Linda Larsen, the Queen of referrals, is responsible for 80% of our East Coast business and 98% of all our speaker industry business. Referred to us by speaker Mimi Donaldson of Marina del Rey, Linda Larsen came to us in 2002 for a branding project. It wasn’t long before we recognized the value of knowing Linda Larsen.
Post 9/11 Reset
It was 2002, and we were still recovering from 9/11. The Dot-Com boom had imploded, and technology was slowly becoming a part of doing business. As the gold rush ended and all the miners left the hills, the want-to-be web developers returned to doing what they had done before when the easy money was gone.
For many who stuck around, it was a challenge to earn the trust of the average business owner and understand our true worth and what people truly needed.
For us, it was about more than just the money. We were passionate about learning about this relatively new and expanding technology as much as possible. We taught application technology at the local Otis College of Art and Design and, to this day, encourage our clients to learn just enough about the tools to be as self-sufficient as possible.
We are always excited about the future.
Positively Speaking
Working with Linda was like working with someone we have known for quite some time. Our back-and-forth banter was like two friends going out for coffee and discussing all the good things life offers. Her critical eye, beyond her positive persona, allowed us to quickly arrive at a point of completion with her branding project, which quickly led to another project and another. Before you know it, two and a half decades passed.
It was all positive, even when discarding designs that were not favored over others. After a day of Linda-ness, we went home feeling good about the day’s work.
Yes, it was never about money; it was the positive attitude that prosperity followed into a room.
Who is Linda Larsen?
Linda’s story is remarkable and provides the foundation for her positive message in her line of motivational speaking.
Since childhood, watching I Love Lucy has made her realize she has always wanted to become a professional actress. She escaped to the imaginary worlds of Shakespeare and Moliere, joining the Actor’s Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild and earning a Master of Fine Arts degree. She even enjoyed performing with the King of Comedy, Sid Caesar.
When she wasn’t acting, she taught the trade and eventually taught lawyers and executives how to act in their professions.
Today, she commands the attention of thousands from a single stage and teaches everyone how to act in life. Her main message of Positively Speaking is to think positively with each step taken.
You would think her life was all hunky-dory, but it wasn’t. As a young mother, while at a bank, she was taken hostage and held at gunpoint for 5-hours. Through this, she was able to understand the value of indeed life and communication.
In the post-9/11 and post-Dot-Com world, she was a breath of fresh air.
What Have We Done for Linda Larsen?
Our first project for Linda was to create a name brand for her and her motivational speaking career. Extraordinarily enough, her slightly refined logo is still being used today.
A stationery development campaign followed, producing her business card, letterhead, envelope, and thank you card.
By the end of 2002, we had started developing her first website. Back then, for most, any website was their first website. Over the years, we have updated her site with three significant overhauls.
We would produce flyers, postcards, one-pagers, banner ads, social media cover banners, merchandise design, and even a rap video single CD tray insert in between and throughout.
Linda would also have a few side projects that she and her husband, TV weatherman John Scalzi, would organize. Their projects included the Cable Access Guild and Voting Matters.
Queen of Referrals
Here is a partial list of clients Linda has sent our way:
Angela Brown (5)
DevelUp (2)
Michael Soon Lee (10)
*The numbers after the names represent the referring clients' referrals.
Now Seriously
In August of 2008, Thomas “Teejay” Joel, founder, owner, and art director for IAMTEEJAY, was involved in a near-fatal motorcycle accident and was hospitalized for six weeks. During this time, Linda Larsen started a fundraiser to raise money to ease the stress of recovery.
With Linda’s voice and connections, the fundraiser allowed Teejay to put his computer away in the hospital and focus on returning to life rather quickly.
THANK YOU, LINDA, and those who have contributed; we couldn’t be more grateful to all of you.
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