Lois Melbourne
Chief Story Officer
My Future Story
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Studied marketing & changed schools so I had to design my own degree plan to fit the new school.
Interned & worked in the business side of commercial and film production.
Worked in a tech company helping companies select and learn software.
Co-founded software company. 18 years of selling software, leading people, running a business.
Sold the business, even though I miss the global travel and all my employees.
Started writing books and speaking to help kids find the careers they will love.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Logan Rogersville High School
Logan Rogersville High School
Career
Chief Story Officer
I speak and write to help kids explore career options.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Entrepreneurship
Writing
Communicating / Sharing Stories
Day to Day
Great days include lots of writing time. I write books for 9-14 year olds, and blog posts for 14-25 year olds. I write blogs and articles for parents and educators. I like to do as much writing as possible, sitting outside. My work includes researching a lot of careers. I am getting ready for a book launch, which means I must find ways to promote the book, like radio interviews. Spending time with students to understand their concerns about their future jobs make a day great too.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Reading as much good writing as you can possibly get your hands on, is invaluable. Good writing takes practice, so writing with all kinds of intent and voice is very important. Learning about marketing is also critical. Writers have to be self-promoters, publishers do very little promotion for you and to get a publisher you have to market yourself. So learn the psychology of marketing and the tools.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Family:
"'When are you going to get a real job?' This was even after we had started hiring employees to work for us. They didn't understand the life of being an entrepreneur."
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
