How Did Marilyn Start Her Business?

A True Tale of Synchronicity and Guidance (a Long One!)

Over the years, people have come to me and asked how I got into the special events industry or how I started my special events location and production company and became an "expert" so quickly. I thought that one day I would put the story in writing for those who are curious and I decided that day is now. It seems rather timely, as this past month I made the decision to completely release my corporate business in order to devote myself exclusively to teaching my Feel Free to Prosper program and to business endeavors related to my mentoring.

As many of you know, the sole client I maintained this past couple of years has been Campbell Soup, which spent over $450 million dollars (yes, that's $450,000,000 and that was even before the last three promotions we did this year!) to create promotions targeted at children. That client came to me literally "out of the blue" just after I began teaching my program. I had a key role in these promotions, securing spectacular locations - the Hollywood mansions, English castle and private Caribbean island that lucky children would win for a week's stay with their friends and family as the Grand Prize. This August was the fulfillment month for promotions # 4, 5 and 6 that were booked earlier in the year. I became aware this past month that it was time to "cut the cord" after two decades of owning a business that serviced the worlds largest corporations.

So how did this career of two decades begin? What was my background and experience? How did I get started? Did I have any material or financial advantage? Were prosperity principles involved?

The answers...

How did this career begin? Out of the blue

What was my experience? None

How did I get started? Pure synchronicity and intuitive guidance

Did I have any material or financial advantage? Absolutely not

Were prosperity principles involved? Absolutely yes

The story...

Be prepared for a long detailed account of synchronicity and Universal guidance borne out of my application of prosperity principles - this will be a free flowing tale as I remember the details. I may not be inspired again to tell it, so I will offer it in full. But I will submit it in sections, so that it is not overwhelming and so that you may absorb the full impact of the synchronicity and prosperity lessons learned along the way. You will discover how the beginning of this story flows into the subsequent connected experiences and weaves itself into the creation of my company and the business that lasted over 20 years, despite some very intense times.

It begins in the early 80s and at a point in my life when I was in limbo and in debt. I had made my first attempt at a free lance business that gave me some experience but didn't go very far. I was at a crossroads and in debt and didn't know what direction to take. I was in various stages of the study of metaphysics and learning about the mind and mental and spiritual laws. I knew I had to do something about my situation and do it quickly. I was always intrigued with the metaphysical and psychic world, parapsychology and the whole idea of being "guided" by our intuition. So I made the decision that my immediate "job" would be to seriously apply what I had been learning from the prosperity teachers and literature. And I did just that. I took what I was learning and put my heart into applying it.

Part I: Brancusi Who?

It was a very, very hot summer day in Los Angeles - a heat wave. The last thing I would have thought to do was to go shopping for clothes or run around town in the heat. Hey, I loved fashion but there were certainly no funds for new wardrobe items. I had to find a way out of thousands of dollars of debt I had somehow managed to incur while "free lancing" in business.

Suddenly I had a spontaneous urge to go to the very exclusive department store, Bonwit Teller, on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. I didn't know why. Well, I reasoned, at least it would be well air-conditioned. I drove to the store and went to the designer department.

There I immediately ran into a saleswoman whom I had not seen since she worked at Neiman Marcus and had sold me a few items maybe a year or two before. Imagine my surprise when she said she had been thinking of me just that morning and said to herself, I'll bet Marilyn would know what to do with this situation. She knew about a woman who lived in Palm Springs who was trying to sell a sculpture by the sculptor Brancusi and the owner was offering a finder's fee to someone who could find a buyer for her.

Brancusi? Never heard of him. I actually knew nothing about the art business and certainly wouldn't know how to find a buyer for any kind of art or sculpture. But I was intrigued. Why, out of 14 million people in this city, was I intuitively drawn to this opportunity and why was this saleswoman thinking of me for the task that morning even though she hadn't seen me in well over a year and didn't know much about my business ability? Why did I feel prompted to go to the store? My intuition told me that this was a response from my prosperity work and that I should follow through even though I had no idea what to do at the time.

I obtained photos of the sculpture from the owner and did some research by calling galleries and such. I discovered that the owner had already been shopping it around for a couple of years. Furthermore, Constantin Brancusi is a famous sculptor whose modern abstract works sell for as much as millions, but this was an extremely early piece of his - a plaster head of a boy, not his abstract style at all and not even a bronze and it apparently had no value in the art world. The sculpture had been a wedding present to this woman many decades earlier in Romania. When the Nazis came in and confiscated valuables, she managed to smuggle the piece out through Italy and brought it to America with her years later. Now as an older woman, she had no more attachment to the work and preferred the income instead. Wherever I called or visited, gallery owners and art professionals said to forget it, no one would want it. The piece is too early, it's not Brancusi's distinct style, it's only plaster, not even a completed sculpture. (I will say though, from the photos I had, it was a sensitive and lovely version of this young boy's head).

But all I could feel inside was that this was MY prosperity demonstration and it was given to me for a reason. I would not give up...

Around that time I was attending a Wednesday night healing class conducted by Janet Levy, a metaphysical teacher who called her class Expect a Miracle. In fact, she would give us all small affirmation cards. On one side was printed "Expect a Miracle" and on the blank side we were to write our own affirmation or what we wanted to "demonstrate", another metaphysical term for manifest.

After several months of getting nowhere with calls regarding a source to buy this Brancusi, I made a decision. I sat down quietly and very simply said to Infinite Intelligence, the Universe..."Find me a buyer for the Brancusi." That was it. Simple. Clear. Effortless. There would be no more outer action on my part. I had done whatever I could do myself with no result.

I intuitively must have known it was time to let go and let the Universe take over. As you will see, this was one of my greatest lessons in spiritual law, as I learned from this experience that we do not have to exhaust ourselves trying to force things to happen and THEN decide to go to our Source. We can go to our Source at the very beginning and save lots of time and hassle. As the saying goes, we can go direct and cut out the middle man. :-)

I continued to sit quietly and suddenly I heard an inaudible whisper coming from somewhere in my consciousness. My inner voice whispered "Guggenheim Museum". That's all. Guggenheim Museum. I had lived in Manhattan a couple of times so I knew the Guggenheim Museum was there, but I had never been there because I wasn't a modern art fan. (I had often visited the Metropolitan Museum). But the voice said Guggenheim Museum. It was clear.

I picked up the phone and called the Guggenheim in New York and spoke with the curator. She knew the sculpture because she said the owner had stored it with them years before when she first came to America and while she was settling in Palm Springs in the West. But she said they would have no interest in it. She could, however, give me the name of an art dealer who might be able to direct me somewhere. I made the call to the art dealer, Harold Diamond.

The art dealer did not refer me to anyone. Instead, he told me that if I was willing to bring the plaster head to New York, HE would buy it himself! He offered $50,000.

Now, imagine this scenario...

I had been living in Los Angeles for about 8 years. I had come to LA after spending a year in New York City. I was no longer accustomed to the cold climate (except for an occasional trip to the snow here at Lake Arrowhead). I gathered warm clothing while the owner of the Brancusi, having accepted the dealer's offer, paid for my plane ticket and prepared me for my trip to make the sale. This was the first time I actually saw the real plaster head, as it had been stored in a vault in Palm Springs. It was now in a canvas bag with small wheels on the bottom and it was exclusively my responsibility to get it safely to its destination.

It was January 5th. There was a mass exodus in both airports - LAX and JFK - with people returning after their holiday travels. And here I was rolling this plaster head in a canvas bag among throngs of travelers, taking utmost care not to let anyone or anything come in contact with that bag (remember, the sculpture was only plaster). If anything had happened to this piece of art on the way to its intended new home, I would have had to leave the country and go into hiding :-)

On the plane, when all carry ons had to be placed under the seat for takeoff, I refused to let go of the Brancusi. I held it like a live baby. I argued with the attendant until she realized how important this was to me. I was not about to have a plaster head selling for $50,000 go rolling down an airplane aisle! I held it close to my heart for much of the trip.

To be continued...

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For you curious modern art lovers...

Constantin Brancusi's "Bird in Space" (1927)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957)

A Brancusi Sells at Record Price
"Bird in Space" Fetches $27.45 Million at Christie's

NEW YORK, May 6, 2005 — Christie's conducted the most successful art auction so far this year in any field, setting a record Wednesday (May 4) night with the sale of a Brancusi. Within two hours, 52 Impressionist and Modern works of art sold for a huge $142.9 million. (~ The Seoul Times)

Certain puts that humble plaster head in perspective, doesn't it? :-)

~ M

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Part II: Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun(ds)

Upon my arrival in New York, Harold Diamond had instructed me to come directly to his Park Avenue residence/gallery to meet him and his wife and to deliver the Brancusi, after which he was to see that I was transported to the Westside hotel he recommended for my stay.

I loved the feeling of the cold weather again after all those years in Los Angeles – it was very invigorating and I didn’t realize how I had missed the stimulation of New York’s energy and “vibrations” until I got off the plane. I left the airport to meet Harold with my luggage and precious cargo.

I was wearing a regulation Navy pea coat – the real thing – that I had bought brand new at a Navy supply store and had beautifully tailored to fit my shoulders and sleeve length. I wore the jacket over a sweater with an ankle length slim wool skirt and boots. The contrasting wool scarf and gloves completed the picture and for the first time in 8 years I felt cosmopolitan and “eastern”. Los Angeles is so warm and relaxed and we rarely get to bundle up in real winter clothes. I loved looking the part. Even Harold’s wife remarked how this California gal looked “put together” for this rare New York trip. :-)

Harold took me up to the gallery section of the penthouse and he had me unzip the canvas bag on top of a table. He had a really strange look on his face when I opened the bag. He looked at the sculpture and said, “It’s the wrong one.” I know my heart skipped a beat in that moment of deafening silence, but then he quickly blurted out, “That’s all right, I’ll take it anyway.” You see, there was a series of four of these boys’ heads that Brancusi had sculpted in those early days in Romania and somehow Harold had gotten the impression that he was buying a different one, even though I had sent photos. After a three-thousand mile trip and gingerly negotiating my way through two of the world’s busiest airports at the busiest time of year, my relief at his words was indescribable.

But what I heard next was the real manifestation and you will soon see why. Harold said that because I had traveled all that way to deliver the Brancusi, he was also going to pay me 10% commission on the sale although we never had any such agreement. It was always understood that my agreement was with the seller for the commission. His offer was one of pure generosity but he probably did not realize that he was in reality playing out his perfect role at the direction of the Universal Director that had already planned the payment of all my debts according to the script that I had written in my subconscious mind with my prosperity work.

For you see, the total amount of commissions that I made from both seller and buyer was the amount of money that was required to pay off my debts in full!! And with some left over just for me! And it was the part that was “just for me” that turned out to be the door opener to the career that I would never have imagined was waiting for me…but you’ll have to wait for the next section for that part of the story. One mysterious hint: “Calvin Klein” was also a major player in the Divine plan.

I will leave you here by letting you know that I ended up staying in New York City a whole month before returning to Los Angeles. Harold had introduced me to a friend of his, an attractive divorced art expert who added an entire social aspect to my trip. :-).

To be continued…

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Part III: These Shoes Weren’t Meant for Walking

I know I promised in Part II that I would walk you through that next synchronistic door to my waiting career. But I remembered a story from this New York experience that I have shared with my students in the past and I feel that the prosperity lesson it teaches is too important not to include here. So let's stay in New York a bit longer before returning to the West Coast...

During my stay in Manhattan, I planned to have dinner with a former acquaintance that I hadn’t seen in years - not since I had lived in that city eight years earlier.

Now, I have to share a personal detail here about myself in order to relate this story and its lesson…

It’s not easy for me to find fashionable (high heeled) dressy shoes that fit me comfortably, but I had a pair of dress heels custom-altered by a shoemaker to fit me and took them on my trip. They were precious to me and I took them to New York to wear with suits for dressy occasions. When packing for my trip, I really didn't know if there would be any dressy occasions, but even back then I believed in "stepping out in faith" (pun intended), so I packed an outfit and the shoes just in case.

Well, I was meeting this former friend in a restaurant that evening and carried the shoes in a tote bag so that I could change into them when I got to the restaurant. I wore my evening outfit because I was invited to meet someone else at a very high-class art auction later on that night, so I would be wearing the dress shoes at that time, also. Please recall that this was New York in January and the streets were covered with snow, sleet and ice, so I was wearing good solid rubber soled rain boots while traveling to my destinations (and also while taking invigorating walks around the city).

I arrived at the restaurant by taxi and as soon as the taxi took off, I realized I had left the tote bag with the shoes on the back seat. You have to understand how important those shoes were to me at the time. I can’t go into a store and buy dressy shoes at any given moment like most people. Those shoes were the only pair I had brought that could be worn to the dressy functions. Well, of course, fear set in and the first thing I did was go running like a crazy person down the icy street after the taxi, yelling for anyone to “Stop that taxi!”– just like in the movies. What a picture that must have been! Well, it was New York City – like, who cares? And of course the taxi sped away. The chances of ever seeing that taxi again were – well, I don’t need to tell you that.

I returned and found my friend in the restaurant and after hugs and greetings and getting seated, I excused myself to go to the restroom where I was hoping I could be alone to meditate for a few moments. The first thing I did was to say to myself, to my conscious mind, something I had heard over the years: “There is no loss in Divine Mind”. I was still quite shaken about the shoes being gone, but I kept repeating “There is no loss in Divine Mind” until I relaxed and released the fear of the loss. This is called a “denial thought” and many of the New Thought teachings use these denial thoughts in order to counteract the negative situation before using the positive affirmations. We use a denial thought to initially claim that the appearance just isn’t so. You are reasoning with your own conscious mind – claiming that the appearance is not so and denying that it is the truth about you. This technique allows you to remove (dissolve) the initial fear so that you can then start using your positive affirmations to influence the subconscious to accept and create what you want. It also allows you to quiet your mind so that you may listen for inner guidance.

Once I settled down and became quiet, I began saying positive affirmations about the shoes, something like “Those shoes are mine…they belong to me…they were specially made for me as a gift from the Universe, and they are here in my possession right now. They are mine.” I then released the matter and went back to dine with my friend.

About an hour into our dinner, as we were talking, suddenly a young black man showed up at our table (he must have looked around until he found us in the busy restaurant) and reached out to me with the tote, saying, “You left these in my taxi.” He apologized that it took so long to get them to me, but he had made a trip to Brooklyn before he discovered them in the cab. This young man came all the way back to Manhattan to bring me those shoes.

Although I have studied the laws for so many years and believe that miracles are very natural, not supernatural, the impact of that moment had an incredibly profound effect on me and I actually had to fight back tears (as I am doing again as I tell this story). The tears were for a combination of things:

(1) For yet another realization of the law and the confirmation of how it works when we work IT.

(2) For the fact that this young driver, although playing his appropriate role in my manifestation, was tuned in enough to his own guidance and kind enough to be a part of this manifestation. Why did I happen to have that particular taxi driver? Everyone knows the reputation of New York taxi drivers. They don’t do what he did. How the Universe made sure I was protected!

(3) I was so happy to see those shoes, which were irreplaceable at that moment in time, in the heart of winter in New York City. I realized so clearly at that moment that what belongs to us is truly ours and when we accept it as ours, it cannot be separated from us. There is truly no loss in Divine Mind.

The lesson again in this story…

By initially stating, “There is no loss in Divine Mind”, yes, I was using the word “loss” which may seem like a negative, but I was using it to counteract the outer appearance and my fearful flustered feelings. I was putting up an argument with my own mind to deny my loss thoughts. Understand? I was having a conversation with myself to reason with myself about my beliefs. Then when I became relaxed and released fear by reasoning this way, I used my positive affirmations to accept what I wanted my reality to be.

Oh, by the way, I almost forgot…The young taxi driver got a VERY generous reward from me for his actions. When he handed me the tote bag, he started to walk away and I had to call him back. He didn’t even have the thought of a reward in mind!! He brought me back the shoes because he was a good person but he was also playing the role that the Universe had for him in this instance – the role that was determined by the producer of the play – me.

God moves in mysterious ways,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

~ William Cowper, English poet

To be continued…

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Part IV: You Were Looking for Me?

I returned home to Los Angeles with a great sense of accomplishment. My debts were paid. I was free. Thank you, Universe.

Yes, I was relieved and free. But I still had no idea what I would be doing for a living or what my next step would be to create some kind of business and to maintain my freedom. I was deeply driven to be on my own and not work for anyone else. I couldn’t stand the thought of structured “employment” (I’d had jobs before but it just wasn’t ME). Yet I knew I had to think about creating a sense of security for myself and a foundation for a life. I was not trained or skilled for anything professional but I seemed to communicate well with people. I just knew that I wanted to be on my own. I had enough of a taste of it to know that was at the top of the list.

As stated, I had no sense of direction about what I would do next, but I do recall contemplating the qualities that I would want in a business and career. To the best of my memory, those qualities included:

Freedom. I wanted my own hours. I was always a night person and I didn’t want to live by anyone else’s time clock. I wanted to live by my own schedule and come and go as I please.

Self Expression. I knew I had a creative side and although I didn’t know the channel through which it would express itself, I just knew that I wanted to express myself in some way that was unique and interesting.

Social. I wanted to meet and deal with new and different people. I wanted to be in a field that had a social as well as business side.

But all of this was temporarily pushed to the back of my mind because…

First things first…

I had accomplished something very important in my growth toward a prosperity consciousness. I had applied the principles that I learned and overcame the “impossible” challenge. They said it couldn’t be done and I did it! Selling the Brancusi was indeed a major milestone in my life and my growth. It increased my confidence in the laws and in my ability to apply them to create what I wanted in life. It gave me even more of a drive to remain independent in the business world. There was only one thing to do at that moment. The only thing…

Celebrate and reward myself! :-)

I mentioned earlier that I loved fashionable clothes. Well, I had seen a beautiful outfit in a magazine some time before. It was a Calvin Klein ensemble: A wool hip-length open jacket with soft but structured shoulders, long rolled lapels and rolled cuffs – it reminded me of a modernized 40s movie star look. It was beautiful. The rest of the outfit included a wrap sweater and slim gabardine skirt. The fabrics looked gorgeous and even though it was wool, I wanted it. I couldn’t resist. True, we have very little “winter” here in Los Angeles, but I could just “feel” myself in that ensemble. I drooled over it. I had to have it.

So I decided to treat myself with some of my well-earned commission money. I called the upscale stores that carried Calvin Klein in search of the outfit and no one had it. It was long gone if they had carried it at all. After all, the magazines show fashions that may not be available in all parts of the country. Also, I had temporarily forgotten about the timing of the fashion industry and how specifically seasonal it is with regard to retail. By the time the season rolls around when you would actually wear those clothes, those lines are considered “last season” and have sold out long before to make room for the new season’s lines being sent to stores. In other words, if you want specific fashion in winter clothes, you better start shopping in summer and fall or hope you get lucky if you hit sales racks early enough. You find fall and winter clothes on the racks when it’s 100º out and summer clothes on the racks when it’s snowing outside (well, we don’t have snow in Los Angeles, but you know what I mean).

Well, that was a longwinded way of stating that the outfit I wanted was apparently no longer on this planet. I even called the department stores back East to search. Finally, I called Calvin Klein in New York. Not Calvin himself, but his company. They knew the outfit I was referring to and the magazine layout. They told me it was way too late. They did not believe I would find it anywhere. Definitely last season. I understood. It was the beginning of February – and winter by most accounts in North America – and how could I even think that a winter outfit would be available? Ridiculous. What was I thinking? (Note sarcasm).

But the person I spoke with did give me a faint glimmer of hope. She looked up the stores in Los Angeles that had purchased that particular outfit. And she mentioned one store that I had not called – The Broadway in Century City (Century City is the highrise business community adjacent to Beverly Hills which includes a large shopping center). That was the only store in the chain that purchased it and she said she would doubt there would be any pieces left because they would have been put on sale long ago. I hadn’t called the Broadway because although it carried good “bridge” lines, it didn’t have much of a “designer” department and wouldn’t be in the same league as the upscale stores where you would expect to find the top Calvin Klein fashion lines (Saks, Neiman’s, etc).

I called The Broadway in Century City. I asked for the right department and a woman answered the phone. Her name was Cira. She told me that she was not the regular saleswoman in that department and the person in charge was off that evening and there was no one filling in. She said she worked in the adjacent fur department and just happened to picked up the phone. She said she would help me if she could.

She told me she would do her best to check the sales racks to see if they had any of the pieces I was looking for. The woman at Calvin Klein in New York had given me the style numbers of the items, so I gave them to Cira along with the description of each piece. We agreed that she would call me back if she found anything. Even if I just found the beautiful jacket, I could wear it with other things.

A short time later, Cira called me to tell me that she found three of the Calvin Klein pieces on the sales rack. Those three items were the EXACT three pieces I was searching for. Those three pieces were all MY SIZE! Those three pieces were all at THIRD MARKDOWN! Third markdown! They had been reduced in price three times and were sitting in the Broadway in Century City waiting for me to find them. No one could buy those items because they belonged to me in consciousness from the moment I saw them in the magazine. The Universe had them on hold just for me and the Universe made sure that they were within MY budget, not Calvin Klein’s budget. :-)

I told Cira to hold and protect those pieces until I got there. And I went to pick them up. By the time I got to the store and met Cira, she had found another of the same jacket, one size larger and a different color. (The price was right, they both fit, so I took them both).

As I was trying on the outfits, Cira asked me what I did. I told her that I was a free lance business woman looking for my next project. I told her that I had just sold a piece of art for someone and was looking for another opportunity. She said…

“I have been looking for you for two and a half years.”

To be continued…

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Part V: Que´ Sera´ Cira

There was something special about Cira. I didn’t know what it was at first. She wasn’t your typical department store sales associate. Something in her aura, her quick smile, the way she carried herself. You knew there was a lot more going on in her life than selling furs at The Broadway. She had a unique quality. Maybe it related to something her husband later said. He said that if Cira began walking from downtown Los Angeles and walked all the way to the ocean (the other end of the city), by the time she got there, she would be completely covered with green bills. :-). Looking back, I think Cira did have a prosperity consciousness. More importantly, she had a good heart.

Cira was married to a Beverly Hills international caterer, who specialized in high caliber social events. She saw something in me that day and said she wanted me to meet her husband.

Giovanni Bolla was a true Italian and began his catering career on cruise ships. Cira was so funny at times, like when she told me how she met him while he was working a cruise. She said in those days he was an “Adonis” and she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. Well, it was funny because here they were - married with a young daughter - and Giovanni was still only in his 30s (Cira was older). But “those days” seemed so ancient. She really was funny. Or maybe marriage to an Italian does that to you. :-)

I met with Cira, Giovanni and their daughter and I was made an offer I couldn’t refuse (no, not THAT kind of Italian offer). The couple wanted me to represent Giovanni to bring in more business to their catering company. This association included…

Freedom. I had complete freedom and my time was my own. Complete autonomy, working when and where I pleased. And I never had to get up early.

Self Expression. I had never before thought of the party and events industry and never imagined the creative and unique components that go into first class and quality events. I was exposed to the most highly creative elements, which are required by discerning Beverly Hills and Los Angeles clients.

Social. I did say I wanted to be in a field that had a social as well as business side, didn’t I? Well, let’s just say that this was a field that had a business as well as social side. :-) I attended many of the sophisticated receptions and parties in town – both social and business oriented - and certainly wouldn’t run out of places to wear that Calvin Klein. Speaking of which…

Wardrobe. Giovanni would introduce me to people as his “PR” and even said that I was Vice President of the company. Well, anyone in that position must look wonderful at social events, yes? Cira was constantly telling me to come into The Broadway to try on this outfit or that outfit that she put aside for me. And she would buy me these beautiful clothes. I recall two Grecian style gowns she bought for me to wear to formal events. And one day she even surprised me with a real fur jacket – I don’t remember what kind of fur it was – it was rather unusual. Definitely… furry. I told you Cira had a good heart.

Money. Giovanni offered me a percentage of all business that came as a result of my efforts. I don’t even remember having to call on people to get business. I would just go to the receptions and parties that Giovanni catered and talk to people and give them my card when appropriate. A dirty job but someone had to do it.

Yes, it was a commission arrangement but it gave me freedom and I was fine with that. I was never one to run from a challenge anyway. What on earth could be more difficult than selling a Brancusi that no one was supposed to want?

But there was more to it than that – that Giovanni didn’t know about. He never knew that Cira would give me money on the side. She told me to keep it our secret. Cira wanted to make sure that I had what I needed. Cira and I may not have related to the term “prosperity consciousness” back then, but I realize now that she had one. And I was certainly growing one to attract this.

Challenge. So my challenge was to book parties for the Bollas. And how did I do? I ended up bringing Giovanni the largest corporate event that I believe he had ever booked. And I ended up coordinating aspects of it myself (clue). It was a six-figure formal holiday party with 400 guests at a rented Beverly Hills mansion (clue). The party photos ended up as the centerfold section of Celebrity Society Magazine (thanks to Cira’s own pr and social skills).

The centerfold photos also included an historical moment: There I was with my son David (he was living with me at that time) – I in my Grecian gown and David with the first tuxedo that he had ever worn as an "adult". (He did wear one at age thirteen but that was another lifetime.)

He looked so relaxed and handsome in the photo. What didn’t show up in the photo was the ridiculous brouhaha he created when he refused to walk out the door at home because he was wearing a ruffled shirt! He thought he looked like a “sissy”. Thank God I was allowed to invite my good friend Heidi and her husband to this grand affair. It was only after Heidi’s husband spoke with David on the telephone and assured him that he also was wearing a ruffled tuxedo shirt, that David agreed to leave for the party. But it wasn’t over. He then made it quite clear that I was not to hold his arm as we entered the party. He did not want anyone to think I was his girlfriend.

Teenage son. Sheeesh…. Talk about a challenge.

P.S. I think I will get that photo scanned and post it.

Preparation. I didn’t realize while representing the Bollas that the Universe was giving me the exposure, knowledge and awareness to carve a distinctive niche for myself in the business world that would last two decades (big clue).

To be continued…

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I'm sitting here laughing. This is getting funny. Cosmic Relief, the critically acclaimed blockbuster, starring…appearing at a theatre near you along with the critically acclaimed blockbuster, Slice of Heaven starring…Call 1-800-PROSPERITY for show times.

At the same time you are all deeply inspiring. More than you know.

I had recently told one of you here - a published author and one of many who have often encouraged me to write a book - that I didn't know why anyone would want to hear my story, that it should be all about the teaching and not about me. I honestly didn't think that others would be interested in the details of my life. In the past couple of years, I had thought about a format for a book but it just did not come clearly to me. There are so many books on the subject out there. And as I have said often, if I ever do write one, I don't want it to be "just another book". It would have to be important enough to change lives. Now that thought is overwhelming and the whole idea very easy to cast aside. I call it the "Scarlett O'Hara approach". If you recall in Gone with the Wind, Scarlett's motto and method of coping with an overwhelming aspect of life was: "I'll worry about that tomorrow". Of course, as prosperity students, we don't want to use such a phrase. But her method is clear and probably not foreign to any of us :-)

When I began this thread, I truthfully had no conscious idea relating to a book. Since I had decided to focused this month's Private Community calls on the members' businesses, I had business on the mind and thought maybe a post about how I was led to start my business would be of interest, since one of the themes in our calls is finding a direction and our true place. I never did put down in writing the path that led me to my business. I only wrote about the use of the laws while I had my business.

As a lifelong prosperity student myself, I choose to release the past and live in the now in order to create the future I want. You must understand that the past does not only include those positive and enlightening life-changing moments; it also includes the sad times on our journey that we must learn to bless and release. And who wants to revisit those?

I then thought perhaps my decision this past month to completely release my corporate business in consciousness in favor of teaching had something to do with the prompting to post something.

But after all this reflection, that is apparently not the situation, as there is a story within the story that is unfolding here, and will only prove my contention that "synchronicity rules" when we are tuned into our connection with that All Knowing, Omniscient Power that knows how to do everything and wants to be our Guide. And I have found that often the reason that I am being guided in a certain way does not reveal itself until much later.

There is news.

I recently found a wonderful entertainment attorney/literary agent (synchroncity: unique and important combination) here in Los Angeles for the purpose of introducing Martin's book, Slice of Heaven, to the film industry and obtaining international publishing/distribution for his book. I am Martin's private mentor and also have business interests in his projects, as you probably know. I met Martin when I booked his island for my corporate client, Campbell, last year (major synchronicity). Martin, by the way, has also been "demanding" that I write a book. :-)

Martin will be in Los Angeles next week and we have set up our meeting with Paul. Paul did not know anything about Feel Free to Prosper or what I did.

I admit I was a bit stunned after reading all of your touching and inspiring comments about my posts. I had not intended at all to tell a long story. But once I began, it just seemed to spill out spontaneously. All of those details that have been buried in the back of my mind for many years suddenly surfaced and the story seems to just write itself.

Along with your wonderful replies and comments, I received a PM from the author member mentioned earlier, encouraging me to put all of these installments down for a book project. She feels that my writing style and the way I "interweave personal details"..."brings home the message." She wrote, "People want to hear about real people and be inspired by that reality," and she elaborated based on her knowledge and experience as a successful author of several books.

What is most interesting and enlightening about this whole situation is that I was hesitant to post my detailed story in the first place because I thought it would be considered "self indulgent" to focus on myself. I didn't think the public would care about my own details.

So now within a time frame of about 48 hours, the concept of "book" is bombarding me.

Prior to receiving the private message of encouragement above, I had sent an email to Paul, the attorney/agent, confirming the meeting time and giving him Martin's website and TV clip, as he requested. In that message, I asked if he would do me a favor. I sent him the url to this thread and asked if he would mind taking a few minutes and reading a couple of my story posts (there were only about three segments posted at the time). I asked if he, as a professional, would tell me if he thought I had the "goods" to write a book.

You see, although all of your comments are very meaningful to me, I also realize that all of you who are reading my story know me already, are familiar with my personality and intentions, and are very tuned into the prosperity environment. You are not meeting me for the very first time in a book. In a sense, you are like "family" and let's face it, are the opinions of your family ever really objective? :-)

So I felt guided to get the opinion of this person who just "happened" to be at hand, who was successful in the publishing industry and who did not know anything about me or my teachings.

I could stop here and it would make a wonderful cliff hangar, don't you think? (it's that budding author coming through again!).

But I won't. I will tell you what happened.

(Deep breath)

It was after I wrote to Paul that I received the private message above. And then very shortly after reading that message, I found a voice mail message from Paul asking me to call him. I wasn't sure what it was about, as we had already firmed up our plans for the meeting.

I called and the first thing he wanted to know is what I actually DID. He only read the posts in this thread - he had not seen my website (I never gave it to him as the focus was on Martin) and most likely didn’t look at the network except for this thread. I explained briefly about the program that I have been teaching for the past few years.

I had thought I might get a cursory opinion on whether my writing had even an ounce of potential for a book. That's not what I got.

He instead told me to go buy a specific book which will show me how to write a book proposal. He said he did not need to have a finished book from me, that non-fiction books are sold to publishers from book proposals.

He then said that I was to write the proposal and get it to him. He said that based on what he read here, he is going to represent me and he will sell my book to a major publishing house.

(Stunned silence)

(Regaining composure). MAJOR publishing house? He said, yes, not a small house, but a major like Random House. I have a book? “Yes,” he said, “you have a book.”

Even though I have only had a few conversations with Paul, I can tell you this. He is honest, he is professional, and he is no-nonsense. He will not waste time. As he put it, what’s 15% of 0? He said that he does not waste time taking on clients unless he knows he can sell their books. And on his website, along with his many credentials, is a long list of recent books he has gotten published for his clients – at Random House, St. Martin’s Press and comparable houses. This man knows what he’s doing.

Now what I have not revealed to you yet in this ‘”story within the story” is this…

For the past year, whenever I have given any thought to writing a book, or when others have mentioned it to me, I had adopted a certain unofficial “requirement” for myself and had even mentioned it to others on occasion. I said that the only thing that would REALLY encourage me to write a book is if I had a good agent or recognized publisher who believed in me and my ability. That would give me more confidence that the book would get published and promoted. Even better, if I was given an advance to write the book, it would prove that someone did believe the book would sell.

I may have complete confidence and conviction in the workings of spiritual laws. I have written lessons, articles and other material about prosperity laws. I know I can “communicate” in words. But a book? That’s a whole different story. I never set out to be or considered myself a writer. And the idea of even LOOKING for an agent or publisher? What was that, Scarlett?

After speaking with Paul, I realized that I had my Private Community call at 4pm and another call regarding possible private mentoring following that. I knew that I could not indulge in a good, healthy faint until later that night…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

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Part VI: The Set of the Sail

It wasn’t long after that huge holiday party that I became restless and felt the increasing desire to be on my own. I had freedom representing Bolla, but it wasn’t MY business, MY company. The need for independence was growing in me and I had a strong drive to make my own statement in the world. A feature newspaper article later stated that I had moved here from New York 10 years earlier, where I had worked in a series of what I called inconsequential jobs, determined to “become another L.A. entrepreneur. I want to be my own woman.” They got that right.

I didn’t know yet that the Universe was preparing me to have a baby – a “business” baby - and to give birth to a new creative concept that was uniquely my own.

I had been exposed to a new industry and the various vendors that comprised that industry. My continuing prosperity work was developing my faith in the laws and the courage to risk. I had learned to thrive on challenge and the unknown. I decided to become an independent event coordinator. The prosperity work had taught me well to listen and trust my intuition.

I don’t recall the duration of time I spent coordinating parties after leaving my association with Bolla, during what we will call my “transition” period, but I don’t think it was very long. This is a city filled with party and event professionals and top notch ones at that and it wasn’t that easy to find clients and parties to coordinate. I did attract some clients (I highlight a couple below), but to be honest, that transition time becomes a bit of a blur in light of the striking events that were soon to follow.

During that period, there was something brewing beneath my conscious awareness that had not yet worked its way to the surface.

There was a common thread among the events that I had been exposed to and was now coordinating. The large corporate party I booked for Bolla – do you recall where it was held? We booked a Beverly Hills mansion for the event.

The common thread was becoming more obvious to me now. I became increasingly aware of clients’ requests for unique and unusual locations for their parties and events. They wanted creative alternatives to the standard hotel and restaurant settings. Excitement instead of the norm. Catering companies and other event coordinators sought out these special venues as well, as they could lose parties to hotels (or their competition) if they didn’t present desirable locations.

Some business receptions were held in the client’s own venue – such as a bank lobby or a retail store. But there were many types of client requests: the corporation that didn’t want to have that same holiday party in a hotel (as you have already seen); the production company that wanted a private location for their wrap party; the bride whose fantasy was to marry in a mansion; the bar mitzvah that had to be unlike any other.

So clients and event professionals began asking me if I knew of unique locations they could book. The Universe was placing signposts directly on my path.

I recall a few notable events around this time. Dr. Howard Murad is a renowned Beverly Hills dermatologist (his television infomercials have been airing for years). His wife called me in desperation to find a place for their daughter’s bat mitzvah party with only a week to plan (I don’t remember why). And they wanted something wonderful.

Why settle for wonderful? How about spectacular? What about a bat mitzvah party amid Ice Age fossils and the skeletal remains of extinct mammals, including giant mammoths, ancient bison and saber-toothed cats that roamed the Los Angeles Basin 40,000 years ago? The bat mitzvah girl became the main attraction in the hauntingly beautiful Page Museum.

Then there was Orion Pictures. They also waited ‘til the last minute to find a location for the company’s Christmas party. What you must realize is that holiday parties are usually booked very early in the year. There are only so many days in a month and the best locations are gone well in advance. What could possibly be available at the last minute to accommodate 300 celebrating film industry employees? Why, a National Guard armory, of course, where Orion’s set decorators transformed the drill floor into a desert scene and a Western theme. Hooray for Hollywood – and Marilyn :-)

I had assembled an ever-growing portfolio of mansions, castles, ranches, museums, film studios, Art Deco theatre lobbies, gardens, galleries and jail cells. Yep, jail cells, too (actually these are movie sets with replicas of prison cells, courtrooms and police stations that are used for films and TV shows).

Now, Universe, what am I supposed to do with all of this? And where will I find the clients? I’m ready to “make it”. I’m ready to be that L.A. entrepreneur. I’m ready to be my own woman. Tell me what to do.

It was time for some no nonsense prosperity work…

You don't have to be a seasoned seaman to understand a fundamental law of a successful voyage: It's the set of the sail, not the force of the gale that determines the way you go.

~ Unknown

To be continued…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Part VII: Do the Homework

Toward the end of that year, I knew I was ready to make a giant leap forward and go for the elusive prize that was beckoning.

I yearned for a success like I had never known. I wanted to accomplish something noteworthy and be recognized for that accomplishment. I had been chipping away at a lack consciousness for years and had, through my studies of Universal laws, made headway. I was grateful for the lessons and the opportunities I had manifested, but I missed a sense of security, the sense of a foundation, and the feeling of that “true place” in life to which metaphysical teachers refer.

I remembered something Dr. Joseph Murphy had said to me regarding the application of the mental and spiritual principles. He would say, “Do the homework and you’ll get the results.” Do the homework…

Many people hunger for the knowledge to create the lives they want, and many seek out this knowledge through teachers and literature. Knowledge and understanding is important but it is not enough. It is the application of the knowledge that makes the difference between a philosophy and a manual for living.

I am not certain of the exact timing, but I do recall that it was around this period that I decided to do the homework more specifically. I was vigilant in creating the right kinds of affirmations and using them several times a day and as I dropped off to sleep. I gathered techniques that I had learned from various sources and applied them. I was determined that this would not be a half-hearted attempt to have another prosperity “demonstration”. This would be a whole-hearted attempt to dramatically change a life.

I then had an experience and revelation that I consider one of the most important on my journey as a student of the laws…

One day I heard that inaudible voice from within whisper a single word to me. That word was "survivor". I didn’t know what it meant. I just recall the word floating in my consciousness. But a short while later, my intuition kicked in and I knew exactly what it meant. I realized that the prosperity homework I was doing was opening up channels to my subconscious and connecting me to my inner guide – the Universal therapist within each us that knows exactly what needs to be revealed to ensure success.

I suddenly realized that I had often referred to myself as a survivor. I was strong willed and proud of my ability to overcome and survive the challenges in life. Yes, I was a survivor. I was being clearly shown that this was my subconscious mindset – my core belief. My subconscious mind had accepted and accommodated my belief in the literal sense, and that is, in fact, exactly what I was doing in life – surviving.

I knew exactly what I must do about this…

I bought some poster board and cut it into large signs that I attached to the walls of my apartment. On these signs were written, in thick black marker – I AM A WINNER. I would no longer be a survivor in life. I would now become a winner. I would remove the word "survivor" from my vocabulary entirely.

I continued applying my homework techniques. A feeling of delight would go through me whenever I passed my “Winner” signs.

And six weeks later I was on the cover of the Los Angeles Times with a business that no one had ever created before!

To be continued…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Private Reply to Alison Wilcox

Part VIII: Masterpiece Musings

It was now the end of that year – 1983. The year’s efforts ended with a young client asking me to coordinate a New Year party for her large circle of friends at a unique location.

I was able to secure one of my favorite locations of all – the Ennis-Brown House, the spectacular masterpiece creation of architect Frank Lloyd Wright that sits atop the hills of Los Angeles and resembles a Mayan temple. The famous “block” home had been the setting for numerous films, music videos and fashion layouts. Although privately purchased many years before and owned by the “caretaker”, it was legally owned by a Trust, and all funds from its rentals were used for its restoration and maintenance. I had booked the home several times.

My event planning career was giving me exposure to the most distinctive venues in the city and I was developing a great respect and appreciation for the design, architecture and historical significance of the city’s treasures.

The New Year's party was great fun for the guests - well, at least for those who remembered it the next day. :-) Augustus Brown (“Gus”), the owner/caretaker, was an older gentleman who always acted as the charming informative host and docent for the events booked at the home. In his normally quiet manner, he would guide the guests through a tour of the home, highlighting special features, such as the glass library door designed by Wright that was valued at a million dollars. Gus had bought the home 25 years before from Mr. Ennis for a paltry $100,000 and it was now worth millions.

This New Year’s Eve was the only time I had ever seen Gus become inebriated. As my catering staff was cleaning up and I was anxious to return home, Guss waddled in my direction and with a slur asked if I would like to stay. I knew he had no idea what he was doing. I laughed and said, “Gus…it’s me…Marilyn”. I am sure he had no recollection the next day and would have been embarrassed if he did. :-)

I realized that I didn’t enjoy booking parties on New Year’s Eve. I found guests to be particularly unrefined at this time and I eventually turned down requests to do them, even though I could have my staff handle everything and I didn’t need to attend. I didn’t want to be associated with celebrations where guests could potentially put themselves in harm’s way on the road. From that time on, I considered the New Year a time of renewal and spiritual introspection and preferred to devote it to my personal life.

I returned home after the New Year’s party. I was tired and weary. I’m sure my feet hurt. I’ll admit that at that moment in time, I said to myself (as I have done other times after a particularly tiring event) that I didn’t want to be an event planner any more.

But what I WAS guided to do after I returned home would change the course of my life…

To be continued…

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Part IX: …and You’ll Get the Results

I came home that New Years Eve. Logic would have me go right to sleep after such an event. But instead I proceeded to sit down at my typewriter and write a letter.

Now please keep in mind that I had no idea that I would ever be teaching Universal laws or writing of this experience so many years later. Had I realized the possibility at that time, that letter as well as hundreds, perhaps thousands of other details would have been organized and filed away for future reference. So at this time, I am relying only on those details that surface from my memory.

The only sentence that I remember from the letter was something like “I seem to have become THE source for party and event locations in Los Angeles.”

Yes, I had thought of the idea of a location company for parties and events. It was a brand new idea and concept. My event planning efforts may have seemed insignificant in the marketplace compared to the numerous large and established event companies in the city. And yet in writing, in present tense, I was CLAIMING myself to be an expert and top source in the city. And in fact, I was not being untruthful. No one else was operating as a source for party locations, therefore in my mind, I WAS “the” source. I was the only source so that made me “the” source. Wonderful logic, don’t you think?

But let’s put logic and rationalization aside. From the standpoint of pure spiritual law, I was accepting in my consciousness at that moment that I, in the “now” moment, was the expert and exclusive source for locations for parties and events. I was claiming my good and stamping my claim indelibly in my subconscious mind and in Universal Mind. I truly was, at that very moment, in thought and feeling, THE source for party and event locations in Los Angeles. I wasn’t pretending that I was. I wasn’t wishing that I was. I felt it in my heart. I had become it and accepted it in consciousness. In my mind, I found a need and was filling it. At the same time, I was creating a niche that would distinguish me in the industry.

There was no computer, only a small typewriter.

There was no professional looking stationery. My letterhead was actually quite airy fairy. I had found some full-color metaphysical type stationery with a mother Pegasus and its baby that filled about a third of the top of the page and the rest of the page was blue sky, It was very pretty and unusual stationary, but was definitely more creative than businesslike. The Pegasus was sheltering its baby under its wings in flight. I remember that the artwork symbolized “security” to my mind. It symbolized the security that I was seeking from the Universe. I had previously contacted the company that distributed the stationery and asked if I could buy it in volume, as it was only sold over the counter in small packages. They agreed. Since event planning was relatively creative, I had been using this as my stationery. It was different. I liked being different.

I don’t believe I even had a business name picked out at the time – I’ll explain in the next segment why it appears that I created the name months later.

There was no publicist. No PR person. No marketing professional. No media contacts. No education on how to get media attention.

I don’t think I even knew back then what a press release or marketing letter looked like.

So this letter served as none of those. It was just a simple letter with a few paragraphs stating what I was doing. The words flowed from within me onto the paper. There was no hesitation, no second guessing. No fear. No wondering if it would work.

There was only faith in the promptings that were “instructing” me to write the letter.

Now I am sure you are wondering, to whom was I sending such an assertive, inspired – and rather audacious – letter?

That simple letter was signed, stamped and mailed to the Los Angeles Times, the city’s major paper and one of the two largest newspapers in America. I don’t recall addressing it to any specific department; perhaps it was to editorial, or maybe “To Whom It May Concern”. But off it went.

Who was I to make such a claim to one of the largest newspapers in the world? I was a child of the Universe, that’s who. I don’t know if I fully realized it at that moment, but I was snuggled securely under the Universal wings.

And THAT, dear readers, is what I was guided to do at 3:00 am, New Year’s morning, 1984.

An idea had been born in my consciousness. It slowly surfaced to conscious awareness and a new business concept was created. I had subliminally “tuned in” to the pulse of the event industry and noticed the signposts the Universe placed along my path. There was no doubt in my mind that I was to do this.

There was no doubt in my mind that I was to mail that letter to the Los Angeles Times, although a “rational mind” could have easily discounted the possibility that it would ever be seen by an editor’s eyes.

At the same time, there was no conscious awareness in my mind of the Universe’s ultimate plan and the striking results of my action that would soon arrive.

To be continued…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

The next segment of the story will be posted soon...

I did want to share first that I manifested a special blessing today.

I am still rather amazed by the continuing interest in the story and am very touched by private messages I have received expressing appreciation.

One message today carried the additional blessing.

In Segment VI, I wrote:

You don't have to be a seasoned seaman to understand a fundamental law of a successful voyage: It's the set of the sail, not the force of the gale that determines the way you go.

~ Unknown

Ryze member Lennart Palme was kind enough to include in his message, the poem to which the quote refers. I had copied the quote from a website some time ago and it had no author credit. But now that I read the following, it definitely seems familiar.

Lennart wrote:

"P.S. The poem you referred to was written by Ella Wheeler Wilcox...

One ship sails east and another sails west with the selfsame winds that blow.
'Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which determine the way they go.

Like the winds of the seas are the ways of fate, As we voyage along through life;
'Tis the set of the soul
That determines the goal,
and not the calm or the strife."

~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

I love that poem, Lennart! Thank you so much for writing to me so that I am able to share it with everyone. You have much to contribute here.

~ Marilyn

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Part X: …and the RESULTS!

The New Year

The first quarter of the year, after the holidays, is usually rather slow in the event industry, as far as the actual parties and events are concerned. However, this is when clients may start planning their events for the coming year.

The letter sent to the Times was forgotten – or rather pushed to the back of my mind and it was time to cultivate new business. (I realized later on that I had used the prosperity principle of release without knowing it.) I continued with my prosperity work.

A few clients that I attracted during that time...

A film editor and a screenwriter became engaged on Valentine’s Day, and I went about coordinating their wedding reception for June. The young couple loved the location I presented – a gorgeous turn-of-the-century Victorian home that had been used in many films.

A real estate agent wanted a totally unusual and unique location to throw a birthday party for his wife. I secured the Frank Lloyd Wright house for him.

A public relations firm also booked the Wright house for a combination retirement and promotion cocktail party for the firm.

I don’t remember much more from that time period and then…

The Call

…then there was the phone call sometime in late February or early March, I believe. THE phone call.

A woman named Betty Goodwin called me and said she was a writer for the Los Angeles Times. She said that my letter had floated around to various departments at the paper for awhile and finally landed in her hands. Her editor had told her to check it out.

We spoke on the phone for awhile and I don’t recall the conversation except that she said she would speak with her editor and get back to me if there was any interest. A few days later she called again and said her editor liked the idea. Could we meet for an interview? We set a place and time. I met Betty at Michel Richard Patisserie, a small French café in Beverly Hills. I think that Betty chose the spot.

The Interview

Across from the table sat a petite but feisty young writer who proceeded to ask me questions about my business and my background. We discussed how I discovered an apparent “missing link” in the party business and decided to provide the link by opening my own “location service” in December. At one point, Betty said that she wanted to speak with my clients and I agreed to provide her with some contacts. And then she asked me to give her a list of some of my locations.

I was startled and a bit confused. I told her that if I were to expose the names of the venues to the public, then people wouldn’t need to use my services. They could book the locations directly.

Well, I told you that Betty was feisty. She was also direct and knew how to get what she wanted. I remember vividly how she leaned toward me, looked me right in the eye and said if I didn’t name the locations, there would be no article. But then in a softer, but still direct tone, she said, “Do it. It will be great publicity for you.” I knew that she meant this sincerely and wasn’t just trying to get her way.

The Times later called to set up an appointment for a staff photographer to take photographs of me at one of my locations. I selected one of the most spectacular venues in my portfolio (and in the whole city) where I had booked events – the Dutch Castle in Beverly Hills. The castle was a private residence, designed and built by the owner for his partner, who was a Dutch consul. The authentic blue and white castle was situated at the top of the hill with a view of the entire city, a pool area that extended over the mountain and a full-size tennis court. Did I mention “spectacular”?

Fitzgerald ("Fitz") was the Times photographer who took my photos. The wind was blowing at the top of the hill and I couldn’t keep my hair in place, but I was flying. :-)

Some time later I was told when the article would appear.

Friday the 13th

On the day that the article was to appear, Friday, April 13th, 1984, I couldn’t wait. I had researched when newsstands received the early edition papers, and in the wee hours I drove to a local stand that was open to find the paper and my article. As you know, newspapers are normally folded so that the main news section is on top. But what I found instead was that day’s Los Angeles Times with the View section on the top. The newspapers that day had been arranged incorrectly by “mistake” - and there I was in full glory on the cover of View on the cover of the paper.

When I opened my door later to find my delivered paper, it was the same. I was right there on the top again. I was later told by others that they opened their door and there I was staring up at them. No one could miss it.

And this was only the beginning. What happened next deserves an entire segment to itself…

To be continued…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Private Reply to Linda J. Alexander http://www.lindajalexander.net

Part XI: The Universe is My Publicist…

Friday the 13th, 1984, and the newspaper hit the stands and doorsteps. What I recall the most – besides the thrill of it all, of course - is the absolute inundation of phone calls. I had never seen anything like it.

One call right after the other… I think I only had one telephone line. The minute I hung up, the phone would ring again without skipping a beat. It was unbelievable. I was glued to the phone for days. You heard me - days. I don’t remember how many days but it was a lot of days. My friend, Heidi, came over to help me take calls so I could take breaks. It was certainly exciting.

Calls, calls and more calls. Some were buying. Some were selling. Some stood out or made an impression and I remember them now as I write, so many years later. A law firm administrator called and in conversation told me that “everyone in the city now knows what you’re doing.” I don’t think I was aware of the extent of the exposure I was getting until she said that. Do you know how large the city of Los Angeles is and how many doorsteps I graced that day?

Companies called me for their corporate parties or holiday parties later in the year. I remember one was Chicago Title Company. Brides and grooms called for wedding locations. A department store called and asked if I would speak at a seminar as a role model for female entrepreneurs. I recall that I decided not to do it – I think I was just too overwhelmed at the time and wanted to get my bearings. I think I was also shy because I had never done anything like that before. I wish now I had done the seminar. But you know, being a media darling does take its toll. :-)

Oh, and I remember the man who called and asked who my publicist was. I told him I didn’t have a publicist. He said nobody can get publicity like that without a publicist. He said you have to pay for that kind of coverage. I remember distinctly telling him that, yes, I paid for it - with 40 years of my life. I told him I attracted the publicity with my mind. I’m sure that went over big. He probably thought I was lying…or nuts.

Then there was the guy with the sexy voice who called to …

Truthfully speaking, I wasn’t very pleased with the photograph. It was too dark, the castle didn’t show well, my hair had been blowing all over the place, and I just didn’t think the photo was flattering. But I was smiling in that photo and I was too busy reaping the fruits of my metaphysical labors to care at the time. The caller with the sexy voice thought I looked pretty good. :-) There has to be one in every crowd.

The rest of the calls were a blur but you have to believe me when I tell that there may have been thousands of them because although the frequency tapered off, the calls went on for more than two years. Not all of them turned into business of course, but enough business was booked to put me on the map. I discovered that many people had clipped and saved the article for future reference. Others remembered the concept if not the name…which brings up a point I recall that seemed truly amazing at the time...

During the years following the appearance of the article, I would get phone calls and the caller would often express astonishment at one particular aspect which they always told me about it. The caller would tell me that they had remembered the article from the past and had called the Times to research and find “the woman who rented locations for parties.” And instead of being transferred to a research department, the Times operators would rattle off my telephone number, just like he or she had memorized it. So many phone calls had come into the newspaper to find me over time that they had my telephone number taped to the switchboard!! Some of the operators had indeed memorized it. I even remember the number myself after all these years: 213-852-1651. (Back then area code 213 was the area code for Beverly Hills; it has since become 310).

Remember that I said I wanted to make a “statement?” I’d say I made one. :-)

But if you think THAT was the statement, then just wait ‘til you see what else the Universe had in store...

To be continued…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Part XII: The Universe is My Publicist (Continued)

The Los Angeles Times article was the beginning of the ride of my life (ultimately a cosmic rollercoaster ride, but definitely a ride). I don't think I could have imagined in the past coming out of ‘nowhere’ to gain the exposure and the recognition like this for an idea. A simple idea. No, I wasn’t a movie star or celebrity. I had a simple idea and that idea was worthy of such public and media attention. How utterly amazing it seemed!

No Respecter of Persons

I’ll admit there were also misgivings relating to my sudden “media darling” status…

Just a couple of weeks after my article appeared on the cover of the View section, there was another article in the same spot that grabbed my attention. It was a feature story about Cynthia, a young, educated woman, who was one of the first heart transplant patients. In the story it mentioned that she was not able to work because the government would cut off her life sustaining medication if she received any income. I couldn’t believe it. She desperately wanted to return to some kind of work. I called, met with her and we arranged for her to help me with my business part time in some way and I would pay her “under the table” (sometimes there are truly good reasons to skirt the law just a little bit, don’t you think?) As it turned out, she couldn’t go through with it – her mother told me she was just too weary from her ordeal. I read somewhere years later that she became a spokeswoman for organ transplants. I was happy she found her place.

Now, the reason I bring this up is that after reading Cindy’s story, I couldn’t understand why I deserved to have a cover story in a major newspaper when there were so many more significant things in the world that warranted that kind of coverage. I was renting locations for parties, for God’s sake! How meaningful was that in the total scheme of things? (I vaguely recall someone telling me that people needed recreation in life too.)

I had to come to terms with the fact that I deserved it – for God’s sake. God, Infinite Intelligence, the Law, is no “respecter” of persons. We are all equal in the eyes of the Universe. We are all children of a loving Universe and we are all deserving of the gifts it wants to give us.

And this only served to teach me how powerful our thoughts and words are and how very precise and dependable the Universal laws and prosperity principles are.

At the beginning of this adventure, when I was guided to sell the Brancusi, I felt connected to my intuition and to Universal Mind, but when I was showered with opportunities for media attention, one right after the other, I think I felt loved – not by the public or media, not a typical form of love, but loved by my Universal parent who wanted me to succeed and prosper. I felt the gentle hug of the Universal arms.

Staking My Claim - the Right Name

Do you recall that when the article appeared in the Times, I didn't even have a business name? That's true. But I soon realized that I needed one. There were so many event companies and party planners in Los Angeles and I knew I didn't want the typical type of name that you find in the industry. I wanted clients to know that there was an owner of this business who cared about personal service and was accessible. I wondered about using my own name in the business name. Someone told me that you should never use your own name in a company name, that they are not successful. Hmmm. Let's see. There was Sara Lee, Manny, Mo & Jack, Smith Brothers (cough drops), Famous Amos, MacDonald's. Yeah, I see what they mean. But I couldn't come up with a name that sounded as comfortable as...

Marilyn Jenett Locations

And why just "Locations" and not "Event Production" as part of the name? Because, I reasoned that the first thing that a client thinks about when planning an event is the location. That's the very first item. Find a location. So I figured they would call me first before calling all of the other party and event companies. I wanted to stand out and be unique (I think you know that by now!). And it worked so well. When the clients called me for a location, they asked ME if I could coordinate their events as well as providing the location. A bit of reverse business psychology. Thank you, Universe. :-)

So this business name also eliminated a sense of 'competition' with other event companies...it would invite other event companies to use my location services as well. As my business grew, however, I decided not to book locations alone and only took on clients for which I could coordinate the entire event. At some point much later on, I added "Special Event Locations and Production" under the name. But the name remained the same (the logo shown below was designed many years later).

Done. Marilyn Jenett Locations it was.

Back to All the Media Attention…

Here is what snowballed that year from that Times article:

The Los Angeles Herald Examiner, the city’s second largest newspaper, called and did a feature photo story.

The Santa Monica Outlook and other Southern California papers followed with the same.

Okay, get ready for this…I then starting receiving calls from various newspapers around the country asking for more photographs! It turns out that Associated Press had picked up the story and wired it internationally. So our nation’s largest newspapers wanted to print their versions of the story with photographs – San Francisco Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Sacramento Bee, New Orleans, New York, and on and on. All were full page feature photo articles.

I also got telephone calls from some publications in Europe requesting interviews.

Radio stations called to interview me. I recently found in storage the tape of one show, Executive Report.

I suppose the Universe didn’t think I was getting enough exposure, so the next thing that happened?

Television!

Some of the most notable shows…

June, 1984 – PM Magazine and PM Magazine National Edition

July 1984 – ABC Newscope

October, 1984 – Two on the Town

PM Magazine was the top national magazine show at the time and was the forerunner to Entertainment Tonight. All of the shows gave me substantial segments, at least half an hour. Two on the Town was the most popular prime time show of its kind in Los Angeles and they interviewed me at the Victorian mansion and the Frank Lloyd Wright homes mentioned earlier.

The ABC News show was really funny. When interviewing me on location, at the "Gone with the Wind" home in Glendale, the reporter asked me how far I could see this business going. Well, it just so happened that the night before, a friend of mine and I were talking and she jokingly said that maybe I could book the White House for parties. I mentioned that to the reporter – you know, to be cute. Well, when the actual news broadcast aired, there was the narration and the edited segments of my interview. It ended with my comment about the White House and then cut to the White House with the National Anthem playing. You had to be there – but it was really funny!

I realized then that the Universe also has a great sense of humor.

As the media articles appeared, I asked for copies of the originals. I eventually had the first few laminated onto plaques to hang on walls. But the articles kept coming and I kept gathering. How many times can you look at yourself on a wall? So I had another good idea. Instead of laminated plaques, I had each newspaper and magazine article laminated onto a thin presentation piece, just like they use in the advertising industry. The originals were set against a black background and all of the final products were the same size. I then bought two large portfolios to hold my growing “collection”. Now all of these publicity memoirs would be preserved and neatly contained.

I had a professional service tape all of the television shows right from the broadcasts, so I had them all on 3/4" (professional) or 1/2" video. Just recently, I had all of the videos transferred to DVDs.

So 1984 was the big media year. The publicity continued in subsequent years but as my business consciousness grew along with the type of lucrative business client I wanted to attract, the publicity took a decided businesslike turn in place of the public one.

There was the cover and centerfold story in the Century City News a couple of years later. Century City is the highrise business community adjacent to Beverly Hills. That’s where I knew I wanted my office to be and where I eventually landed in an executive suite for 16 years. The article appeared in the “Business Serving Business" issue.

There were articles in business magazines, such as the magazine that Union Bank sent to its customers. Trade publications like Meeting News gave me coverage. A few other television appearances came along.

There was a different kind of publicity that came about years later as a result of my continuing prosperity work that again showed how striking unexpected results can be. It hinted at hidden talents as well as bringing a new level of credibility to my maturing business. More later...

I think you have gotten a pretty good idea of the ability of Infinite Intelligence to respond to our desires when we know how to “ask” in the right way and just as importantly, to “accept” in the right way.

I didn’t beg this Intelligence to give me recognition. I didn’t wish that I could have it. I didn’t read or study or learn how to get media coverage. I didn’t hire or consult with anyone. I did read and study and learn how to get a prosperity consciousness. I then wrote one letter in a moment of inner guidance on New Year’s Eve that reached out into Universal Mind. The All Knowing Wisdom of that Mind caused all of the elements to come together to bring the fulfillment of my heartfelt desire.

I used my prosperity techniques –the same ones I teach today - to instill in my subconscious mind that I already had success and recognition. I accepted success and recognition as a fact of life – mental life - before it happened in physical life. I gently planted the seeds in my subconscious soil and persistently watered these seeds with faith and expectancy. I waited patiently and quietly for the response to bloom.

Fast forward for just a moment…many, many years later I wrote a note to someone…

“In skimming, I can only say one thing with certainty. Our spiritual connection to God/the Universe/Divine Mind/Infinite Intelligence (whatever you choose to call it) cannot be recognized through the intellect. It can be known about through the intellect, but it can't be known. It can only be experienced through intuition and feeling. And once it is recognized, once you become aware of that Presence and its responsiveness to you, you can never be the same. Once you learn to align yourself with the laws and that Presence, you have achieved Spiritual Intelligence - true intelligence."

In 1984, I think for the first time in my life, I felt spiritually intelligent.

To be continued…

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Part XIII: There Is a Season

The publicity manifestations came speedily but settling into my new “entrepreneurship” role came slowly. I still have a letter in my files that was addressed to me personally at my residence and not to Marilyn Jenett Locations. It was dated August of 1984, so I know that even months after the articles came out in the newspapers, I still hadn’t chosen my business name. Eventually I did, however, and eventually I knew that I did not want to continue working from home. It was time to get an office – the first office I would ever have of my own for my own business. If I were going to own a business, I would go all the way.

I used to drive down Olympic Boulevard through Beverly Hills and the view of the Twin Towers as I approached Century City was a site to behold (yes, we call them the Twin Towers here, but they are formally the Century Plaza Towers). It would be late afternoon and the sun would be at a certain angle and ahead would be these tall slick angular triangles glistening with the reflection from the sun’s rays. The towers appeared flat and two dimensional from a distance and for some reason they reminded of those flat square disks that were hurled into space containing the “bad guys” in the first Superman film. I vividly recall one day marveling at these architectural wonders while driving, and suddenly the tiniest plane appeared to be flying right in between the two skyscrapers - it was an amazing illusion. I loved it. I said at that moment, “That’s where I want my office to be.”

As I write this, I ask you not to relate the airplane and the towers to the deeply profound event that would take place 15 years later in New York City. There was no connection at all. At that time I was just mesmerized by the beauty of the scene before me and awakened to an appreciation of the beauty and lines of modern architecture.

I meant what I said. I wanted my office in those Towers. The Century Plaza Towers is one of the most prestigious addresses in the entire world. The towers were occupied by the attorneys of the TV show, LA Law, as well as that elegant hunk of a private detective, Remington Steele (who later reincarnated as James Bond). From a website about the show:

"The tall buildings used for the establishing outdoor views of the Steele offices are the Century Plaza Towers located at 2029 & 2049 Century Park East, Century City, California."

Yes, I wanted the most prestigious office I could find. I wanted Remington Steele to be my neighbor :-). I wanted that famous Century Park East address. And I wanted it all on a sane and reasonable budding entrepreneur’s budget. Do you hear me, Universe?

I was heard. I found out that a large executive suite landlord occupied three full floors in the two towers. Executive suites are a perfect situation for entrepreneurs, sole practitioners, small firms and satellite offices of large companies. Each tenant company has its own office(s) but everyone shares the common amenities – reception area, switchboard, conference rooms, kitchen, copy room, etc. In an executive suite, it costs a fraction of what it would cost to set up your own offices, equipment, staff, etc. What a gift from the Universe for the sole entrepreneur.

I selected an office on the 12th floor of 2049. I moved from one side of the suite to the other a few years later, but Barrister Executive Suites in that 44-story highrise in Century City – the prestigious business community next door to Beverly Hills - was the home of Marilyn Jenett Locations for the next 16 years. I dreamt of having an office in the Twin Towers and I found one. I wanted this credibility for my corporate clientele and it was great for my business ego. I liked dressing well, going to the tower and enjoying the camaraderie with neighboring tenants in the suite.

So how many clients do you think came to my office in 16 years? Take a guess. Well, I remember two clients who did. When the clients flew in from out of state, I or my sraff would pick them up for a “site inspection”. Since I was the vendor, I was the one who visited the offices of local clients if needed or we would meet on location. So the office wasn’t for my clients. It was for me and for my credibility. Image was important to me and I wanted to be regarded as a professional. I wanted to attract the biggest corporate clients and I created the image to attract them. I may have been small but I didn’t look home grown. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered to clients if I had a home office, but it mattered to me. It mattered in my thoughts and feelings. And that is the secret to manifestation – thought and feeling.

I was there until just a few years ago, when Barrister’s master lease with the building expired and was not renewed. The other entrepreneurs and the attorneys all looked for alternate space. I had really not been using the office that much in the later years. As time went by, I spent less and less time there. I decided to bring everything home and give it a try. Little did I know that my life would again undergo a very dramatic change. But that’s a story for another time.

Over the years, I never did bump into Remington Steele. :-) But I did pass John Travolta, Richard Dreyfuss and many other stars who were probably in the tower to see their attorneys or financial advisors.

I’m aware that I have probably given you the impression of this perfectly manifesting entrepreneur who by that time was in complete control of her dreams and destiny.

Well, in a cosmic sense, I believe I was. For the growth of my soul, for the life lessons that needed to be learned, I was writing the script and producing the play.

I had come so far. I had with my heart and soul and undaunted determination applied myself to peel away layers of fear and conditioned lack thinking to create something from nothing – to connect with my source, find a place for myself and make sense of my existence. I had accomplished results that seemed remarkable to me at the time, and yet so natural at the same time.

But I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that with all the seemingly glorious accomplishments and my obvious ability to tap into my source of supply to manifest my desires, there were times when I was knocked down with great intensity. Several times in fact.

I could not understand how, with my ever evolving faith in the laws and my ability to apply them, how I could be so profoundly affected by the winds of “fate”. I was a metaphysician, I knew spiritual law, I understood. How could I falter and be caught up in appearances and mass mind thinking? What was I doing wrong?

It seemed that as I was becoming “seasoned” as a businesswoman, I was also being seasoned on another level when every disaster that could possibly happen and affect a business such as mine – well…happened. There were the Los Angeles riots, the major Northridge Earthquake, a recession or two. And much later on, the tide changed from local to global with 9/11 and anthrax. And of all the industries in the world, the hospitality industry and the special event industry are probably among the hardest to be impacted from these events.

I won’t get into more detail just now, but I do need to tell you that there was much more than meets the eye, there were times when all I could do was cry to the Universe and ask “why?” I didn’t understand but I knew that no matter what happened, no matter how difficult things were at those times, that I would do whatever it took to save what I had created. And with even more determination, I threw myself into and sought refuge in the teachings, applied my knowledge and sought an even greater connection to my source.

Through the psychic pain of those situations, I did not realize what I have come to realize today...

That had I not gone through those intense experiences, I would not have been "forced" to learn the lessons, I would not have learned with complete conviction what works and what doesn’t work, and I would never be the teacher of these principles that I am today. I had no awareness of it back then, but I was being initiated, seasoned and refined for the purpose of my life

To be continued…

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Part XIV: Synchronicity is My Game

I am recalling highlights of the first decade of Marilyn Jenett Locations…

As I continued applying my prosperity knowledge, many situations flowed very naturally toward me. Looking back now, I really appreciate just how much synchronicity was prevailing in my life. Once you commit to and become accustomed to a “prosperity” path in life, it just seems like this is the way it’s all supposed to be. It doesn’t appear to be anything unusual. But we humans have become so out of tune with this natural flow in our lives, that usually when we do experience synchronistic occurrences, we marvel at these “supernatural” experiences. But I like to say that the supernatural is really quite natural. We just need to acquire the knowledge to understand this and become “connected” to it.

Eye on the Doughnut

One of the first things that I “attracted” was a call from the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau. One of their sales staff had seen an article about me and came by to sell me a membership. I had never belonged to an organization like that before and it required investment for yearly membership. I recall that the salesperson was quite pushy, and I thank my lucky prosperity stars that she was. I joined the Bureau and maintained my membership for 20 years. The greater majority of high paying convention clients and events that I attracted came from my listing in the Bureau’s meeting planning guide. I didn’t do any local networking with the Bureau or go to their events, but out of state clients would see my listing and call. Membership in the Bureau was the greatest investment in my business that I ever made (second to my prosperity studies, of course!). Clients didn’t just happen to find my listing and call. There were hundreds of event companies and suppliers listed in the planning guide. But I know that the clients who found me were supposed to find me and were the result of my continuing use of prosperity laws.

By the way, another pushy saleswoman saw my Times article and came by to sell me a Mercedes Benz. She was a very effective saleswoman and noted the virtues of driving a Benz with my new "image". I wasn't so easily influenced by this pitch and kept my feet planted firmly on the ground. :-)

There was one happening that stands out regarding my membership in the Convention & Visitors Bureau. One year the Super Bowl was coming to Los Angeles. I received a desperate call from Marge, the Director of Convention Services, telling me that they could not find a location for the huge Super Bowl party after the game (for about 5,000 guests). She had been calling other event industry members of the Bureau asking for help in locating a site. These members refused to help because she could not promise them that they would be involved with this large event. She told me the very same thing. She said that all she could do was recommend that the client (Super Bowl) use my services, but neither she nor the Bureau were in a position to guarantee that they would. She said that the client had already contracted the services of a major hotel chain who was handling all of the coordination. The budget for the event was about $1 million.

So what I was being told was that, if I suggested a site and helped the city resolve this major dilemma, it was likely that I would see no profit or business from it. As the host city for this event, Los Angeles was represented by the Bureau, and the situation was urgent. It was amazing that all of these professionals working on one of the nation’s largest events could not come up with a single location in Los Angeles that would accommodate the after-game celebration.

Enter Super Location Woman, Marilyn Jenett…In speaking with Marge, I had to make a decision whether to give away my information for no likely reward or follow the other members who wouldn’t let the Bureau “take advantage” of them for no reward.

The thing is, when you are a prosperity thinker and aligning yourself with the prosperity laws, you don’t think in the same way that others think. You don’t see the cup as half empty. You see the doughnut. You don’t see the hole. And as I said above, a prosperity thinker becomes accustomed to the synchronicity of events. You don’t analyze. You follow your intuitive feelings because those feelings are guidance from a place that doesn’t succumb to reason, rationale or practicality. I had come to consider anything that flowed in my direction as part of the divine plan that was the result of my prosperity work. And in this particular situation, I had the opportunity to stand out from all of those other vendors who could only see the “hole”.

With that attitude, I had to tell Marge yes, I know of a location (it flashed right into my mind). I told her I would call the location and find out if it was available on the date required and get back to her. I called the Los Angeles Equestrian Center and found out that the date was indeed available - which in reality was extremely unusual since there were polo matches and activities scheduled almost every day of the week. Unbelievably, that particular date was available. I called Marge and gave her the information. In my heart of hearts I knew I would not be involved in the $1 million Super Bowl party. But that was okay. I had followed my guidance. I didn’t question.

I had attracted many large corporate clients from my Bureau membership. If this situation was an opportunity to express my gratitude to the Bureau and to the Universe, then so be it. Even back then I understood the profound importance of gratitude in the growth of a prosperity consciousness. And I was beginning to understand the mysteries of synchronicity. So I didn’t question the situation that connected me to Marge. I didn’t know then how the city’s Super Bowl would plant a seed for my own Prosperity Bowl.

Marilyn Jenett Locations was the name. Synchronicity was my game.

That Mansion is How Much??!!

Some time later – I don’t recall how much time had elapsed - I received a call from Marge again. This time she said that a client was coming to Los Angeles and had contracted a destination company to handle their three days of meetings and events. However, the client was quoted an exorbitant price for the rental of a mansion for their final night dinner party. The client was trying to find out if this rental quote was legitimate. Marge again asked if I would help out and speak with the client to give her some advice. My intuition again prompted me to do it. I told Marge to have the client call me.

The client, Teresa, called. She said that the destination company had quoted her $36,000 for the mansion rental for that evening dinner party (that price was just for the residence rental alone - nothing else was included). I told Teresa that I knew the home and the rental price. I told her that the owner would want $20,000 for a party with that many guests (about 700). So it was likely that the destination company was adding the rest as profit. Teresa told me that the company had told her that they were not marking the home up – that the price was the owner’s price. The total billing with that company was $1.5 million dollars for three days. She felt that they were getting such a large amount of business that they should not be marking up the home to an unrealistic price.

As I also did business with the mansion, I called the owner and asked what he was charging. As I suspected, he was charging the destination company $20,000. Now Teresa had some strength to negotiate.

I told her to go back to that company and use the information I had given her as a bargaining point to negotiate the price down. She then asked if she owed me anything for my help. I told her no, she didn’t. I was glad I could help. I appreciated her asking, but I didn’t feel it was right to accept any payment under the circumstances, just to give some location advice. She was apparently already being gouged and my feeling was to keep a low profile. I felt it would still give me points with the Bureau and with the Universe. :-)

About three days later, Teresa called me back again. She said that the other company still told her the owner wanted $36,000 and they were not marking it up. She knew they were lying based on her “inside” info. She told me that she had signed the contracts with that company for the three days of meetings and events, but it had not included the final night dinner dance. And because the company had lied to her about the house, she was not going to let them have that final event. Teresa asked me if I would coordinate the dinner dance for her.

Oh, did I mention that Teresa’s employer was a company named Baker & McKenzie – the largest law firm in the world? That final dinner dance was budgeted at $142,000, billed by Marilyn Jenett Locations.

Marilyn Jenett Locations is the name. Synchronicity is my game. :-)

To be continued…

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Surprise Guests

Teresa from Baker & McKenzie with "Clark" and "Mae"

Another "Marilyn" showed up and had eyes for this attorney

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Part XV: The Write Stuff

Dispelling Myths

I am delighted at the unexpected feedback and overwhelming appreciative response I have received as a result of my story so far. Someone had mentioned, however, that I might appear to others as a “superwoman” with all of these inspiring and predominantly positive experiences. It was suggested that perhaps I could share more about the not-so-wonderful experiences over the years, as this would allow readers to better relate to me. In relating to my negative experiences, they could more readily accept that they could overcome their own.

I contemplated this for some time, as this was a respected opinion. I then brought this up with a couple of my students while conversing. One stated that although my story is greatly inspiring, she can understand how some could get that impression. After all, she said, “I don’t know anyone else who books mansions and castles. I don’t know anyone else who has stood in the Cheers bar.” I will reserve the comment of the other student until later.

I figure that this provides a perfect opportunity to reveal that I am not faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound (original TV Adventures of Superman). Then again... :-)

So let’s do some myth dispelling here. First of all, the special events industry is a very large and specific industry relating to all aspects of personal, business and corporate entertaining, including hospitality and the meeting and convention markets. In almost every major city of the world, and even smaller cities, there are businesses that are created for this industry. Obviously, there are the hotels, but there are also caterers, party and event coordinators and production companies, destination management companies and special event professionals that service all aspects of the industry – food and beverage service, rental equipment, florals, design and décor, music and entertainment, transportation and parking - the list goes on.

Local clients as well as meeting planners and incoming convention clients who entertain are always seeking the perfect venue for their events. And the job of finding and securing that perfect venue has to be done by the client personally or by the local vendors – it was traditionally done by the caterers or event coordinators. In any case, it requires numerous telephone calls, researching locations, specs and availability, and is very time consuming, especially to find something less common and more unique.

But the point is, each city has a selection of event venues that are available for rental. These may be commercial and public facilities or they may be privately owned. And this would include private residences, mansions and castles. You have already become familiar with a couple of the residences I have mentioned. There are castles that can be booked in the world that are either privately owned or are public venues or museums that can be rented under certain conditions.

So the fact that I was able to rent “mansions and castles” certainly does not make me a superwoman – or any more glamorous than anyone else who had booked such sites. What did make me stand out is the fact that I learned to apply prosperity principles to connect with my Universal guidance to take what was ALREADY available and use it to create a viable business to provide that specific service on PURPOSE. It was “tuning in” to the pulse of the public and the industry to make a better mousetrap. And that is an area in which we can ALL become super. It has been said that all ideas are already created and existing in Divine Mind. We can learn to open our minds to tune in, become receptive, grasp an idea and make it our very own. Infinite Intelligence is waiting to give you your super idea. You must prepare to receive.

What about my signature photo…that interesting one with me standing in Cheers? Oh, that one is easy. If you had been to Los Angeles in the past 10 years, you could have visited the Hollywood Entertainment Museum and found yourself on the actual set of Cheers. Anyone could have taken a photo of you next to our wooden Indian friend. I use the past tense, because as of June of this year, 2006, the Museum closed in order to seek a new larger location to expand the Museum and its educational programs for the highest at-risk youth.

So I did not need to wear a cape to find myself in Cheers. :-) I merely needed to conduct my business – book the facility for my client’s event and grab the photographer a few minutes before the clients arrived.

The Write Stuff

Now allow me to address this idea regarding my negative experiences. This one took a lot of thought. My teachings are based on the power of our thoughts and words, and especially the power of the written word. I also teach about forgiving and releasing the past in order to shift our consciousness to the present in which we create our “future”. All of the master teachings involve a transforming, or “renewing” of the mind to manifest a new life. We are admonished not to entertain the negative, which means to dwell or keep our attention there.

How then can I teach others to transform their lives by transforming their words, and yet revisit and dwell myself on circumstances that have been released and put to rest? How can I relive events in writing that will only serve to take me back to a place where I don’t want to be and take you, dear readers, with me? How can I justify that? Is that really necessary in order for you to relate to what I have written and to accept the inspiration and embrace the messages?

Perhaps elaborating on my painful experiences would encourage a “bonding” process. I won’t disagree with that. It’s done all the time in books. But I also recall that it was not done in the books of those great masters of mental science and teachers of Universal laws who have influenced me the most and whose teachings have had the greatest impact on my life. In fact, one great teacher just recently wrote her autobiography for the first time in her 50-year career. On the other hand, the books of these great teachers were not unfolding personal stories such as mine is here, which certainly does have the positive slant. So I see both sides of the issue.

Will it suffice to relate that I have been through those undesirable experiences without describing them? Will you gain from my story if I assure you that wherever you have been, I have been also? Can I mention these things in passing without "entertaining" them? Is it enough to know that I have experienced the depths of despair and these were the greatest learning experiences of my life, because when you are in the depths, you have only two choices. You will drown in the depths or you can choose to go up. If you choose the latter, Life will support you, the Universe will guide you, and you will learn. And know that with all of my knowledge and advances, I am still learning.

I have come to the decision that this writing is not about relating to you on the level where you are now. It is intended to lift you to the place where you want to be. I don’t believe it is necessary for us to have a party to celebrate the depths. We can instead choose to travel up together. If I have learned lessons to be further along than you, than I can be a guide.

As that other student so poignantly said to me…

”You are not about taking them to the darkness. You are about bringing them to the light.”

Opinion eagerly accepted. For now.

To be continued…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Part XVI: More or Less

Born with Silver Spoons

Let’s move on…

Do you remember what I said to myself when I returned home from that rather tiring New Year’s Eve party – the night that I wrote that letter to The Times? I said that I didn’t want to be an event planner anymore. Yes, I said that. Well, at that time I meant it. However, now that I look back, perhaps my frustration was the impetus that pushed me into writing that letter and creating the idea for the new business. Perhaps at a subconscious level, I really meant that I didn’t want to be JUST an event planner anymore. I wanted to create my own special niche. And I did.

For a relatively short time, when I first created Marilyn Jenett Locations, I actually did only book locations for the parties and events. This enabled me to provide the service to other event professionals as well as directly to clients. It was a welcome reprieve at the time to book the sites and not have to be responsible for the entire event. When I secured sites for clients directly, I would refer them to other event vendors such as caterers, rental companies, etc. and receive commissions from the vendors for the referrals.

But I knew that the real profits were to be made in producing the events, hiring all of the vendors myself and billing the clients through my company. I could control the pricing – and the profits. And enhance my position in the marketplace. I established longstanding relationships with a wonderful “family” of event professionals and I was able to provide the finest service, build in substantial profits for myself, and still accommodate the clients’ budgets. So Marilyn Jenett Locations became a full service event production company that specialized in providing the most unique and exciting locations for events. Remember, the first thing the client thought about was the location for their event, so it was not unusual for them to find me and call me first.

I had a favorite caterer, who was to become my professional “right arm” for the next 20 years. The way we found each other was all a part of the divine plan.

Prior to creating Marilyn Jenett Locations, when I had left Bolla and was coordinating events, a large catering company in Los Angeles had approached me about hiring them for my events. Polly Bergen, the actress, had just bought the company, and she had some high profile women on her team who were aggressively marketing the business. They took me to lunch to “wine and dine” me. I thought I would give the company a try and hired them for an event I coordinated. The manager of the catering staff that they sent to work my event was a young man named Scott Tessler. I watched how he handled the event and was very impressed with him.

Scott eventually opened his own company, Silver Spoons Catering, and became my primary caterer. Our association lasted through the years and the duration of my business – over 20 years.

There are several reasons I bring Scott to this story…

It wasn’t until eight years later that Scott told me that I was the reason he went into business. He reminded me of something that I had completely forgotten. I had said to him at that first event that he was too talented to be working for that company – I told him he should be on his own and have his own catering company.

He said that he went home that evening and told his wife, Faith, “We’re going into business.” And that was the beginning of Silver Spoons Catering. I never realized that I was the reason. It wasn’t until he mentioned it all those years later that I remembered saying that to him. So it appears that even back then, in the early days, I was mentoring and didn’t know it!

Scott was my caterer for that New Year’s Eve party on the “famous” night that changed the direction of my life. The event, as I mentioned previously, was stressful on several counts and we had an argument. I said I wouldn’t use him again. But Scott and I were a team and it was just like a family spat. I don’t believe I could have grown my business over the years without Scott. His chefs were wonderful, the food was outstanding and even clients would ask for his recipes or request that I use him for repeat events. Scott and his family were also very good people. And I now realize that I helped Scott grow his own prosperity consciousness (although it didn’t occur to me at the time that I was actually doing that). Here’s how…

When a client would call and ask for a proposal, I would call Scott, as I did all the vendors I would use for that event, and get estimated prices. Scott’s areas would include catering, service personnel, rental equipment, and on occasion, other elements. Scott would often hesitate when suggesting various menu suggestions and prices, out of fear that if we charged too much we would lose the event. I would tell him to include the upgraded menu items to make the proposal more appealing to the client and to charge accordingly. He would ask again if I was sure we wouldn’t “scare off the client” with those prices. I would always assure him that I would never let him lose a client over prices, and remind him that we hadn’t lost a client yet.

I would then gather all the prices from my vendors, build in a good profit for myself on top of that, and send the proposal to the client. The result? Invariably, the client would respond with something like. “We love the proposal and what great prices.” :-)

Scott finally stopped questioning it all and trusted that I knew what I was doing. Of course I knew what I was doing. I had complete trust that the Universe had brought me those clients and would guide me every step of the way to service them properly. I knew that if there was a budget consideration, we could adjust our prices to accommodate that. But my proposals were wonderful and so creative, that more often the clients ended up asking me to add more elements and they spent more for the event than originally intended. It’s all about service and value. When clients believe they are getting the best value for their money, they won’t hesitate to spend it (I'm referring here mainly to corporate clients but it may relate to others as well).

Now the point I want to emphasize here is that when we are on the prosperity path, we cannot help but affect others whom we touch. We don’t have to “teach” them or even speak about prosperity principles or laws. It becomes part of our essence. It just oozes out of us and finds a way to encourage others, enlighten them and raise their consciousness along with ours. I rarely, if ever, spoke about these laws to my business associates and vendors. In fact, had I done so at that time on my path, they probably would have rolled their eyes. I knew I couldn’t speak about what I was learning and applying to many others, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t influence them. I helped Scott overcome his fear of charging what he deserved or of “losing” a client by offering his best.

More and More…

This brings me to the subject in more detail…

It was notable that when I started my business, I came up with a certain "minimum" profit I wanted to make. Within a very short time I didn't feel that profit was enough and I gingerly started to charge more. Then more. I kept stretching and kept raising my profit requirement.

NOW THIS IS THE MOST INTERESTING PART: The more I raised my prices, the more I attracted higher paying clients. Each step forward helped me release the fear that I couldn't get more (or that maybe I wasn't worth more).

The caliber of client I attracted was directly related to the amount of profit I required for myself. The more I claimed for myself, the more the Universe brought to me the clients who had the ability to pay and to accommodate my elevated prosperity consciousness. And the more I continued applying the prosperity principles, the more I claimed for myself.

Over time I completely eliminated the type of events that required much more work for much less money. I realize now that I was creating that "vacuum" for new, higher paying clients to arrive. And they kept arriving. And new circumstances opened up to attract them.

The Universe will find a way to bring us the rewards that we claim for ourselves. But we must claim it - boldly - and know we deserve it. When we release the fear and doubt, the Universe will rush to support us.

We must make a decision. We are operating from integrity, we have a viable and valuable product or service to offer, there are plenty of clients or customers who will benefit from what we have to offer, and we deserve to be rewarded appropriately.

When Less Is More…

Okay, let's say you have reached a point where you know that you deserve to be rewarded fairly for your efforts and you charge accordingly. But there are certain times, if you let your intuition guide you, when you may feel prompted to give your services for much less than your usual value. At those times you are "tuned in" and you may not know why you feel it is the right decision, but you just know and feel that it is. You don't think twice about it. These are times when you are being guided by an unseen hand - your higher self is directing you because there is more to the story than meets the eye.

A client, Michelin North America, was referred to me years back, for a relatively small event. They were showcasing their new "designer" tires to the local auto industry with a reception at our automotive museum. They had invited only a few special guests, had already booked the museum so there was no profit for me there, and in short, there was a rather meager budget. The corporation, located in South Carolina (I'm in Los Angeles), didn't participate in conventions here, so there didn't seem to be much prospect for future business from them.

But my inner voice said "Do it!" I coordinated the small event and gave it my best, the client expressed appreciation and that was that.

A couple of months later I heard from the client again...they were planning to fly 250 of their best dealers from the East Coast to Los Angeles to celebrate New Year's Eve in grand style at the auto museum and to attend the Rose Parade, in which Michelin had a float. The celebration was commemorating the 100th Anniverary of Bibendum, the Michelin Man.

That New Year's Eve gala was a six figure billing from Marilyn Jenett Lcoations. And “Bib” was a big hit at his birthday party and on his float in the parade.

In the years following that event I coordinated two other events here in Los Angeles for Michelin, including a huge media event that showcased 90 environmental cars, for which Edouard Michelin himself flew in from France. This is especially notable in that the event took place in October 2001, a month after 9/11!

It was generally known that following 9/11, the world turned upside down and special events were cancelled far and wide. People were not flying. Anthrax was major news. The hospitality and events industries were impacted greatly.

But the Michelin event I coordinated above, which was actually a part of a three-day itinerary in three cities, went on as planned.

When we boldly claim our good, all of the forces of the Universe will come into play to fulfill our expectations, sometimes in the disguise of "little packages". When you listen to that inner voice…it will tell you when the little packages contain diamonds.

Oh, one more thing…Scott and Silver Spoons Catering were booked for all of the Michelin events. Our client demanded it…by order of the Divine planner.

To be continued…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Part XVII: Human Resources: The Universe, Third Level

So there I was, early in my business, with an office in Century City, some welcome publicity here and there, and clients that seemed to arrive when they were supposed to.

In the beginning, I would generally meet my clients on location – at the venues that I recommended for their event. If there was more than one location, I could either drive them around or they would follow in a car, especially if there were several associates coming to see the locations. If clients flew in from out of state, they would have to be picked up at their hotel and escorted for the site inspection.

There came a time when I really felt that I needed a helper. I was a one-woman operation – a sole proprietor with a growing business and reputation. My administrative needs were provided by local staff in the executive suite or elsewhere in the building where my office was located. The vendors that I contracted for the events were all independent companies and as mentioned, I developed relationships with these event professionals and when required, I could easily find new services.

But finding personal helpers was another matter. And it was a matter that was handled beautifully by my cosmic human resources department.

Demand and Supply

I was sitting in my office one day and I had been thinking about finding someone to help take my clients around to see the locations. I really didn’t like driving around Los Angeles in traffic and I just knew there was a better way to do this. I also knew that I didn’t need a full-time employee.

Suddenly the telephone rang and the switchboard attendant put the call through to me. A young woman said, "Hi Marilyn, my name is Mona..." and without skipping a beat, I said, "and you’re looking for a job." Needless to say, she was stunned (well, I probably was also), but I hadn’t even thought about my response. It just came out. Somehow I just knew why she was calling.

Mona was absolutely perfect. She was going to school getting her psychology degree. I recall that she also had plans to visit El Salvador as a missionary. She needed some flexible, part-time work for income. And she even had some business smarts. Mona told me that I shouldn’t be driving my clients around to the locations. After all, she said, I was the head of the company, the "queen bee". She said the clients would respect my position and expertise much more and consider me more successful if I had my worker bees doing those duties. She suggested that she drive the clients to all the locations and that I meet them when she brought them to the final location, where we could be introduced and discuss the options. It was the perfect scenario. I didn’t have to deal with traffic for hours and entertain clients while escorting them. And then I, the queen bee, could meet them – calm, cool and collected. :-) The added bonus was that while Mona was escorting them, she would sing my praises and build their confidence in my expertise. And wow, was she good at that.

The most endearing memory I have of Mona is that she was the first person in my life to ever call me "Boss". She always called me "Boss". We ran into each other in a restaurant many years later, after she had gone on to bigger and better things. She came to the table where I was sitting with my companion, threw her arms around me in a big hug and said, "Hi, Boss!" I didn’t see her coming and it was an unexpected surprise.

The time came when Mona had to leave, and in perfect synchronicity, Steven showed up. He was working for Scott, the caterer, at the time, and wanted some extra work. He remained my site inspection person for awhile until he moved to Hawaii to start his own catering company.

Then Michelle arrived. She also worked in the event industry and wanted part-time work while going to chef’s school. She was another one who just spontaneously started calling me "Boss". I guess I’m just naturally bossy. :-) Michelle later moved to Northern California to attend a culinary institute.

Time went on. The business evolved. I moved in with a personal manager in the entertainment industry. Ron was independent and on his own in business and nurtured the careers of his actor clients. He also became a natural helper for Marilyn Jenett Locations. He would take my clients out for site inspections and they really loved him. He had a great sense of humor and was really good with people. He would also sometimes help out at the events – I think more for moral support than anything.

One day Ron and I had a spat (yes, they do show up once in awhile in this story). He was half asleep and I said to him, "I don't want to argue." He replied, "Then don't be so bossy." I said (jokingly), "But I am the boss." To which he replied, "Then don't let me know it." Smart man.

Lyndia called out of the blue one day looking for employment. She had moved here from the east coast, and after being married for many years, was starting a new life on her own. She was doing temporary work while searching for the right employment opportunity. Lyndia took my clients around and helped me run events for several years when she was available, until she was fully settled in a career.

Mike is one of my best friends. In the more recent years, he has been there for me whenever I needed him. That included taking my clients for site inspections or helping out at an event if needed. He is my self-proclaimed "Go To Guy" :-) And in more ways than I could ever thank him for, he has been there for me through thick and thin. I have been there for him also – we’ve helped each other. But I will always be grateful for his great heart and his support.

What was this all about? Well, the fact is that over a span of two decades, I never had to look for helpers for my business. Not once. I was perfectly provided for at every turn.

What was especially gratifying was that I was able to help a few people along the way while they were following their own dreams. It was the perfect synchronicity for them also. The flexible position served as a stepping stone on the way to their entrepreneurial endeavors or careers.

I am such a free spirit, I felt like I was allowing them to be also. Even if they did call me "Boss".

Marilyn and Ron – Glam Shot :-)

To be continued…

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Part XX: A Holiday Story

Against the Odds

Taking Care of Business

My prosperity teachings and spiritual philosophy champion the use of positive words and ideas only. However, in an apparently negative situation usually lies the seed of a valuable lesson and I decided to share this story with you, hoping that you, also, will appreciate the lesson.

I previously mentioned that I had been contracted by my client, Michelin North America, to produce a gala New Year’s Eve event in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Bibendum, the Michelin Man.

The event was to be held at the spectacular Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles and the client was flying in 250 of their best dealers from the East Coast to celebrate the New Year with this formal event and a float in the Rose Parade the following day. I started preparation many months before. We received the deposit payment at that time and the balance was due about two weeks before the holiday. Well, not unusual for that time of year, the check had not been put through their accounting department on schedule and the client had to Fed Ex it to me, so that I would be able to pay all of my vendors before the event.

The overnight package arrived at my office the day before Christmas. I was concerned about getting payment to my vendors in time, so I decided that early on Christmas morning I would drive to my office, pick up the check, prepare and drop the vendors’ checks in the mail, then deposit Michelin’s check in my bank the day after Christmas. Michelin’s check for the balance was $60,000. At around 7:00 am Christmas morning I carried out these plans, and pulled the car over to mail the vendors’ checks in a mailbox, as our office building and its mail service would be closed the following day (Friday) and through the weekend.

Uh, Oh!

As mentioned earlier, my office was in Century City, the business community bordering Beverly Hills, a very good area, and the streets were empty that holiday morning. I pulled over to a local mailbox and while sorting the payment envelopes in my car, I noticed that a rather trashy looking automobile passed and continued down the street and out of sight. I didn’t pay heed and went back to my sorting until a few minutes later I was distracted by that same car blocking mine and a young man was pointing an automatic weapon at me through my car’s closed window. My first reaction was to lock the door and then realizing that that certainly wouldn’t do any good, I unlocked it and opened the car door to get out as he beckoned. I could see that the male passenger in his car was lying back looking very drugged. I remember being amazingly calm through this whole ordeal. The robber said only one thing to me: “Give me your wallet or I’ll shoot your a-s”.

Now follow me on this...I happened to be in a rental car that day while my car was being serviced, so I had placed all of my belongings in the back seat in a large tote bag, so I wouldn’t have them scattered and wouldn’t forget anything when I picked up my own car the following day. The tote bag contents included my purse with wallet, credit cards, etc., the $60,000 Michelin check and some other business papers.

The man nervously repeated the sentence above and his eyes were darting around the car looking for my purse, not knowing it was in the tote. So as I started to reach in the tote to get my purse, he leaned forward and quickly grabbed the whole tote bag.

I believe you will find the next part interesting…or bizarre! This was the test of a true entrepreneur. Here was this young tortured looking man aiming an automatic weapon straight at me, grabbing my tote bag, and the only thing I could instinctively do was say, "Please don’t take the business items." I was negotiating with my gunman for the return of my business items! And I was cool as a cucumber, as they say (or so I thought)…

No sooner had I asked that question than an SUV with a couple of guys came speeding down Olympic Boulevard and what did I do then? I ran away from the car and the gun and stood in the middle of the street waving my arms like a madwoman for the driver to stop. The men in the SUV sped past me while looking stunned, then slowed down, made a u-turn and stayed at a distance with their motor running watching the scene. In the meantime, the robber sped away, tote bag and all. And of course, I never did get his answer to my plea. The men in the SUV approached, asked if I was all right and I asked them to stick around until I started my car. At that point, after it was all over, my hands were shaking so violently that I couldn’t get the key in the ignition. Cool? Sure. Delayed reaction.

The Show Must Go On…

I drove to the Beverly Hills Police Department and was told that the witnesses I the SUV had already called in from their cell phone and the police were already searching for the car. I spent the next couple of hours at the police station.

I remember two things very distinctly: First, the officer in charge explained how lucky I was. I asked him if I did the right thing by running away from the gunman. He said that everything I did was right because I was standing there telling him about it. Made sense. However, he then told me that many times a person on drugs will do crazy things when they get nervous and that when you make a move like that, they could “lose it” and shoot you in the back. He also said that I was very fortunate because many times they will hit you with the gun and cause bodily damage. The second thing that was important was what he said about the Michelin check. I told him I needed the check for the corporate event to take place and didn’t know if I could get it replaced in time. The officer told me I would never see the check or my belongings again – he said the robbers would take the money and trash everything else in a dumpster.

Now here was the major issue: Michelin North America’s offices were closed until after the first of the year – there was no possibility of getting a replacement check in time for the New Year’s gala. I didn’t have a line of credit for my business because I never required one. I was always paid in advance for events, so I just maintained my regular business account. Most of my vendors had worked for me for many years and many of them could have waited until after the first of the year to get paid, but some of these vendors could not carry the larger costs until after the event – the balance on the catering food costs alone were about $35,000.

So I was shaken but alive and unhurt, and in a major dilemma.

Realization

I was exhausted. I needed rest. I drove home and couldn’t wait to just crawl into bed and rest. I left a message for friends I was to see later that day to cancel and said I would tell them why after the holiday. I told them that I could guarantee my holiday was more exciting than theirs. And then something came over me…

Almost like being on automatic pilot, I had a compelling feeling to just sit quietly. I gave in to this intuitive feeling. I closed my eyes and all I could see was the young gunman’s face.

A tremendous feeling of compassion came over me and at the same time heartfelt gratitude. All I could think of was to thank him. I thanked him for not hurting me. He certainly shook me up, but he didn’t hurt me. He never touched me. He made me realize instead how precious life is. How it could all be gone in an instant.

I realized how much he must be hurting. Here it was Christmas morning and he could have made a move that could have ruined him for life, all for the sake of a little drug money. That’s pain. I thanked him over and over again until I knew I had to get some sleep…

Lost and Found Department – The Universe, Upper Level

I awakened hours later with a very strong feeling to call my office and check the voice mail. Remember this was Christmas Day, offices were closed, no one would be calling. But I called and there was a message on the voice mail.

A woman in Hawthorne, a city some distance from Los Angeles, said in the voice mail message that she thought she had my belongings. I called her immediately. She said she found the phone number on either a card or business letterhead that was with the items. She said she had nine children and she had driven to the mall with a couple of her kids and the 13-year old saw the large envelope lying in the parking lot. When she found the phone number she called.

We discussed what was in the envelope, which was one of my large presentation package envelopes that I had put all my paperwork in.

Everything was there except for my casual purse, wallet and the $25 or so that I had carried. Everything! My credit cards (which I had cancelled, of course, after the robbery), my license, all of the vendor checks that were to be taken to the event that weren’t mailed, the business papers and THE $60,000 MICHELIN CHECK!! What relief!

I asked her if she would be available the next day and she said she was going Christmas shopping (the day after Christmas) because of the sales. I asked her not to go until I came down and saw her (I intended to give her a reward). I called the Beverly Hills Police Department and told them what happened and they warned me not to go. What? They said it could be a setup – to let the Hawthorne Police handle it and get my things. No way. I was picking up my Michelin check that next day and giving the woman her reward. I did, however, call the Hawthorne Police and they said they should escort me to her home. Fine.

When I arrived in Hawthorne the next day, the police asked quite a few questions. They told me that the automatic weapon used in my robbery was real, as there were a lot of them floating around that area, so the robber was most likely from that area. They said what didn’t make sense was that the Hawthorne Mall was closed on Christmas Day, so there was no reason for the woman to be there to find my things. She didn’t have a record, but they suggested that she might know the young robber and perhaps he gave her my things for the purpose of getting a reward. They agreed with me that she had earned her reward anyway just for getting that important check back to me.

They escorted me to the woman’s home. She was very nervous when she saw the police car, but I explained to her that I was advised to have them escort me. She calmed down, gave me my belongings and thanked me profusely for the reward.

Now, What Do You Think?

I want to believe that at some soul level, the young robber, even in his agitated state, had heard my plea to return my business items and couldn’t trash them. I believe that when I had later meditated on his face and expressed compassion and gratitude to him for not having harmed me, that he had felt the connection, as we are all one in Spirit, and had found a way to get my things back to me.

The original police officer in Beverly Hills who said I would never see my things again, had a colder view of things (I called to let them know I had retrieved my things). He said the gunman didn’t care, that he just figured he could get something more out of it. When someone is on drugs, robbing at gunpoint, do they really have the presence of mind to calculate and think about these things? Wouldn’t the instinct be to take the money and trash the evidence as quickly as possible in case you were caught, stopped by the police, etc? Trust me, that car was a police magnet.

One thing I do know for sure…the Universe protected me and the Universe returned my items to me because of my faith and because I blessed and looked for the good in the situation. This was spiritual law in action regardless of whether the young man planned this or not. He was under the law of right action and was acting under divine guidance responding to my call, whether conscious of it or not.

What was the lesson for me? At that moment in time, we were the only two entities on one of the most traveled streets in all of Los Angeles. Why did that happen? Perhaps for me to learn more compassion, forgiveness, gratitude? Or to increase my faith that all things are possible, even in the face of opposing odds? To appreciate the gift of life more? To increase my conviction in the universal laws I believed in?

Now, what do you think?

Footnote

Later in the evening on Christmas Day, after speaking with the woman in Hawthorne on the phone, and since I had decided not to meet with friends, I went to the only supermarket that was open to pick up a few things. There was only one other person in the whole market at that time – a very attractive man who was “eyeing” me and who finally spoke. He had just come from visiting his father and had stopped to also get a few things on the way home. George became the man in my life for a while. Go figure. Held up in the morning. Picked up in the evening :-)

To be continued...

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Part XXI: Destiny by Design

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Part XXII: The Universe – My Talent Agent

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Part XXIII: A Suite Deal

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Part XXIV: The Universe – My Marketing Department

Part XXV: That First Article

Private Reply to Linda J. Alexander http://www.lindajalexander.net

After contemplating the matter, I made up my mind to post the second article referred to in my story - the "post-quake" article. :-)

Although it relates to the special events industry, like the first one, and not specifically to the story itself, I am including it for several reasons:

First, although the first article was the one with the impact and immediate result from my prosperity work, in this second article, I was beginning to get the feel for sharing knowledge via the written word to promote myself. I was developing the knack of writing as a sales tool and positioning myself as an "expert," something I had never done before. I believe there is a difference in style between the two articles.

Therefore, I was becoming aware of publicity of a different nature. Earlier, as mentioned, all of the publicity was about me and my company. Now the publicity was taking a turn and being generated from me. The former, although very valuable, was what we would consider “buzz” or “hype” and directed to the public, the latter was based on business knowledge and credibility, a more subtle approach directed to a target audience. The distinction is that one type of publicity was "getting," the other “giving.”

The final and primary reason I am posting the article is that I feel it just might encourage some readers to do the same thing in their own field of business, if they have not been inclined to do so. It doesn't take great writing talent to promote this way, just a focus on what would be of benefit to your market and readers. And if you are applying prosperity laws, you won't have to write the articles yourself - the Universe will guide you along the way. And don't forget about all those copy editors and proofreaders who will provide the final touches if you don't...

Part XXVI: The Second Article

Creating the Perfect Off-Site Event

by Marilyn Jenett

Los Angeles Business Journal, January 31, 1994

The City of Angels has a diverse and exciting selection of special event venues to offer the meeting planner/event coordinator.

When selecting your venue, there are six basic elements to keep in mind. The basic elements of an event are: Location Site; Catering and Beverage Service; Rental Equipment; Theme and Decor; Music and Entertainment; and Transportation.

Considerations for selecting a venue are: distance and travel time, guest count, weather conditions, type of event, theme, and budget.

How much travel time is allotted to transport your guests? Will they be staying in hotels in one area or throughout the city? If guests are local, would a particular area of the city be preferable?

Is the event to be a reception, buffet or formal dinner and what is your maximum guest count? How much seating is required? Will guests need to be served in a common area or can several areas of the venue be utilized? Consider space required for dancing, entertainment or presentations. Keep in mind you may want to have a cocktail reception in one area followed by dinner and perhaps entertainment in another.

Will you consider having all or part of the event outdoors and is tenting an option in the event of weather changes? Of course, we know it never rains in Southern California, but space heaters work quite well for an unexpected chilly evening. Los Angeles boasts such a beautiful climate and there is a wonderful selection of indoor/outdoor venues.

You may already have determined whether you want your event to be elegant and sophisticated, casual and fun, reception style or formal. This will help in your site selection.

Your theme most likely will be determined by your choice of venue. Who can resist dinner at a Beverly Hills estate, a "Hollywood bash" at a movie studio, or a real California beach party? Venues are often selected that represent and characterize our city and its rich culture. Of course, you can always transform a particular location site into your theme of choice, but this will usually require a higher budget.

Budget may determine your selection of venue, but please don't make the mistake of isolating the location cost. The determining factor should be your budget for the entire event, not just location cost. Often there are creative ways of working within your budget even though the venue may be expensive. And in many instances location sites may be willing to negotiate rather than lose the event. If you are working with a local event professional, his/her longterm association with the location and vendors will help considerably.

You really want your reception, theme party or event to be at a creative off-site location but your budget is conservative? You will find the next category helpful...

Although many venues require the services of an independent catering company, others provide in-house catering only. Generally speaking, when profits are generated from in-house food and beverage, location fees are lower or nonexistent and rental equipment is included, lowering the cost of the event considerably.

As for the independent catering companies, those in Los Angeles are among the finest and most creative in the world. Our reputable caterers have extensive experience working "on location" and are capable of creating the flair and excitement that will personalize your event and make it memorable. From nouvelle cuisine to international menus, off premise caterers have the ability to provide the finest culinary options offered in our city.

A full service catering company will lend expertise in designing themes, coordinating rentals, providing beverage service and could even assist in site selection.

Rental Equipment

Rental equipment includes tables, chairs, linen, china, glassware, stemware, silverware, professional catering and kitchen equipment, heaters, tenting, staging, dance floors, lighting, and electrical.

Our most professional rental companies have computer generated diagrams of the most often used venues to facilitate logistical planning.

A rental consultant will work closely with the caterer/coordinator through all stages of planning until execution of the event to assure success.

Theme and Décor

Decor can be as minimal as floral arrangements for buffet and guest tables or as elaborate and intricate as the imagination and budget will allow.

Your location site will often determine your theme and provide most of the backdrop and decor you need. Guests will have the opportunity to tour the magnificent mansion or the museum's exhibits. Film studio theme locations provide everything necessary for that Hollywood theme party. Breathtaking city, ocean and mountain views, historic architecture, and the sands of our Gold Coast beaches cannot be duplicated by any design company. Often, supplemental florals and lighting may be all that are necessary to complement existing decor. However, if your budget is not limited and your venue is perfect for creative transformation, our industry's outstanding event design companies have the creativity and vision to enhance your event. Venues such as warehouses, soundstages, airport hangars and parking structures provide a perfect canvas to create a corporate identity or product promotion, or any theme the imagination could consider.

Music and Entertainment

Your needs may be as simple as background music for your reception and dinner or a band or an orchestra for dancing, but the selection of the right talent is vitally important to the success of your event. Entertainment must complement the venue, the theme, even the "consciousness" of your guests.

Entertainment covers a broad range of possibilities. World-class celebrity look-alike/impersonators are popular in Los Angeles. Their presence and performances enhance a Hollywood theme and provide wonderful photo opportunities. Other popular options include comedy, illusion (magic), variety or specialty acts, vocalists, even headliners.

Reputable music and entertainment contractors can provide the most desirable options and will be familiar with the best available talent. They will also coordinate the various elements of production such as sound reinforcement, A/V, lighting and staging, which are often necessary to enhance ambiance. "Our years of experience and contacts in the entertainment industry saves our clients valuable time, energy and expense when coordinating an event," says Sal Kuenzler of City Connection Entertainment and Productions.

Transportation

Transportation from hotels is usually provided by deluxe motor coach or shuttle van. Shuttle vans may be required in rare instances where access for large buses is limited at the location site. For very large receptions with high guest counts, motor coaches may be scheduled for several trips to pick up guests. A nice touch is to have local hostesses (often bilingual) load passengers at the hotels, provide a warm welcome on the ride to the event and provide assistance as needed throughout the evening.

For local guests, options would be self parking, valet parking or again, motor coach or shuttle van where parking restrictions prevail.

With a higher budget (and usually for smaller or medium-sized events) you may choose to transport your guests by superstretch limousine. Or limousines may be hired for senior executives.

The following are additional items to be considered for your event which need no elaboration here:

• Invitations

• Photography and videography (don't forget press style photographs for trade newsletters, promos, etc.)

• Gift items for guests

• Insurance (many location sites such as mansions and museums require a certificate of insurance from your company which may be obtained at little or no expense)

Many companies (often competitors) will be entertaining during your convention and every meeting planner wants to know that his/her efforts will result in an impressive event that will be remembered and talked about.

Please call and plan a site inspection as early as possible to select the venue of your choice (you may also make your decision from photographs, brochures and other promotional material). Of course, competing companies will not want to have events at the same venue even on different dates.

You now have all the basic information you need to coordinate your off-site event. If you are a seasoned meeting planner or event coordinator, most of this information will be familiar. However, we hope we have provided you with new insights and a bit more knowledge to help with your future efforts.

Marilyn Jenett is the owner of Marilyn Jenett Locations,
a renowned special event location company with offices in Los Angeles.

Copyright © 1993 CBJ, L.P.
Copyright © 2004 Gale Group

To be continued…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Part XXVII – Compete or Complete?

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

~ Unknown

When I founded my company, I was considered a pioneer in the industry - one who created the idea of a location company for events. My inspiration came from the film location companies which were extremely common in Los Angeles. But no one had ever had a location company for parties and events before. It was another industry entirely. So I was influenced and I guess you could say I "copied" the concept of booking locations from the established film location companies.

However, my business had a unique twist and didn't compete with them - and that uniqueness is what brought me worldwide publicity. I often mentioned in publicity that I got the idea from film location companies. Did I copy the idea? Yes, I believe so. It wasn't meant to flatter, of course, but I sensed an opportunity - a missing link that had not been addressed - and I hit gold. So I was guided to take an existing, established idea and make it different and better for another purpose.

On occasion I actually used the services of these film location companies. In fact, they provided all of the mansions I booked in Los Angeles for the Campbell Soup promotions in 2004 to 2006, since there were different requirements than those for a typical one day event.

If you can't say something nice...don't say anything at all.

~ Thumper in Bambi (1942)

At the time I created my business, there was a woman who owned a late film star’s home in Beverly Hills. Although the home had a celebrity connotation, it had “old Hollywood” décor and was really not the most appealing - there were so many more beautiful mansions to book. My clients didn't care for the home but I continued to show it along with the others because I wanted to help her.

The owner became upset because they wouldn't book it.

So just a few years after I started my business...she decided to become my only competitor and went for it full force. We even ended up in a feature story in theLos Angeles Times together, in which they depicted us as "rivals." Prior to that time, I was the only game in town - in the world, in fact :-)

So...there was now someone who copied my concept, went after the same venues (I didn't really want exclusives), some of the same clients and even created the name for her company that started with one letter before mine in the alphabet, so that she would be above my company in the trade publications.

This was truly one of the greatest business and spiritual lessons of my life. Although it ruffled me at first, when I "lifted" myself above the situation, I realized that the competition was the best thing that could have ever happened to me and that in reality there was no competition. Those clients who were right for me easily found me. She attracted those who were right for her. It inspired me to be an even better businesswoman than I was and propelled me to new professionalism. And it paid off. Her style of doing business was quite a bit different than mine. One of her specialties was weddings, which I stopped booking in favor of corporate clients. Corporate clients who met the two of us contracted my services. Sure it was sweet, but I wished her well and even sent her holiday cards on occasion. We occasionally spoke. I came to the realization that there is enough abundance for everyone in business and you can never lose what is rightfully yours except through fearful lack thinking and a negative consciousness. Lesson learned. It was a great growing experience toward my prosperity consciousness.

I don't believe in competition, at least in the traditional sense. Oh sure, it may appear to be there on the surface, but when we focus on giving the very best of ourselves and rely on the Universal source for our supply, we can trust that we will always be exactly where we are supposed to be with the right people and the right circumstances and we will be happy to afford others the same. If we feel threatened by competition, it only means one thing: we are operating from fear and lack and not from our true nature as children of a rich and abundant Universe.

We do not have to compete. We are complete. We are whole, complete and perfect. When we recognize our completion within, all outer circumstances will be consummated, perfected and completed to reflect our inner state.

What if someone copies us to the extent that there are violations or infringements? We have the right to protect our interests and take action if needed - that's good business sense. But I like what the great teacher Dr. Joseph Murphy said: When you steal from your brother, you steal from yourself. What you wish for your brother, you wish for yourself. So if someone does steal, the laws of their own mind and consciousness will take care of them.

The Universe doesn't miss a trick.

To be continued…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Private Reply to Sherry Sword

Part XXVIII – Banking on It

When everything seems to be going against you,
remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.

~ Henry Ford

This story would not be complete without telling you about Jean and a special client relationship that lasted many years…

That’s Jean…pronounced “zhahn” – the French variety :-)

Opening Scene

The story began in 1994 when I received a call from the Los Angeles offices of the Citibank Private Bank – the arm of Citibank that serviced high net worth legal clients. They wanted to entertain these legal clients with an invitation to dinner and a theatre performance when Miss Saigon opened at the Los Angeles Music Center. I was hired to plan the dinner and arrange for the purchase of the theatre tickets. It was a smaller exclusive event and I handled everything easily, working out the details with the in-house caterer exclusive to the Music Center.

Sometime later the client called again and asked me to coordinate a large scale event. I discovered that Citibank Private Bank held annual lawyers’ dinners – very upscale affairs for their top legal clients - in several major cities. I would be responsible to put together the Los Angeles dinner that year. The event included a formal reception and sit-down dinner to be held in a unique location with a famous guest speaker from the area of business, local government or politics. The location we decided upon was the Natural History Museum near downtown – the rotunda was a strikingly beautiful setting for the event.

The museum did not have a resident caterer and the client asked me if I would accommodate them and work with the catering company that they had used in the past for their off-premise events. I wasn’t thrilled about this, as I was used to my own off-premise caterers and could be responsible for them, but I told the client I would agree to this if it was that important to them. I knew the reputation of their caterer – she was considered one of the city’s best upscale social caterers, but I also had a feeling that she would not be easy to work with. Let’s just say that on an intuitive level, I didn’t feel comfortable. As it turned out, her staff and the quality of service did not live up to the standard I was used to and there were flaws with timing and delays. Normally this would reflect on the event coordinator, but since the client was insistent on using her, I could not be held responsible for the caterer’s errors. I was not happy, however, that at one point, there was almost a 45-minute delay between courses for the guests. Not acceptable in my book. But my feeling was to let it go – she was the client’s caterer so I felt it best not to make waves. The matter was too “political.”

Sometime during the following year I began wondering about that year’s Annual Lawyers’ Dinner for Citibank. I put in a call to Citibank and was not given any information. I then called the caterer and asked if she had heard anything about the upcoming dinner. She assured me that she was already in charge of the situation with the client and was handling the event herself this time and that my services would not be needed. Yes, that’s exactly how she put it. I understood then about my earlier intuitive feelings and realized that this woman wanted complete control of her client with no interference. Okay, if the client didn’t mind having their multimillion dollar law firm guests wait 45 minutes for a dinner course, then more power to them. And that was some attitude she had, considering that I had agreed to work with her for the client’s sake and didn’t try to talk them out of it. Some attitude.

I released the matter entirely and actually felt a sense of relief that I didn’t have to work with that caterer again.

The Thick Plottens

I don’t know how much time had elapsed since that call, but at some point following it, I received a call from a secretary at Citibank Private Bank. She informed me that a Mr. Jean Tardy had requested a meeting with me. It was regarding the upcoming Lawyers’ Dinner. Hmmm…things were getting interesting now…as a well-known talk show host used to say, “The thick plottens.” :-)

I was told that Jean Tardy’s full name was Jean Tardy-Vallernaud, but for short they called him Jean Tardy. I was intrigued to say the least about this ‘out of the blue’ meeting.

We set the appointment and I met with Jean Tardy, a very refined Frenchman with an artistic soul, very creative with exquisite taste, certainly not the typical description of a financial professional.

Jean and I hit it off immediately and early in the conversation he told me that he wanted me to coordinate the Lawyers’ Dinner. He was obviously newly in charge of everything. I remember asking him how he would feel if I used one of my own caterers if we chose a location that didn’t have their own. He not only agreed, he insisted that I use my own caterer – he told me he did not want the former caterer involved. He told me that he had met with her and knew this. He was also aware of the timing flaws at the previous year’s dinner and said that it was not acceptable for the Citibank Private Bank image.

If anyone wanted a prime example of instant karma…I don’t think you can get much clearer than that. In other words, her services would not be needed. :-)

Did I gloat over this? Of course. But as you will see shortly, our paths were destined to cross once again in the next act to test my understanding of still another spiritual lesson…

Tres Bien.

To be continued…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Part XXIX – Banking on It (Continued)

If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse;
however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming,
I help you become that.

~ Johan Wolfgang von Goethe

Act II

I now see in my records that it was 1995 when I coordinated that Sixth Annual Los Angeles Lawyers’ Dinner at the Natural History Museum with the caterer in question. And now a year later I was again in charge of producing that prestigious event for the Citibank Private Bank – the Seventh Annual Lawyers’ Dinner.

The client had always chosen a downtown Los Angeles venue for this event, as the guests would be arriving directly from their law firms on a business day and many of the major firms were downtown. I was able to secure the beautiful Grand Hall of the Music Center, the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County. As for the catering, the Music Center had their own in-house catering and restaurant operation, so an outside caterer could not be brought in. That was perfectly wonderful for me, as the Music Center housed the most prestigious theatres in the city, as well as the philharmonic and opera house. The catering staff was used to accommodating the most important clients and events and there service was impeccable. I was delighted that I was able to secure a rare open date at this location.

The caterer from my ‘Opening Scene’ called me to find out where the lawyers’ dinner would be, hoping that she still had a chance at the job, but the tables had certainly turned. She didn’t know that Jean was determined never to use her and she was now at my mercy. :-) Yes, the tables had turned. But there was something in me that would not let me treat her in the same way that she had brushed me off not long before. I gloated over the turn of events for a bit, but when it came to actually speaking with her and having to let her down, I knew I had to do it with grace and civility. After all, the Citibank Private Bank had been her client up until that time and now she had lost her client to me. I am sure this humbled her. My instincts told me to let her down easy and I did. I explained to her that we were able to secure a date at the Music Center and they obviously have their own caterer. So I let her believe that that was the only reason she would not be catering the event that year. I couldn’t tell her the truth. But I’m sure deep down she knew she was out of the picture. Looking back at the situation, I realize that I was refining my own spiritual qualities of forgiveness, compassion and humility and I would soon discover still another reason why my guidance led me to handle her so carefully.

The Lawyers’ Dinner in the Grand Hall was wonderful. During the reception and dinner, prior to the guest speaker, we had a trio of musicians who were the first tier members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The catering and service by the Music Center’s staff was excellent. Everything was first class.

For the client that year, in addition to the Lawyers’ Dinner, I also coordinated a Private Dinner Concert with the Philharmonic as well as the Showboat Dinner and Performance. Both events held at the Music Center were for the attorneys and their spouses.

Jean Tardy was such an incredible client. He was a creative thinker himself and we would put our heads together and come up with great ideas. But he also gave me full reign and let me express my creativity for these events, providing the budget for me to do so. The creativity wasn’t always expensive – for example, for the Showboat dinner, I ordered small painted wooden riverboats right from New Orleans and had them shipped here. I had the florist incorporate them into the gorgeous table arrangements. Other aspects of the events, especially for the Lawyers’ Dinners, were elaborate. For that annual three-hour dinner and an average guest count of 130-200, the billing was often over $100,000 (yes, you read that correctly). And that’s without spouses! More detail on this later…

Intermission

You know that I was guided to deal with the former caterer delicately – with kindness instead of well, arrogance. I had by then been in business for about 12 years and had never crossed paths with her before this occurrence, although I was aware of her just like I was aware of all of the other top event professionals in the city, as they were aware of me. We all knew who we were, whether we worked together or not. But the chances that this caterer and I would cross paths twice in the same time frame and especially after what had transpired – that was definitely unusual and very synchronistic. This is what happened…

I received a phone call around that same time from a client in Denver. Remember during the cable convention, there was a second mansion party I produced across the canyon from the Home & Garden Television bash with Crosby, Stills & Nash? Well, the call from Denver was that client. They wanted me to book an estate and coordinate their event, but they asked me if I would consider using their chosen caterer – a caterer who apparently had ties to the owner of the company. And you know who that caterer was, don’t you?

Are you starting to recognize the 'Sub Plot' here? My experience with this caterer was coming full circle…

• There were major flaws in her service at the event we had worked on together…

• She thereafter lost her former client to me.

• She was decidedly rude to me when she thought she had the client secured this year and was happy to see me out of the picture.

And now the Universe was handing me the decision to hire her or not for a different client. Something was cookin’ here and I’m not referring to the caterer’s kitchen.

Now let’s consider my general perspective…

• I had the knowledge of locations that clients wanted – that was a primary aspect of their events.

• I had the ability to coordinate and produce all aspects of the events.

• I believe my reputation and expertise were strong enough to allow me to insist on using my own vendors without putting off the clients.

I had a decision to make.

What do YOU think that decision was?

To be continued…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Part XXX – And Taking It All the Way to the Bank :-)

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

~ Albert Schweitzer

Legal Ease

Before I give you the answer to the question I previously posed, I thought I would share the sequence of events that Jean and I created for the legal clients.

Jean entrusted the Citibank Private Bank events to me from that year on. In 1997, we held the Eighth Annual Los Angeles Lawyers’ Dinner at the Petersen Automotive Museum during a Ferrari exhibit. The setting was spectacular. We always gave special gifts to the guests and that year we bought collector edition model cars from the museum and I contracted a laminating company to attach the cars to plaques that served as bases.This time it was cars instead of riverboats that were artistically attached to the floral arrangements. Scott from Silver Spoons, my favorite and trusted off premise caterer, was in charge of food and beverage.

The following year, 1998, we had another Theatre Dinner and took the lawyers to see the production of Chicago at the Music Center. Later that year it was the Ninth Annual Los Angeles Lawyers’ Dinner. Jean and I disregarded the New York home office policy and moved these events further west from downtown, which had never been done in years past. So the first move west was the Petersen Museum, and then in ’98 I booked LACMA – the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, with our dinner scheduled right in the midst of the Picasso Exhibit. After a reception and tour of the exhibit, there was an outdoor dinner in the museum courtyard. The gifts for the guests were beautiful museum coffee table books relating to the exhibit.

These annual dinners were attracting more guests each year and even the top Citibank Private Bank brass, who flew in from New York for the dinners, started to congratulate me on the success of these events. I was told they had never had this kind of turnout in the past, meaning the number of lawyers who RSVP'd to the invitations. And Jean told me that the New York executives never congratulated anyone, so I figured I could take that praise all the way to the bank - so to speak. :-) If you are not familiar with the slang phrase “…all the way to the bank,” I’m using it here to mean it was a sure thing, in other words, I could “bank on it” and count on profits from it.

In 1999, it was the Amadeus Dinner and Performance, followed months later by the Tenth Annual Los Angeles Lawyers’ Dinner, this time at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood. The existing corporate building set on Paramount's New York Street just "happened" to be a replica of the Citicorp Center in New York. We had the building dressed with signage and canopied and transformed to really be identifiable as the Citicorp Center in New York, which was the parent company of the Citibank Private Bank. Even the subway station set had the appropriate signage for that route. We had signage made for the older commerical "streets and shops" on the set to look like the buildings were Citibank earlier in the Century. It was the largest RSVP turnout yet and the dinner under the stars with the guest speaker was very dramatic, to say the least. Each guest received upon leaving, the complete gift set of Paramount’s latest Star Trek release. For that mid-week three-hour dinner that brought the attorneys from their offices at the end of the business day, I billed Citibank Private Bank about $125,000. Let’s just say that Jean Tardy-Vallernaud and Marilyn Jenett knew how to wine and dine clients in style. The New York office balked at the budget and we weren't concerned (although we did make a few adjustments as described below). Jean and I didn’t consider client entertaining a business, we considered it an art. :-)

An Officer and a Gentleman

Jean and I were a good team and we had a good run with these events, but he was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the corporate politics of his job and eventually left to go out on his own and became a financial consultant and wealth management specialist. To this day, we stay in touch. Citibank stopped doing client entertaining after that and it was a sign of the times. There seemed to be a shift in consciousness in general with regard to corporate spending in the entertaining area.

I will never forgot the client relationship I had with Jean Tardy – I was always impressed by his decency and kindness. I recall that final year with the Paramount event when the New York home office was on his back to bring down the budget. Hey, $125,000 was a heck of a lot of money for a dinner for a couple of hundred guests, even for a billion dollar corporation. Jean told me to pare down some of the expenses – for instance, hire one photographer instead of two or three. Get rid of some extras here and there. I offered to make less profit in order to accommodate New York’s request. And I will never forget what Jean said. He said, "Don’t you touch your profit. I won’t have you do that."

I was particularly honored when I was included in a select list of guests to be invited to Jean's wedding to Patricia (I was strictly a guest, having nothing to do with the coordination).

That’s the kind of client Jean Tardy Vallernaud was – an officer and a gentleman – that is, a bank officer and a gentleman. :-)

To be continued…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Private Reply to Sherry Sword

Private Reply to Afzal Huda

Part XXXI – Unlikely Teachers

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.

~ Mark Twain

Finale

“But the chances that this caterer and I would cross paths twice in the same time frame and especially after what had transpired – that was definitely unusual and very synchronistic.”

“And now the Universe was handing me the decision to hire her or not for a different client.”

So, have you been wondering what my decision was with respect to the caterer in question?

I cannot tell you exactly what motivated my decision at that time, but looking back in retrospect, I believe there were several factors that were involved, even if I was not consciously aware of them all. I had already learned that the Universe will often dictate its guidance silently, with a subtle whisper. I made my decision, no doubt, based on that whisper, but I can now look back and see the larger vision and the lesson that I was to learn.

From a conscious standpoint, here are some thoughts that enter my mind now as I revisit the scenario:

My new client’s desire was for me to use that caterer. What was more important - my ego and previous experience and opinion of the caterer’s work or servicing the client by fulfilling their request?

There was the chance that the caterer could mess up again, that something could go wrong at the event. Of course, I still wouldn’t be responsible since it was the client’s choice. This particular event was not a formal dinner – with the more casual format of buffet stations, errors were less likely.

I didn’t feel it would be professional to criticize or complain about the caterer to the client – that never makes anyone look good in business. Trying to promote my own caterer would only seem self serving.

Ultimately, however, I keep going back to the fact that this caterer and I were thrown together twice and the synchronicity involved convinces me that there was a reason for this. On the one hand, this was an opportunity to even the score for the way she treated me. If she didn’t get this booking, she would learn a really good lesson on the proper way to treat her fellow industry professionals.

On the other hand, I now had the “upper hand” where she was concerned. By agreeing to work with her once again, despite the previous interaction, I would become “bigger” than the situation and could create goodwill all the way around. I could compensate this caterer for her loss with the previous client which was perhaps a great blow for her. So, as I look back, I see that there was an even larger lesson to be learned here – by me - a lesson in forgiveness and a lesson in taking the high road instead of the low one. Teachers arrive in unexpected ways.

I decided to take the high road.

To be continued…

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

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Part XXXII – How About an Academy Reward Party?

Part XXXIII: How About an Academy Reward Party? (Part 2)

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Part XXXIV: Seeing Stars – Part I

Part XXXV: Seeing Stars - Part 2

Part XXXVI: Seeing Stars – Part 3

Oops, I noticed a small error in my story. In my original Small Claims filing, I requested the $1,000 for the car repair and the small medical bill. There was no need for the "expert witness" at that time. He came later when I was preparing for People's Court.

Just wanted to keep the details clear.

Fun stuff coming up, dahlings :-) That was a hint.

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Part XXXVII: Seeing Stars - Part 4

Part XXXVIII: Seeing Stars – Part 5

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Part XXXIX - Unmoved

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Part XXXX: Loose Change

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Part XXXXI: Ground Zero

Private Reply to Afzal Huda

Part XXXXII: Homecoming

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Part XXXXIII: Paper Tigers

Part XXXXIV: A Different Drummer

Part XXXXV: Synchronicity is Still My Game

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Part XXXXVI: Dear Universe, Please Give Me a Sign

Part XXXXVII: Seeing Souper Stars

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Part XXXXVIII: Castle Karma

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Part XXXXVIX: Castle Karma (Part 2)

Part XXXXVX: Swan Song

Part XXXXVXI: On a Clear Day…and Night

Part XXXXVXII: On a Clear Day…and Night (Part 2)

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Part L: Middles

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