say yes.

SPEAKER_02: 43:45

And that is so simple, but yet so impactful because a yes can literally change your life. It can change the projectory of your business, your family. And so sometimes we like, I just want to have more, I want to do more. And what we don't recognize is we're not putting ourselves out there. Someone invites us to network an event, we're like, no. Or someone invites us to collaborate on a book. We're like, I don't have a story. And so if you are listening to this episode, take that advice and say yes. Just say yes. So, Mel, thank you so much for joining me today. You have been such a pleasure, and I will make sure that I have all of your information in the show description of this episode so that people can reach out to you and have their life changed in the same way that you have changed those that have connected with you. So, thank you.

SPEAKER_01: 44:31

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00: 44:32

Thank you so much for having me.