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Girl Scout Cookies and Medium

Writing Lessons from a Little Girl

A sixth grader used time, commitment, and help to sell more Girl Scout cookies than any other girl. Writers and entrepreneurs can learn a lot from this kid.

Katie Sold the Most Cookies!

Katie Francis, a sixth-grader in Oklahoma City, sold 18,107 boxes of Girl Scout cookies in one month.

Yes, you read it right: A few years ago, one kid sold 18,107 boxes of cookies between February 27 and March 24.

OK, so she had a bit of help from Mom–after all Katie wasn’t old enough to drive yet. But when you read the story, it’s clear that Katie, not Mom, made the sales.

Katie says she used just five secrets to sell 18,107 boxes of cookies. By the way, these secrets are fundamental and universal. Doesn’t matter what you’re selling . . . or writing.

Yes, Katie’s fundamental and universal principles work for writers too!

Here’s Katie’s list:

1. Time: For a month Katie devoted all her spare time to cookie sales Nothing else. After school. On weekends. Whenever Katie wasn’t in school, doing homework or at her dance class, she was selling cookies including to those in the parking lot at the dance class.

So you’d like to make money writing for Medium. How much time everyday are you putting into writing?

2. Commitment: Katie rose to the challenge of beating last year’s record of 18,000. Promised herself she’d do what it took to sell more. And that she’d keep at it for the full month.

Are you committed to writing for Medium? Do you have a goal for how often you’ll write?

3. Ask for the sale: Everywhere Katie went she asked people to buy cookies. She reports she simply asked every person she saw if they’d like a box of Thin Mints or Samoas or Tag-a-longs.

Are you asking everybody you know to read what you write on Medium? Are you posting what you’ve written on your blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter?

Katie, although not consciously aware of them, also used two more sales essentials:

4. Ignore the “no”: Obviously Katie wasn’t discouraged when someone didn’t buy a box of cookies. She moved on and asked the next person.

Do you get discouraged when you write an article and nobody claps? Or when a friend says they don’t have time to read what you wrote for Medium? Katie would tell you to forget it and keep writing.

5. Support and Encouragement: Katie did the selling but she had help. Katie’s mom supported her daughter’s commitment. And she provided the transportation around the city plus room in the car for dozens of boxes of cookies.

Have you asked those close to you to support and encourage your writing? Do they have suggestions for topics you might write about? Do they leave you alone while you’re writing, making sure the TV isn’t blaring?

When you’re successful on Medium, you can thank a Girl Scout who sold 18,107 boxes of cookies in one month.

First published at OverwhelmToAction.com. Edited and rewritten for Medium/Illumination.

Because I’m an adoption coach for women, my writing, as one might assume, focuses on adoption. In addition, I offer words of wisdom for adult ADHDers. (Not only do I suffer from ADHD, but so do many adopted folks.)

You’ll find me at LivingWithAdoption.com. For a list of common adoption challenges, grab my free Adoption Checklist for Women: 25 Life Issues.

No surprise that focus does not come to me easily! In addition to adoption and ADHD, I also write random stories from my life, what I’ve observed, what’s in the news, anything that tickles my fancy.

Watch for my eBook: “The Laundromat Dog.” Coming soon.

For a Black Lives Matter from a white perspective, see my stories For White Folks from an Old Gray-Haired White Woman with Arthritis. And Teaching Kindergarten at an all-Black school.

You might also like musings on Staying at Home because of COVID 19: The Good, The Bad, and the Not So Ugly.