Miata Edoga
Financial Coach for Artists
 

Select Topic From Drop-Down List What made you start Abundance Bound? Who are your clients exactly? What is financial education and why is it important? How are you different from other financial planners and advisors? What qualifies you to coach me? How are your programs different from others I've participated in? What personalities do you work best with? For what type of artist is this program not going to work? I'm struggling financially. Why would I spend money on this? What results can I expect? How quickly can I expect results? Will this be a distraction from focusing on my craft? How will I dedicate time to your program(s)? Will I recover my investment? What programs do you offer? Do you work with clients who are not based in Los Angeles? How do we get started? How can I sample your work? What forms of payment do you take? Do you offer a guarantee? May I read some client testimonials? May I call you with questions?

The best example I can give you is the following story that was a turning point and catalyst to what I do today: 

I’d been in Los Angeles for a few years pursuing my dream of acting. 

Slowly but surely, I continued to make progress, playing small roles in films and on television and auditioning consistently.   

While acting professionally from time to time, I was continually frustrated with the “9 to 5” jobs I had to work to make sure I could pay my bills.  I held a large variety of jobs that I hoped would give me the freedom to continue pursuing acting.   

I waited tables, bartended, catered, temped, typed, tutored, answered phones.  I worked at Starbucks, was a personal assistant, legal assistant and office manager.   

One day, at a stint working the early morning shift for a hotel restaurant, the afternoon waiter never showed up for work.  At the time, I was performing in a musical that started at 1:00 PM and absolutely needed to leave.  My manager refused to close out my register and release me from work.  If I left—it would essentially involve stealing—since I had all of the money from my shift, but if I stayed, I would miss my performance and ruin the show.  

I continued working—sobbing as I served some concerned restaurant patrons.  My manager finally found a replacement who showed up just in time.  I drove myself (still crying) to the theatre, where I arrived and got into costume literally seconds before the curtain went up.  I do not remember that performance.  I also never returned to that job. 

This experience shook me up (to say the least) but also was probably the proof I needed to let me know I was not headed down the right path.  Not only were the freedom and flexibility I longed for NOT what I was experiencing, but the part-time hours also meant low and inconsistent salaries.   Worse, these jobs were seriously preventing me from putting time and energy into my artistic career.  Essentially, I was lacking both time and money. 

I was tired of being the proverbial starving artist. 

Simultaneously, I noticed that the people around me who had the time freedom I wanted, as well as the financial success I was after, were often entrepreneurs. That really got me thinking about restructuring my life.  So I began learning everything I could about business building, finances and investing.  

With help from our friends, my husband Adam and I built a thriving telecommunications marketing side business, and started investing in real estate. We received thorough financial training, most notably from Loral Langemeier, author of the best seller The Millionaire Maker.  

Things have really turned around for us.  Because of what we’ve learned about investing, getting out of debt and having side businesses that bring in money, we have more time and the financial stability to pursue our artistic careers, without being strapped to an unfulfilling “9 to 5” job. 

As my husband and I have gone through our own journey for financial and time freedom, we realized that we weren’t the only ones in our industry that were looking for the same thing.  Problem was, there didn’t seem to be anyone teaching creative people like us about money. 

So, a year ago, we started a financial education company called Abundance Bound, and developed The Artists’ Prosperity System^TM, giving our clients a specific, step-by-step plan to take control of their financial future.   

Over the past year, we have led numerous financial seminars and coached a variety of private clients.  As a result, the creative professionals working with us (actors, artists, writers, etc.) have eliminated debt, started, grown and expanded their own side businesses and feel significantly more in control of their time, without sacrificing their artistic goals and dreams.  (Yes, it is possible!) 

While I continue to pursue my creative talents, I have also made a commitment to dedicate the rest of my professional life to sharing the same financial techniques that were taught to me, with any artist who wants to learn them.

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I work with actors and other individuals pursuing a wide variety of creative careers, who are extremely dedicated to their craft but tired of always struggling financially, and who want to build financial independence, without sacrificing their artistic pursuits.

The following are questions my ideal clients would relate to:

Do you find yourself always saying you will get on top of your finances when you get that “big break”?

Do you wish you could focus on pursuing your art without always worrying about how to pay your bills?

Are a lack of time and money obstacles to your artistic success?

Are your “day jobs” keeping you from putting time and energy into your artistic career?

Are you ready to take control of your financial future but aren’t quite sure where you should start?

In a nutshell, financial education is learning what is required to make and keep more money, and doing it in a way that will ultimately give you time freedom as well. 

Our educational system completely fails to prepare us for the financial realities of life.  The traditional view and advice given to most young people is this:  go to school, get a job working for a company, work 50 weeks a year, get two weeks vacation, repeat for 40 years, then retire on half of the income you had a hard time living on when you were working.  This has proven to be a relatively ineffective model for most people, and certainly is not applicable to those of us who have chosen artistic careers. 

We’ve all heard the dire statistics that tell us how unlikely it is that we will ever be able to support ourselves through our art, and it is neither my intention nor desire to repeat those statistics here.  I believe that anyone who pursues their artistic goals with consistent drive and passion will ultimately achieve success.  However, it is impossible to know whether that success will happen in five months, five years or fifteen years.  

What I do know is that, regardless of the timeframe, you do not have to be “starving” in the meantime. 

Financial education (and the application of that education) is what changes the outcome for people:  it gives you the tools necessary to create incomes independent of a “job,” and then maximize the rate at which the money you make can grow.  Its ultimate goal is the development of a stream of passive income (income coming into your household without you having to work for it constantly) that allows you to have the time freedom to pursue whatever you desire. 

In today’s economy, with its constant downsizing, moving of jobs overseas, etc., the concept of “job security” is a myth:  and for those with artistic aspirations, it is even more tenuous.  The only sure fire way of becoming a success is to have the money necessary to focus on the development of one’s creative career.  Financial education is what will lay the foundation, and build the structure, necessary for making that money.

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First of all, I only work with artists.  As an actor and business owner myself, I specialize in the application of wealth techniques to a creative lifestyle.  

Also, financial planners and advisors focus on maximizing the returns for money you already have.  The goal of financial education, as defined in the previous question, is quite different.  

One of the key distinctions is that you do not have to actually have money to start educating yourself about it.  We’ve all heard about lottery winners who have won millions, and yet are bankrupt within a few years.  Likewise, there are numerous tales of artists who have landed major contracts, only to find themselves completely broke soon after the completion of that particular gig.

These depressing results stem from a lack of basic understanding of how money works.  Abundance Bound was created to provide that understanding.

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I have trained and continue to study with some of the best and most current financial educators—growing financial knowledge and developing my skills as a personal coach.

However, I think the most important part of the answer to this question is the fact that everything I teach I have done and continue doing myself.  Five years ago, I was in exactly the same place as many of my fellow artists—working countless different jobs and still in tears at the end of every month—completely stressed that I wouldn’t be able to pay all of my bills.  I committed to developing strong financial knowledge and skills, and to actually applying those skills to my own life.  

In the past 5 years, I have built two successful businesses and have begun investing in real estate and other opportunities.  I have learned to create passive income giving me more time to focus on my acting career.  I continue to work as an actor and my husband and I have also started producing our own projects.

It is completely through my own experiences—my own failures and successes—that I was able to develop the Artists’ Prosperity System^TM that guides my clients step-by-step through the process of achieving their own financial goals. 

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I can completely relate to this question because for awhile, I became what I now call a “seminar junkie.”  I would attend workshops and read books, each time hoping for the magic solution that would solve all of my financial troubles AND allow me to pursue my career at the same time. 

This is what I discovered.  There are an awful lot of programs out there that will get you excited and inspire you to make changes in your life.  You will leave the seminar or close the book fully determined that now things are going to be different.  But then nothing happens.  Why?  Because providing inspiration is different than providing the actual tools that, when applied, will get you results.  Many of us are ready and willing to do the work necessary to change our financial situation.  We just don’t know where to start. 

Our programs are fun and they are inspiring, but they are also practical and will get you into ACTION.  We won’t just show you that you need to do something and then leave you to guess what that something is.  The Artists’ Prosperity System^TM is simple and clear, but also extremely powerful and effective.

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The Abundance Bound programs were created for artists who are completely serious about developing the financial independence that will allow them to truly thrive in their artistic pursuits.

Sometimes artists get the negative reputation of being lazy because we struggle financially.  I know that this couldn’t be further from the truth.  Artists are, in fact, some of the most focused, hard working and driven people I know.  My ideal clients are those who are prepared to transfer some of this drive and work ethic into completing each step of the Artists’ Prosperity System^TM.  The daily and weekly exercises and assignments are all critical components, leading to almost unbelievable excitement and fulfillment as you start to see positive and powerful changes in your financial state. 

Please understand that it absolutely does not matter how bad you are convinced your financial situation is at this moment!  (I feel confident saying this because I can safely say my finances were fairly bleak when I began this process.)  I achieve the most with those who are motivated to start their financial journey and who aren’t afraid to face the challenges that have held you back up until this point.  You will find this process allows no time or energy on excuses.  I am looking for individuals who are inspired by the idea of having full support and guidance while getting into ACTION—people who have no trouble going to work on their goals once they are confident they are on a path that will take them there.

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I am very selective in who I’ll coach and will (gently) turn away people who aren’t suited for our programs and who won’t get the results for which they would have signed up for. 

There is only one type of person that I absolutely will not work with:  the whiner or the chronic skeptic, as well as individuals who consistently make excuses for not getting their assignments done or who challenge every aspect of the program.  If you are one of these people, I respectfully ask that you not call and I hope you understand why.  I won’t be able to help you at this point in your journey and I honestly don’t want you to waste your time or money. 

We’ve all had moments (even lifetimes) of this defensive and excuse-ridden behavior—trust me, I am no exception!  I can only share with you what I finally learned.  What I had been doing in my life in terms of my money WAS NOT WORKING.  It wasn’t until I was ready to get my ego out of the way and start listening to and following those who had achieved what I wanted, that I started seeing results. 

When you’re ready—and if you really listen to your heart you’ll know when that is—call me and we’ll get you started.  I will absolutely be here when you need me.

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I will answer this by asking a couple of questions.  How long have you been financially struggling?  What do you honestly anticipate is going to change that?  

If your answer to the second question is “when I get my big break” (which was my answer for some time), then I really encourage you to look at our programs. 

You ask, “How can I afford to invest in your program?”  I respond, “How can you afford not to?”  As artists, we spend money on a lot of things.  As an actor, I have spent thousands of dollars on headshots, mailings, acting classes, casting workshops, audition clothes, fitness programs. . .obviously I could go on forever.  Spending money on my financial education has put me in a far better position to afford all of those critical things, as well as being able to better enjoy time with my family, friends and my life overall.

When you add up the benefits that you will receive from going to work with me, it will far outweigh the small investment that you make.

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You can expect to: 

• Change your negative attitudes and conversations around money to positive and powerful financial statements that are actually supporting you in reaching your goals

• Conquer your financial fears so they are no longer a barrier to your success

• Become financially organized so you know your exact financial starting point and can develop a strong plan for the future

• Start building a high interest "wealth account" that will provide funds for future investments

• Develop financial goals and dreams that inspire and motivate you to move forward

• Stay accountable to those goals so that you actually achieve them

• Create a debt elimination plan that will allow you to stop stressing out about those credit card bills

• Learn strategies to handle your time more efficiently so you can make creating financial abundance a priority without distracting from your artistic pursuits

• Develop business ideas that will help you increase your income and pay less in taxes

• Make more money than you're making now, while enjoying life even more than you're enjoying it now

• Start creating passive income so you have more time and energy to focus on the things you want most

• Create a strong team of wealth professionals that will support you on your journey

• Network with like-minded, wealth building artists

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How quickly can I expect results?

Obviously this will depend on your financial starting point, including factors like the mental space you are in around money, how much debt you have, how financially organized you are, and how much you are currently earning.  The speed at which you progress will also be greatly affected by how much you put into the assignments that you are given.   

That said, virtually all clients feel increased financial confidence almost immediately upon beginning the process, and most will be able to document actual improvement in their financial situation within the first two months of our work together.  Understand that this is not any sort of magic pill or quick fix and will require some dedication and effort on your part.  However, your daily financial growth will fuel and energize you to continue to move forward.

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I believed this to be true for a long time.  It was a fear of being distracted from the acting career I really wanted, that led me to get what I hoped were relatively mindless jobs and that would allow me time flexibility.  The reality, which I found for myself and saw in almost all of my artist friends, was that these jobs and the constant financial struggle were more distracting than anything I could have imagined. 

How many of you can relate to the constant stress that you will get an audition and have to call in sick (yet again) to your day job?  I can also remember having great weeks in terms of tips when I was waiting tables and bartending, only to be followed by days where the restaurant was practically empty.  I was never sure I would be able to cover my rent, let alone the absolutely essential acting classes and casting workshops that would help me continue to grow as an actor. 

Financial stress is distracting.  Continuing to do jobs that you hate will suck you dry spiritually and artistically.  Imagine how incredible it would be to pursue your artistic dreams free from the constant anxiety about money.  Imagine being able to afford all that you need to continue moving your career forward and even having the resources to produce your own films, sponsor your own art shows, open your own galleries.  

When you start applying the steps of the Artists’ Prosperity System^TM to your life, the results will give you more energy and a renewed focus on all that is truly important.

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When I first started my financial education, I was incredibly busy. I had a full-time, extremely demanding job, I was in acting class, took multiple casting workshops every week, and was pregnant with my first child. I had to take a hard look at what was actually filling each hour of my day, and how effectively each thing was moving me towards my creative goals. 

The reality is, no matter how busy we are, all of us can find an hour or so that we are wasting each day. The beauty of our programs is that you won’t waste time and energy guessing at what you should be doing. The exercises and assignments you will receive are clear, straightforward, and can be broken into simple, manageable steps. If you can spend even a few hours each week putting these steps into action, you will see results. 

We have all heard the saying “every journey begins with a single step.”  This is no less true about your financial goals. You will have my constant guidance and support, and that will also help you make this work.

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Yes—without question you will.  In fact, I say with complete confidence that if you fully implement the steps of our system, your investment in this program will prove to be a minute fraction of the improvements to your financial picture. 

What you receive from the Abundance Bound seminars and our private coaching programs is much more than a variety of worksheets and a number of minutes working with me.  You receive a series of financial skills and concepts that will change forever how you think about and deal with your money.  That’s what you’re investing in—results—more financial knowledge, debt management and wealth building skills, and gaining the ability to make and keep more money without losing focus on your artistic goals.

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I encourage you to visit the Events & Classes and the Private Coaching pages of our Web site to study the programs that we offer and see which is most suited to support you in reaching your goals.

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Absolutely!  Most of our seminars are done over the telephone, as are all of our private coaching sessions.  This allows us to easily work with clients all over the country and, in fact, the world.  For some of you, this will be your first time participating in a class taught by phone.  While it is relatively new to the artistic community, businesses have used teleseminars for years for coaching and other educational purposes.  This has become the ideal way for the busy person to learn valuable information, and share ideas with fellow classmates, all from the comfort of your home or any other convenient location. 

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First of all, I admire your ability to make a decision and your willingness to take action.  Did you know that is one of the most prominent characteristics of successful people?  They take educated risks.  It was when my husband and I stopped talking about all the things that were wrong in our lives and started actually working to change things that we began to achieve what we wanted.  Yes—we made mistakes.  But we also found we were moving towards success much, much faster. 

So with that said, here’s what you do.  Give us a call at 800.768.0281 or e-mail us at info@abundancebound.com to let us know which program will work best for you in terms of the results you want to get.  If you select our private coaching program, we’ll set up a day and time to start our coaching and you’ll receive a welcome packet by e-mail.  In it, you’ll fill out your client information, current financial and artistic goals, as well as your payment information. 

You’ll send your completed welcome packet to me at least two days prior to our first call.  From what you wrote, I can start to customize a plan for you using your goals and your current financial situation, and incorporating the steps of the Artists’ Prosperity System^TM to make sure you get the results you want.  By taking the time to thoroughly complete this information packet, when we actually speak for the first time, we will be able to hit the ground running.  I will give you strategies, support you in implementing assignments, and get you started towards the financial future you desire and deserve.

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Take one of my monthly free teleseminars (telephone seminars) entitled, "Understanding The Artists' Prosperity System™."  There's no cost and you will get an overview of the whole system, and most importantly, get a feel for how I work with my clients.  (If you like what you get during just this short amount of time with me, imagine what results you will get participating in The Artists' Prosperity Boot Camp or our Private Coaching program!)

Another way to sample our work is by signing up for our information-packed newsletter, “News From Abundance Bound.”  Every two weeks you will receive an article providing you with valuable financial tips and tools you can actually put into practice in your own life.  This newsletter is an absolute must for anyone committed to improving their financial situation.

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We accept checks (payable to Abundance Bound, Inc.), money orders, Visa, MasterCard and your first born.  We are extremely sensitive (bad jokes aside) to each individual’s current financial situation, and do offer payment plans for our longer term courses and private coaching programs.

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Absolutely!  Each of our seminars and coaching programs have a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.  We expect you to do your part (see the Web site for details).  However, if you are dissatisfied with our work you will have the opportunity to obtain a refund.

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Yes, I encourage you to!  Please visit the Testimonials page, read all of them and feel free to contact the individuals who have shared their experiences. 

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Great!  I’m thrilled that you are ready to step up and create the financial future you deserve and I’m really looking forward to supporting you on the journey.  You can either e-mail your questions to me at miata@abundancebound.com or call 800.768.0281 to request a FREE get-acquainted phone call with me.

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Click here for details on the financial skills you’ll acquire utilizing The Artists’ Prosperity System^TM.