If you’re a parent and you’ve just found this, you’re probably thinking:
“Oh, wow—seriously? There’s help for getting my kids through college debt-free, and into great jobs after college? I had no idea this kind of help was available! Am I late starting this? Yikes, I don’t have any spare time! If I work on this, how much time is it going to take me?”
And getting your kids through college debt-free takes only minutes per week.
Right now, at this moment, you’re standing at the perfect starting point.
Listen to episode 1 of my podcast, below. It takes only 23 minutes. (Listen while you’re commuting, loading the dishwasher, or getting ready in the morning.) When you finish listening, you’ll feel hope and confidence, and you’ll know exactly what you need to do next to get your kids to the most exciting academic and career destinations—even if they don’t get a single scholarship.
If you’re parenting kids ages 12–26, listen to just the first 8 minutes below, and you’ll be hooked.
To see a list of the top 9 questions parents are asking me aboutLAUNCH—along with detailed answers—scroll to the red print below.
When Morgan Stanley’s Alix Magner calls you, you sit up a little straighter in your chair.
Alix is a high-powered, Stanford educated wealth management advisor who works with Minneapolis area families who have millions in assets—and families who are strategizing to get to that point.
When Alix told me that she’d read my book cover-to-cover and wanted to buy 30 copies for her clients, I jumped out of my chair.
It was 8:35 am on a Saturday, and I was standing at a whiteboard in a large classroom—drawing diagrams I’d need for the class I was about to teach. From behind me I heard a young male voice.
“Hi, I’m early. I wanted to say hi to you.”
I turned to see a high school boy who looked vaguely familiar.
“I came early because I wanted to tell you—” he said, looking over at my whiteboard, “I took this class from you before. When I was 12. My mom made me do it.”
We both laughed. But then he grew serious.
“I took this Strategic College Student class when I was 12, and then three years later I was in a bad car accident. I mean—it was bad. I hit my head on pavement.
I wasn’t the same after that. I couldn’t think the same. And I used what you taught me in this Strategic College Student class to get myself back.
Now I’m the captain of the debate team at a large high school, and I’m headed to Yale.
I just wanted you to know.
I came back to take this class again because you said that a lot of kids take this class when they’re 12, and it plants some seeds inside of them. Then they take this class again when they’re 15 or 18—and it really bears fruit. I’m here for the fruit. Can I give you a hug?”
He hugged me. And I swallowed a lump and felt hot tears in my eyes.
I knew that my Strategic College Student class had a reputation for being transformative for students—but I’d never heard this before.
Don’t miss your opportunity to plant seeds—don’t miss your opportunity to harvest fruit.
My 1/2 day Strategic College Student class is now available online for students nationwide. Access it now using the details you’ll find here.
Ideal age to attend this class? Ages 12–26 (and their parents).
Yep—all those people, all in the same room, all at the same time.
Parents are encouraged, but not required, to attend with their students. Parents, in just 1/2 a day you’ll see your kids’ anxiety levels drop, and you’ll watch their sense of personal power and academic confidence steadily increase.
And you’ll have all the info if your kids ever need a gentle nudge back onto the right track later.
Today I’m sharing a bit about my own author journey—in hopes of saving you years of wasted effort.
When I started out to write a book, I had a message that I knew could change the world for students and parents. I’d already been a professional writer for over 25 years, so I already knew how to write sentences and paragraphs. I knew how to organize thought and communicate effectively. But writing a book?
What I didn’t know about writing a book couldfill a book.
The process of writing and publishing a book has so many moving pieces, so much unfamiliar vocabulary, and so many complex, interdependent steps.
I felt lost. I wondered, “How can I produce a creative, brilliant, and helpful book—when 75% of the book writing and publishing process is foreign to me?”
At first I thought that surely, a publishing contract would be the answer.
I thought that if I landed a publishing contract, that would be the easy route to getting my raw manuscript to finished product—and my book into readers’ hands. Let others do the work!
But after landing a publishing contract and realizing how little money I’d make from it and how at-risk I’d be for losing my rights to my work if my book went out of print—I turned that publishing contract down and decided I’d be my own publisher.
I used CreateSpace on Amazon (now called Kindle Direct Publishing) for my printing, and got professional help navigating all the other steps of the book publishing process.
I do really love Kindle Direct Publishing, and I’d do that again in a minute. But the most important, most life-changing help I got was from Stacy Ennis.
The moment I decided to be my own publisher, I was immediately on my way.
No more waiting around to be noticed. No more spending years traveling to writers’ conferences to try to get literary agents and acquisitions editors interested in me.
Being my own publisher rocketed me to my end goal of holding my own published book in my hands, of keeping all the profit from it, and of rapidly growing my business by leveraging off of an author credential.
Caution. If you’re going to write a book, you don’t want it to be a bad book.
If you slap together a poorly organized, poorly designed, amateurish, sub-par book and quickly put it up on Amazon so you can say that you’re an author, that’s going to backfire on you.
If your book doesn’t get reviews, or if the bulk of your reviews are negative, that will hurt your name, your brand, and your business.
I saved myself from this by getting help from Stacy Ennis.
Hiring Stacy was one of the best business investments I’ve ever made. She worked with me to engineer the structure of my book, to shape and polish it, and to navigate all the moving pieces I had to master to have an outstanding, well-reviewed result.
At this point parents are reading my book, libraries are stocking it, schools are putting it at their front desks for parents to read, and financial advisors are buying copies in bulk for handing out to clients.
I could have never achieved this without Stacy.
Until now, only a few lucky authors have been able to get Stacy’s help.
Stacy’s in such high demand that she’s able to accept only 1% of the projects offered to her. The wait to get on her client list can be months and even years long.
Now, you can get Stacy’s best help for a fraction of her regular price.
Join Stacy’s live, in-person book coaching program Nonfiction Book School by August 5th, 2020, and you’ll get top-notch, expert guidance that walks you through each step of writing your book, from initial idea to finished manuscript.
If you’re reading this on or before August 5th, 2020, join Stacy for a free webinar on how to increase your influence by writing a book. Register here.
Listen to my live interview with Stacy Ennis. It’s fun and fast-paced.
If you’re parenting a kid ages 12-18 and you’d like to hear what I, personally do for free to help parents get kids through college debt-free, zoom straight to minute 26:38.
When my book got rave reviews on Amazon, that was a game-changer for me.
It got me attention that literally changed my professional life.
Let Stacy give you the help she gave me.
I have no affiliate agreement with Stacy Ennis and have not been compensated in any way for writing this article.
Increasingly, grandparents are helping families get on the path toward debt-free college—and they’re doing it without spending one penny more than they are right now.
Join me for a free webinar titled How Grandparents Are Lighting the Way to Debt-Free College For the Kids They Love.
In just one hour, parents and grandparents will hear me explaining an easy idea that helps grandparents build close, ongoing relationships with the grandkids, point the way to future financial stability, and leave a legacy that will last long after they’re gone.
All without spending one penny more than they are right now.
This free webinar will be presented on Wednesday, July 29th, 2020.
Parents dread paying $100,000 for college—only to find out afterward that their kids have graduated with a boatload of forgotten classroom learning—but no real job skills and zero job prospects.
The key to getting a great job after college—is developing actual job skills beforehand.
Developing actual job skills between the ages of 15 and 22 can be done by:
1. Identifying career goal early on (as I explain in Chapter 13 of my book)
2. Job shadowing in the chosen career field
3. Volunteering in the chosen career field, and/or—
4. Joining SkillsUSA during the high school and college years.
SkillsUSAhelps students learn real-world job skills in high school and in college.
Parents, watch the 9-minute “What is SkillsUSA?” video featuring TV host Mike Rowe below, and then call 844-875-4557 to find a SkillsUSA chapter in your area and learn how your child can join.
This month I’m making applying for scholarships easier than ever.
Join me for a free webinar designed to whet your kid’s appetite for applying for scholarships.
In just one hour, you and your kids will hear me teach a short-cut, two-step strategy that helps students write one scholarship application essay and use it over and over again.
(In addition, you’ll learn a super clever way students can stand out as scholarship superstars—even if they have lower grades and test scores.)
This free webinar will only be presented on Saturday, July 25th, 2020.
How can students complete both tech school and college by age 22?
Students, consider this strategy:
1. While you’re still in 10th grade, find out if you can take dual enrollment college courses while you’re in 11th and 12th grades.
Do this, and you could earn two years of high school credit and two years of real college credit at the same time. (In many cases, with the state you live in footing the entire bill!)
Many students who do this are able to walk across their high school graduation stages with 2-year associate’s degrees already completed—debt-free at state expense—while still enjoying the full high school experience.
No one ever asks these high school students if they’re college material—because at age 18 they’re already halfway to the 4-year college completion finish line!
(To learn your state’s rules regarding dual enrollment, google the name of your state along with the words “dual enrollment.”)
If you’re already past 10th grade and you wonder if it’s too late for you to use this strategy, do this.
Whatever age you are now, go to your nearest high school guidance counselor and ask, “Can you help me figure out how I can squeeze the maximum number of dual enrollment college courses into the rest of my high school career?” (Be prepared to argue that AP is not the same as dual enrollment.)
2. Start thinking early on about what kinds of tech school programs might be fun to pursue.
Quit worrying about “following your passion.”
Watch the short video here to understand why “follow your passion” is some of the worst career advice ever.
Go to a tech school near your house and ask what kinds of skilled job training programs they have available. (Tech schools have a wide variety of offerings you’ve likely never thought of before.)
Many of us have been repenting, in tears, of our own lack of action—lack of paying attention—when it comes to racial injustice. Now we wonder, “What can I do?”
One thing is—remain engaged. Not grow weary in well-doing.
We can’t let our fiery conviction that change MUST HAPPEN dissipate with the next news cycle because we’re getting tired.
I understand that the constant barrage of vitriol and negativity we’re hearing all around us is energy-draining. It saps the creativity we so need to think of empathetic, kind things we could do that could actually help bring about beautiful and long-lasting change.
If you’ve been feeling drained in this way, today might be a good day to listen to this funny, enlightening, high-energy 12-minute TED Talk by Dr. Shawn Achor, instructor for the most popular class ever in the history of Harvard and leader in the positive psychology movement.
Dr. Achor helps us understand how we can keep our brains wired for the energy, productivity, and creativity that will help us make a positive difference in the world.
If you’re in the long process of launching a teen into adult life, you know the wobbly, unstable feeling.
Your teen’s about to embark on a journey that’s going to be exciting.
It’ll be a combination of breathtaking beauty and—at certain times—hair-raising, adrenaline-skyrocketing danger.
The safely of the shoreline is no place to spend the rest of your life, and so your teen has to go.
Launching a teen into adult life can feel like launching a canoe.
It’s a time of transition.
You hold the gunwales while the child you love goes from standing confidently on solid ground, to placing one foot on a wobbly, unstable surface.
Then stepping gingerly—holding on—trying to find balance, trying to get to a seat without tipping.
Sometimes this canoe holds multiple teens all doing this at the same time, with scant experience or skill, their every move throwing your whole family off balance one way, and then another.
Launching a teen can be like launching a canoe—for 7 years.
