Hannah Murray & Associates - Chapter 19

I was still in my messy, volatile relationship that was going nowhere.  The club owner had told me that he was going to have a new guy, Derek, come in and bring some up and coming Hip Hop artists.  Great (I whispered sarcastically).  I knew the type.  That was the whole reason I started on my own.  Another guy trying to show off and get laid.

But nothing could be farther from the truth.

Week after week Derek would come around. At first I kind of just ignored him. Just get in and get out – that’s what I thought.

But week after week we were the only ones sober at the end of the night.  He was a nice guy.  He knew I had a boyfriend, so he kept his distance. We would joke around all night with the bouncers at the door.  He would flirt…. But just a little….

At that same time I had this awesome idea to put on the SHOW of ALL SHOWS!  I swear - this is my favorite show I have ever put on!  I LOVED car shows.  I have always loved cars.  I don’t mean engines or anything – I mean the LOOK of cars.  Especially classic cars.  I decided that I was going to put on the biggest show tailored for men that anyone has ever seen!  I called it MANIFEST.  Like Man Fest, get it???.  But it was an idea that came into fruition?  I think you got me…

It was a classic car show, new car show (the Chrysler 300 was being released that year and everyone was excited!), Asian Car Show, Racing Bikes, Classic Harley Bikes, Boxing, a Madden Tournament, and tons of bands all in ONE DAY!  It took over almost the entire fairgrounds.  Thousands of people in attendance... It was a huge undertaking and I LOVED IT!!!!

And guess who made my flyers???? That’s right… Derek… 

Cuz that’s how we promoted events back then, kids!  Derek was a huge help in helping me promote the show to the public.  This is him... www.805hiphop.com .  We worked for several months together as I worked to put on that show - and during that time we became very good friends.

Back to the story… I could tell Derek didn’t like my boyfriend.  Didn’t like how cocky he was when he showed up to the Club.  Letting all the men know I was HIS lady.  What an idiot.

But let me tell you – the SECOND I told him we broke up, Derek was the night in shining armor!  Next thing I knew he was taking me out, emailing me every morning before I started my day…. We talked for HOURS on the phone every night after Mia would go to bed.

This went on for months until all of a sudden I looked at him one day and FREAKED OUT!!!

I realized that I was being an idiot.  I just got out of a horrible, mentally and verbally abusive relationship – just to jump right in with this guy.  A good guy.  Who was I kidding…. THE GUY!!!!

I knew that it was wrong and I was a wreck, so I told him I needed to back up.  And back away.

He was not happy, but of course, since he was such a good guy he smiled and told me he understood.

I suddenly looked back into myself and I knew things had to change.  I had to make a drastic change in who I was and the life I was living.  So I quit.  And I mean EVERYTHING!  I like to call it…. “Retired from the Life.”

I completely disappeared.

I stopped running night clubs.

I quit the radio stations.

And I added more classes at school.

I was making a ton of money at the radio stations and with the clubs.  I was a single mom leaving that security.  But I was internally a wreck.  I had to completely start over.  I needed to grow up and put my big girl panties on.

So I completely disappeared.  After ending things with Derek I gave Chip several months notice, but immediately started working on the new plan.

This was 2005.  Businesses knew they needed a website, but no one knew where to start.  This was also right when Ipods came out and RSS feeds and newsletters became the big thing.  There were tons of businesses that needed to upgrade but were lost as to where to start.  I didn’t know how to do any of these things, but I knew people who did – so I started my own Company called Hannah Murray & Associates.  Who were my associates?  Anybody who wanted to work with me!

I went after a motivational speaker who lived near me.  I had known him for several years and his material was amazing!  Problem was, all of his material was on VHS tapes and had covers that looked like 1985.  But here he was Coaching huge companies who were full of lots of very young executives who rode the subways every day.  If he was going to keep them as clients he needed to upgrade and be relevant.

I went to him and asked for a meeting.  I told him that I had some ideas that would help him sell more of his material that he had already created, instead of more of his time.  Think about it – he was a one man show.  Once his time was booked – it was booked.  He was done making money that month!  He agreed to a meeting!

I worked for a week on the presentation.  Creating and upgrading to DVD, RSS Feeds, newsletters, a new website, creating commercials for his radio show to promote his products, new professional photos – the works.

I showed my friend, Lisa, my proposal.

What do you think?

I think you should charge him $10,000 / month!  That’s a lot of work you are doing for him!

I thought she was crazy.  But it was only for a two year 1099 contract.  And I needed to pay everyone else out.

So I thought. Ok.  I’ll do that.

HE AGREED ON THE SPOT!

Lisa!  I got him to pay the $10,000 a month!

WHAT????  I was just kidding!  I just meant it was a lot that you were doing for him.  HOLY SHIT!  He’s going to pay you $10,000 a month????

What do you mean you were kidding!!!  Jesus Christ I thought it was a lot of money –but you said so – so I just asked and figured he would negotiate me down and I would still be ok! (I almost shit my pants)

*Lesson*  Just ask.  Why not?  They are usually going to try to come back at you with a lower price.  Just know what the lowest is that you will go.  But ask!  I swear to god I have asked for the world ever since!

So I started the project a few weeks later.  I took all of his VHS tapes and had a friend of mine who had a studio convert them all to audio files.  I then took the hours of audio files, broke them up into segments that I thought were great lessons, added an intro and ending to them like a TV show, and make them into RSS feeds.  By the end – he had a daily RSS feed to send out to all of the executives for 5 days a week for two years.

For months I worked on all of the projects.  I worked on other small projects here and there for other smaller companies.  But I didn’t HAVE TO – which made me picky and ask for more money.  It was great!

I continued going to school, and had lots more time to spend with Mia because I was not working nights or every single weekend.  I was starting to live a normal, healthier life.

One day these projects were done with the Speaker.  I started working for the Chamber of Commerce, helping put on their Business Expo.  Then I even worked for a Chocolate Festival.  A Chocolate Festival! I was actually mad I had not thought of it myself.  It was the talk of the town the year before, but the Good Willed people who put it on had no experience and were doing it for Charity.  The problem was, that they said the words CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL and thousands of people flocked through the doors.  And can you believe there was not enough chocolate???  Good God.

So, I made a deal with them.  They did not have to pay me.  I would sell ALL the booths, set up all the vendors and sponsors, and do all the Promoting of the Show.  They just had to pay for the venue, book the entertainment, and get all the permits and insurance.  And of course, gather me about a hundred people to work that day from their non-profit.

In exchange, I would get 20% commission of all the money I brought in from Booths and Sponsorships. And 10% of all tickets sales.  They agreed wholeheartedly.

It was all good for months, until they started having to write me checks for all the vendors and sponsorships.  They thought a $20,000 commission check was too high.

This is for the Children. – they said

Ok.  Yeah, I know.  But you would not have the other 80% of the money without me.  It is only three months in, with six months more to go, and you have already doubled your income from last year.  That’s what you pay me for.

They begrudgingly handed me the check.

Next month… Another $8,000 check.  Begrudgingly

Next month… Another $10,000 check.  Begrudgingly

The festival was going great!  I had already filled two giant buildings of Chocolate!  I was working on a third building.  The promos were all over the place.  People were talking about it all over the County.  Chocolate was coming out of my ears!

Three weeks before the show I was called to a planning meeting. Except it was only me and two other people.  They were upset that the main sponsors were a bank and Honda.

Why?

They are not chocolate – they said

Oh!  No worries there!  I have teamed the bank up with the local Produce Distributor and they are bringing in six foot chocolate fountains and providing 6,000 pieces of fruit to dip in the fountain as part of their booth!

And then HONDA is releasing this new car this year called CRAVE.  Get it?  Like CRAVE CHOCOLATE??? So I teamed them up with a local home builder and they are going to park a new CRAVE car in the middle of two fake chocolate waterfalls!  So they are both tying in nicely!

Oh?  And who is PAYING for all of this, Hannah?!

I charged the bank an extra $2,000 more than the normal sponsorship, and the Berry Distributor agreed to that price.And Honda has agreed to let the home builder to put their sign up at their booth, and Honda is paying for the cost of the materials.

Well, you did not run this by us.

It was a lost cause.  They were looking for anything.

What’s going on?  What are you trying to say?

They let me go.  I couldn’t believe it. Three weeks before the show.  It took me a minute to figure it out, but I soon realized…  They did not want to pay me for ticket sales.

And before you ask – NO.  I did not have anything to protect me from this in the contract.

So there you go. WHUTYA GONNA DO?

I moved on to the next project…