Prove to me in 650 words that you are a memorable human being, worthy of acceptance.

That’s pretty much the prompt students face when attempting the Personal Statement on college applications. It’s also the Everest I help them climb with Success Story, my business I built this past year. For students, this high-stakes writing task is so stressful and complex, many require support. Now every day I get to blend the art of writing with the art of coaching. Here’s my business success story.

I’ve always loved being a team player. With 30 years in schools and nonprofits, I thought I’d collaborate forever while writing young adult literature. But right as the world was waking up to a virus, I woke up to a realization it was time to go solo. As everyone retreated home, I took a leap of faith. I left my job and expanded occasional tutoring into an LLC. All my prior work as teacher, curriculum designer, and author led to creating this business.

First I wrote several drafts of my mission. “Authentic” and “storytelling” are two key aspects of my brand that made it through revisions. I knew I wanted students to tell compelling, honest tales and emerge with writing skills they could use elsewhere. Now, how to help students share their unique selves in 650 words?

In the same way authors create compelling characters, I help students discover their distinctive backstory, achievements, and values. I teach teens to find sensory detail and dialogue from key moments in their history that admissions officers will remember. (Pro tip: winning the big game or award isn’t necessarily your most memorable story.) I have kids study hooks and structure in successful essays. I teach the art of revision. As they write, I’m on the virtual sidelines, shouting encouragement. Since our kids are steeped in streaming stories, they have lots of natural skill to coach.

As I designed service plans, I kept my target audiences in mind. I’m solving not just students’ challenges but also parents’. Teaming up with their teen on an essay? Not on their Top Ten List. How could I meet this need efficiently and also at a reasonable price? Years designing mini-lessons paid off: now my students move nimbly through stages of brainstorming, drafting, and revision. I create personalized handouts to help elicit their best stories.

These invaluable resources also helped my success:

SCORE [www.score.org]: Business mentors from my local organization of retired business professionals gave me excellent, free advice. My dad, a longtime mentor, offered great help.

Feedback: My sister suggested the tagline, Write Your Future Now. Friends reviewed my plans and their children tested my services. They all became my “street team.” Influencers who recommend you to potential clients are gold!

Website: It’s not just business card and shingle; it’s where I issue contracts and schedule students. A key investment was a great designer who now also resolves issues and advises me on branding.

Videos: My quick, original tip videos attract many of my students. The first months, I kept it simple: a good outfit and a good message. Since my parent demographic is on Facebook, clients find me there.

Online Resources: Zoom, Google Docs, Google Slides, and Gmail are my infrastructure to securely serve students and give parents access.

It wasn’t just hard work and skill; luck and timing matter too, not unlike the path to publishing. Many colleges no longer require test scores, making essays more important than ever. Social distancing made Zoom an easy go-to for families, while I save time not commuting, and can serve students in different states.

Now I’m blessed with more clients than I thought possible. The best part is hearing good news from students accepted at schools such as Duke, Tulane, Carolina, and Cal Poly. I’m grateful for a vocation that’s my heart—writing and teaching—in a place where the boss is pretty nice, most of the time.

BIO – Lyn Fairchild Hawks is the owner of Success Story, a college essay consulting service that helps students harness powerful storytelling strategies to deliver a standout college essay. A former English teacher and director of curriculum and instruction at Duke University TIP, she is also an award-winning young adult fiction author and author of several books for educators. Find out more about Lyn at success-story.lynhawks.com and lynhawks.com/books.
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