This recession — our generation’s Great Depression — will profoundly transform the way we live, think, and work.

I’d like to encapsulate four of the effects of this recession I think we’ll see over our lifetimes. Whether you agree or disagree, please write your own blog post (and link back to this one) or comment here with your own thoughts on how our world will change. (more…)

This blog post is raw, unedited, and from my heart.

I’m at the Train the Trainer workshop in Los Angeles, CA. The goal of this 5-day workshop is to train you on how to speak in front of an audience…from specific ways of handling questions to actually getting up there on stage and speaking.

Tonight was “Outrageous Night”, where we had to dress up in costumes and perform a minute-and-a-half song in front of 100 people. We were not allowed to lip-synch or talk. (more…)

In May 2007, at the I Can Do It conference, I had a defining moment that changed my life.

I had come to I Can Do It with my mother that year. I was driven to come to the conference because I had known since I was quite young that I was destined to become a writer. But I struggled to connect with any author at the conference. They were swoopy and syrupy and spiritual, and they had legions of adoring fans who mobbed them for autographs. I was practical, a straight shooter, and a technology freak who owned a web hosting company. I felt uncomfortable and out of place.

The conference had started on Thursday, and on Saturday night, I finally broke down in our hotel room. The tears flowed, and I explained to my mom that I had wanted a sign at this conference as to what I was supposed to do to become a writer, and I hadn’t seen it.

My mom said, “Don’t write this off yet. You have one more day here.” (more…)

This weekend, I was in San Antonio, speaking at Pat O’Bryan’s UnSeminar5. Somehow, I had found Pat O’Bryan on Twitter during my recent foray into Internet marketing, and when he announced he had two Erics speaking at his UnSeminar, I told him he needed an Erica, too.

Of course, Pat had no idea who I was, so I sent him an email. I wrote the following:

“I am 26 years old, and recently sold my Internet-based business (a web hosting company) for $1.1 million. I started my web hosting company at age 20, having little or no concept of how to run a business, and very much ‘flew by the seat of my pants’ for a few years!

In a commoditized industry with over 20,000 companies competing in an often cutthroat manner, I grew my business from $0 to over $1 million per year in revenue — without taking on any investors, and while spending less than $25,000 on marketing (most of which was wasted money!) (more…)

This is a blog response to Steve Pavlina’s blog How to Be a Man.

As with Steve’s blog post, I don’t believe this advice all applies only to women. Steve picked the theme, so I am sticking to it.

Throughout the post, I will also share examples of women who have been personally inspirational to me. It is my hope that you will find inspiration in their stories as well. (more…)