My 15 Minutes (6 hours) of Fame on ABC 15 News

To follow up on my appearance on ABC 15 News last week, I was asked to do an interview by my marketing "gal" - she had some burning questions.  We had so much fun, that I decided to make a blog post out of it.Birgit: Ericka, as an entrepreneur, it must have been quite exciting to be invited to Channel 15 ABC News to share your expertise with their viewers, and not just on one segment, but 3 segments in the afternoon and the 10 PM edition.

Q: What was your first reaction when you heard the news that you were invited?

A: Surprise! It was completely unexpected! I was driving my daughter to a piano lesson when the reporter called me.  When I told my girls what the call was about they were so excited!  I was too, but I also wanted to remain neutral in case it didn’t work out.

Q: How did your family react? I’m sure your kids were excited.

A: Oh yes, my kids were very excited about seeing mommy on TV! They said “here is the superstar!” It makes me so happy to know that they are proud of mommy. I desire to be a role model to them with money and life.

Q: Did your family watch the show?

A: Yes my family watched the live TV segments but we were all in different places. My kids were with my aunt and cousin while I taped live at the station.

Q: Tell us a little about your experience of being on the set? Were you nervous?

A: When I walked into the station I was a bit star struck! I saw some of the familiar faces and started taking pictures like a giddy tourist! I was very nervous the first time they taped my Q&A. My heart was beating out of my chest! I calmed down though and followed Susan Casper’s lead.

Q: The viewers were able to chat live with you on the ABC 15 website. What was that experience like? Where there glitches?

A: The online chat was fun! I answered over 40 questions. Some questions were tough and heart-warming while others were easier and straight to the point. It was difficult to paraphrase what I would say in a 1 hour meeting into 2 or 3 sentences. Overall I would totally do it again!

Q: What was it like to be mentioned in the same sentence with Suze Orman? Do you do what she does? Or how do your services differ?

A: Yes it was crazy being in the same news segment with Suze Orman. She is a financial planner who is able to invest in securities for people. I help my clients create a budget to reach their financial goals like increasing savings or getting out of debt. You come to me first before you begin investing for the long-term.

Q: Why do you do what you do?

A: I was once one of my clients! When I had $60k in debt, no savings, and didn’t know how to get out. Even when we learned how to budget we went further into debt. I had to help myself and decided to share the tips, tools, and tricks to get out of debt. I love seeing others get free!

Q: What have you learned from this experience?

A: I learned that anything is possible! God gave me this opportunity and I am thankful!

Conclusion: It was a time for me to realize that anyone can accomplish just about anything, as long as you are committed to a successful outcome and invest yourself, the time and resources needed.

To read the the full story and the online viewer chat, go to ABC 15 News.