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    When Los Angeles's R&B Oldies radio station, 103.9 & 98.3 FM KACE, was sold by Cox Radio to the Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, in 2000, it was changed to Spanish language. Leaving a gaping hole in the R&B musical culture of L. A. Our last day on the air ended with E. Z. Wiggins' last Quiet Storm show at midnight, Feb. 1, 2000. I had to pivot from being an L. A. radio personality, to something else that I could support myself with--Substitute Teaching to maintain my freedom to audition, so I could, hopefully, Act--in Commercials. The year was 2000 and I had passed the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST) exam in 1985. Thank God, you only had to pass the CBEST one time and you could teach in California. So I was ready! Now, I just had to apply to LAUSD and take the next steps to get to work as a career substitute teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Then I met with an agent and signed with a commercial agency, Aqua Talent. I went on to book a national Lexus commercial; I was on the L. A. Board of Directors of AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) representing radio announcers and I was teaching. Life was pretty good. My then, fiancé took me to a business presentation by StoresOnline.com. As a communications major, I saw the connection between the Internet and Broadcasting. I'd studied 20th century Analog, now I was being introduced to the 21st century Digital education, I was about to embark on. They are both simply means of communication, using different devices. I wanted to demonstrate that I could be adept at using both. I bought 3 licenses for websites and was on the hunt for something to sell online. BTW, my former fiancé, who took me to the presentation, did not join me on my online journey. I was going to become a one woman, online webmaster...when I found something I wanted to sell! While teaching one day, a student told me that he was late for class because he had to get a new t-shirt, on his way to school. I asked him why that was so important? He emphatically said he had to be wearing his "fresh, white Pro Club tee!" I asked some other students about these Pro Club tee-shirts, and they schooled me, "that's THE tee shirt rappers are wearing on stage at rap concerts!" I was fascinated that these kids were so loyal to the Pro Club brand of t-shirts that I had to find out what was up, so I set out to find the manufacturer. To my surprise, I found the local, Korean owned company right there, in Los Angeles. After meeting with the owner and striking a deal, I was able to sell any of their products online, without buying and storing any inventory! I was going to sell Pro Club athletic apparel on my website, using pictures provided by the manufacturer and product descriptions, optimized by my knack for keyword research and SEO, and earn passive income, all while making the Pro Club brand world famous! Instead of selling face to face, I set my site up to take credit card payments. Because of my organic SEO, ProClubGear.com, was listed on the first SERP (Search Engine Results Page) of Google by people who were looking for and ready to buy Pro Club t-shirts. I loved that idea! I had finally found an in-demand product that I wanted to sell online! Since I had already bought 3 licenses to build websites using the StoresOnline.com platform, it was time to get busy with my first e-commerce website! Let's go! After much thought and deliberation, I came up with the perfect domain name, ProClubGear.com. Within 1-2 months, I proved to myself that I could make money online! From 2005 to 2018, while building my site, unbeknownst to me, I was using a little-known skill I later learned was called "digital marketing." I had already learned web copy writing and SEO from different sources, so I combined that with the keyword research and HTML I'd learned, to write copy that exposed California based, Pro Club branded hoodies and tee-shirts to buyers on the Internet. Even with the limitations of selling by the half or full dozen, of the same color and same size, the t-shirts sold. Some items, like hoodies and sweat pants, that sold in packs of 3, in the same color and size, sold, as well. I sold to businesses and individuals from coast to coast in the US and to some Canadian customers. The Customs issue wasn't something I wanted to deal with after the first few times, so I limited my target audience to US based customers. Ultimately, the site generated a significant number of sales, using organic search strategies. I had developed my SEO skills and was consistently listed on the first Search Engine Results Page (SERP) of Google for a few years. Pro Club, Inc.'s business grew significantly, because selling online proved to be quite lucrative. The profit earned from my site and a couple of others, that I'd run into when fulfilling my orders, clearly impacted their bottom line. They grew enough to justify moving into a larger facility. As the Pro Club brand became globally popular, my competition became stiffer. As a one-woman operation, I decided to take down my site and focus on other ways to make a difference and make money online. Truth be told, I was making more money for Pro Club and UPS, than I was for myself, so it was time to pivot. I also realized that my goal to prove to myself that I could make money online, had been confirmed! I had the full experience of creating, building, managing, optimizing and fulfilling orders for an e-commerce business, for 15 years! Now what? Well, after the pandemic, I had the opportunity to take some classes online, thanks to my former employer, the Los Angeles Unified School District. With their help, I decided to level up my digital marketing skills by taking the Digital Marketing Suite of classes at California State University Pomona College of Professional and Global Education. I now have a Certificate of Completion in:Persuasive Web CopywritingGrowing Your Business with Digital MarketingUsing Social Media in Business Achieving Top Search Engine PositionsDALL-EJasper AI and more AI tools by Coursiv.io (my certificates are shown at the bottom of this page) In this digital era, everyone is thinking of ways they can make money online. This trend is driven by growing and maturing consumers, who are discovering and creating ventures of their own, from their heart. However, due to bankrupt behaviors by bad actors, there is heightened skepticism, fear and distrust because of scams, excessive AI telemarketing calls, identity theft, hackers, online pop-up distractions and a perversive lack of Human Customer Service! Establishing Trust online has become a cornerstone of successful online commerce. After managing ProClubGear.com for fifteen years, I know firsthand, that you earn trust online through: 1. consistent, established branding, 2. a user-friendly, up-to-date website,3. timely fulfillment of product or service, as promised4. reliable methods of responsive communication 5. consistent content creation These practices are essential—regardless of the price point.
    When you're a little "extra," you might even secure loyalty and generate valuable referrals. KarlaWithaK.net’s Kommunity is a vibrant network of talented, active digital marketers and entrepreneurs committed to excellence. Their innovative products and services are designed to meet your needs with integrity and trust. Explore the KarlaWithaK.net Kommunity and connect with creative artists who are dedicated to generating professional business, online, just like you! I'm here to help and serve the next generation of online entrepreneurs find their niche and serve their target audience. I'm also here to help small businesses, especially restaurants, hair salons, braiders and personal service industries, craft their online messaging to serve their customers more intentionally. If you want help with your online venture or digital presence, give me a text at 323-394-1193 or email me at info@karlawithak.net.
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