October 16, 2006



INTERVIEW: LAURA ALLEN
CO-OWNER 15SECOND PITCH


Today is the second interview in a three part series featuring the presenters at Adventures in Abundance: Ignite Your Time, Money, Pasion and Health seminar being held on November 6th in Midtown. Please visit our website www.adventuresinabundance.com to learn more. Please read on to find out how Laura Allen, a a 5'2 red head with a nose ring went from wanting to be a rock star, to being at the forefront of several major internet businesses to walking Manhattan streets in tears because she couldn't even get a job that paid $5 an hour hearing repeatedely "you're over qualified," to being a full-time business owner for the last four years.

Laura: I was the lead singer in a few rock bands but I learned early on that talent had nothing to do with getting signed by a label, but it was mostly about how you marketed yourself. Then I thought I'd be a writer (non-fiction, journalism) but realized that the economics of it weren't really possible. Writers have to do a lot of hussling and it's difficult to make a living.
My singular focus was that I wanted to live in the city. At 18 years old I accomplished that. I went to the prestigious Eugene Lang School and majored in writing and then went to The New School to get my Masters in Media Studies. The entire time in school I had to work 2 or 3 jobs. During my school years I probably only saw 1 or 2 movies that entire time. I felt school was my only opportunity. And at the same time I had to do well in school so I wouldn't lose my scholarship. But I burned myself out and two classes away from earning my masters I had to quit school.

Samarra: If you had it to do over again do you feel "work, work, working" is the answer?
Laura: We all have choices. My singular focus was that I wanted to live in Manhattan. I could have went to Syracuse and lived at home but that's not what I wanted. And once being in the city I did not want to have to move back home. I felt if I went home I'd never get back to the city. Working the way I did was what I felt I needed to do to survive.
After leaving school I went to work for an advertising agency. I left school with $60,000 in debt and my first job paid $17,500. I was naive about what it would take to live in Manhattan. I wish I had had a mentor that could have better explained to me the realities. But I loved the creative process of the advertising business-this is where I learned to pitch to clients. But what I didn't like was they weren't the most ethical people. At the New School I had a professor, Hazen Reed, who was a visionary and saw the potential of the internet, this is back when it was brand new. I didn't know much about computers and he saw my promise and instilled in me the necessity and importance of the internet. I learned first hand how one person can make such a difference in your life. He's the reason why so much of what I do now is internet based. From the ad agency I saw an ad that said "most connected person in Silicon Alley." I wanted to work with that guy. And I did. His company focused on internet advertising which at the time was brand new. While working with him I went to a networking event. Tim Drapper(who created Hotmail-a new concept att he time-free internet) was the speaker, charismatic, funny and after speaking he'd have only ten minutes before he was off to his next event. I knew I had to pitch Silicon Alley to him. I was the only woman in a crowd of all men in very expensive business suits. After he spoke eveyone rushed towards him. How could I, a 5'2 red head with a nose ring get his attention. As everyone was crowded around him I got a cocktail napkin and wrote "Silicon Alley.com" and waved it in the air. Then I heard this guttaral laugh and he said "see boys this is how its done. I think I can get you a few million dollars for that." That's when I realized this pitching thing is fun.

Samarra: Wow, what an incredible story.

Laura: From there I went to work with two people from Silicon Alley who were forming their own company. A sort of Hotmail on steroids. They had the idea that businesses would want to connect with customers through the internet. But the challenge was they had to break through the perception at the time of spam. We became a multimillion dollar company. I was responsible for hiring people, talking about the product (which at the time didn't exist) and getting clients. I was there for two years and helped build it and it was the perfect education for starting my own business.

Samarra: When did you realize you wanted to start your own business?
Laura: I always knew I wanted to do something for myself.

At one point in college I received an eviction notice. I had tried everything. I had put out resumes everywhere. I had another interview one day and it was only paying $5.00/hour. But I needed a job. I could tell during the interview that I wasn't going to get the job. As I had been hearing constantly, I tried McDonalds, factories everywhere I heard "you're overqualified." I said to him-what if I guarantee you that I will stay for one year. Still he wasn't going to hire me and I started crying. The interview was near Grand Central station and I didn't have the money to take the subway so I had to walk. I had on a hot polyester suit and these cardboard platforms I'd gotten from Payless shoe store and they were cutting into my feet. When I got to Gramercy Park I just cried openly the rest of the way home. I finally had to take my shoes off they hurt so bad. There I was a smart college graduate walking barefoot on the hot tar in Manhattan unable to get hired anywhere. At one point I remember looking up at the sky and saying if I find a way out of this, I'll help other people. When I got home I said to myself I've done all I can. Sometimes you do everything you can do and that's all you can do.

Then my phone rang and it was my friend saying why don't you come work for me-I can't pay you much but..and that was the ad agency job. I look back and it scares the crap out of me.

Samarra: What do you love?
Laura: I love connecting people. Seeing people who have potential and connecting them with people who can further their goals.

Samarra: In your darkest moments what has kept you moving forward?
Laura: My belief that I could turn things around. In the moments when I lost the belief, those moments were complete and total darkness.

Samarra: In the moments of complete and total darkness what brought you back?
Laura: Sometimes it was the good people around me and I saw them struggling to and they would get a job and that would provide inspiration. The belief would come back and that would prompt things to happen.

Samarra: How did 15secondpitch come about?
Laura: In the beginning of 2001 I went to work with Jim. Jim had been an entrepreneur for over 15 years. He was focused on technology but hated promoting/marketing. So it was a perfect fit professionally and personally. After 9/11 everything stopped. Business stopped, people stopped. I went back and forth from a false arrogance, "I can make this happen" to being scared-I didn't want to go back to being poor again. We had a comapny with an office space and employees and everyday I'd wake up-"okay how are we going to pay for this.." and Jim said "you can't think your way out of this problem." I was a person that had always connected people and people were calling me. And for the first time I couldn't tell them anything. There were no jobs-I was watching people with more experience then me being laid off and having to move back home with their parents. I was scared but I was more terrified for these people. I had been poor before but a lot of the people that were calling me they had never experienced this before.

At one point Jim and I went to a marketing event in LA. Historically, technology based people have trouble explaining what they do. And we met Mack (I still remember his name) we asked him what he did and he said "who knows what I do for a living" and he went on and on and it was like a stand up comedy routine. Jim and I talked about Mack all night-it was a light moment in a very dark time. Over the next few weeks together we came up with the idea to give people a baseball card with their picture and pitch about what they do. We'd go to an event, know who'd be there-get their picture from the website and then write based on what it said on their website. We'd give them about 30 free cards. They'd love it and then others would see it and love it and that's how we started. (This week Laura will be doing her 2 hour workshop with inner city high school kids. Then they will go across the street to a networking event that was set up for them with professional business people and have the opportunity to "pitch" themselves.)

Samarra: Laura you are keeping your promise that you made that day walking home in tears.
Laura: Yes, but it took me a few years to get there.

Samarra: What advice do you have for those at the crossroads.
Laura: The promise of the internet is that it has the potential to level the playing field. Things are much cheaper so it allows for everyone to have the same opportunities. Internet will be more of an equalizer. But it is still important to meet people face to face. How you market yourself-how you speak and dress are things that are very important. I didn't know how important when I was growing up. A good pitch today is better than a perfect pitch tomorrow. You never know when the opportunity is going to present itself.

Samarra: Thank you so much for sharing your inspirational story!

I cried, laughed and was inspired. Please visit her website at www.15seconpitch.com. With her expertise, what an honor that she will be a speaker at the Adventures in Abundance seminar on Monday, November 6th at Ripley Greir Studios. Please check out our website
www.adventuresinabundance.com and register today.




Affirmation: (please repeat every morning and every evening until next Monday.)
"I AM FINDING VALUE IN EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO ME: LET GO!"




Free Teleseminar:
Laura Allen :The 4 Key Elements of a Successful 15 Second Pitch
This Wednesday October 18th at 7:00pm. Please visit and register at www.15secondpitch.com.



JOBS:
Morgan Contracting Company
FT position. Must able to multi-task, attention to detail and able to work in face paced environment.
Call Mark Weddeburn at 212-377-2100.

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Copyright 2006