After 2 long weeks of daily voting in the WE Mastermind 5K Dream Business Start Up Contest I am so thrilled to announce that MANDYLAND came in top spot! WOOHOO! Things finally came to an end Monday at midnight after an insane competition, especially in the final hours. I was head to head with a fellow competitor (J-Flo) for the full two weeks and things only got more crazy after 11pm on the final night. At one point I was down by 11, then up by 6, then tied and down again. It was excruciating to watch for me and my supporters but when the clock struck 12, me and my crew squealed with delight because I had won by a mere 3 votes. Crazy!!
Since this victory would not have been possible without the efforts of so many, I want to take an opportunity to thank everyone who contributed over the past 2 weeks with daily voting, sharing the link on their page, putting up with my incessant reminders to vote, and being there in the final hour to take MANDYLAND to the top. You all were so amazing!
I would also like to thank a few people/groups individually because I especially could not have succeeded without them. Please keep in mind that it would be impossible for me to name everyone who made a difference in this contest because there were hundreds of you. I was surrounded by countless angels throughout the entire process, all of which impacted the success of this contest, so please do not feel slighted if you are not named here. You were just as integral as anyone else. xo
Without further adieu, an extra special shout out goes to...
WE MASTERMIND & CONTEST ENTRANTS
The benefit of entering the Women Entrepreneurs Mastermind contest was that I was forced to get clear on my mission an get serious about taking my work to the next level. The launch of WE Mastermind was the inspiration and motivation I needed to crystalize my vision, articulate what I am here to offer this world, present my work as a unified whole, and harness the immense support around me by encouraging my friends, fans, family and followers to participate in the 5K Contest. There was finally a push to think even BIGGER and put myself out there in a more visible way. MANDYLAND was conceived through Facebook, spilled over into blogs, and now I am ready to take it beyond these things.
I would also like to congratulate every woman who entered this contest for having the courage to follow her dreams and passion. Most people don't possess this gift and keep their ambitions hidden from themselves and the world. Therefore, each of us who submitted our work and ideas through this very public form are, in my opinion at least, great examples of daring to go for it. Yay us!
Lastly, I would like to share that although I am grateful and very honoured to have won this contest, I am acutely aware that the number of votes hardly reflected whose business idea was the best or who was most deserving of the 5K start up package. It simply showed who was most effective at recruiting online support. Not everyone who entered had the resources available to them to generate the votes needed to win, which is why I think a contest based solely on votes isn't really that fair. Janet (J-Flo) and I had the advantage because we both have an established online presence which made it much easier for us to spread the word and collect votes. That being said, I do feel that my work is deserving of the support I received through the contest and the support I will receive through the 5K start up package, but I did just want to acknowledge that those who had less votes were no less deserving.
Even though I periodically curse and remove myself from this social network, I do appreciate the good that can happen through it. My pages and my personal account are valuable tools that help me connect with like-minded individuals, share my work, make people laugh, inspire change and receive support when I am in need. This FB contest served to bring people together for a collective mission which actually deepened my trust and faith in humanity. Yes it's only FB but because of it I have more support than I ever dreamed possible.
MANDYLAND SUPPORTERS
This includes my friends, family, fans, followers and every single person who reads, watches or listens to my work, is part of any or all of my pages, who likes me, loves me or is inspired by me, and those who are appreciative of who I am and what I do. It is because of you all that I feel confident enough to write the things I write, say the things I say, and go for the things I want. Your feedback makes me stronger, lets me know I am on the right track, and picks me up when I am down. I feel so incredibly supported by you in a way that I certainly didn't experience growing up, and it makes me feel like I can do anything in the world! So thank you. I may not have met most of you in person but I feel deeply connected to you through cyber space and I want you to know that you impact my day as much as I impact yours.
AMBER LONG
I know she would rather remain anonymous for her contribution because she's just that kind of awesome, but I really want to thank my dear friend Amber for the MANDYLAND PROMO VIDEO she recorded at my place right before the contest started. It was entirely her idea and she made it happen just because she believed in me and the work that I do. I had so much fun under her direction and the result was incredible. Everyone loved how fun it was and I especially loved that she used a song by Lykke Li in it knowing that LL is my very favourite artist EVER! Thank you, my love
FLEDGLING ARTS COLLECTIVE (UK)
I have a very soft spot in my heart for Fledgling Arts Collective in the UK because its ethos is one that resonates with my soul. Founded by the lovely Jewels Johnson, FAC provides a platform both online and offline for those with mental health problems, addictions, or those who feel like they don't quite 'fit', to express themselves through art as catharsis. It is one of the most inclusive, loving and supportive online environments I have ever witnessed and the support of its members is a major reason why MANDYLAND made it to top spot. Through its FB page of almost 3000 members, Jewels led her fellow fledglings daily to vote for a woman they never met but whose mission they believed in. They rallied together in ways I never expected and I was completely amazed each day. I was welcomed, supported, encouraged and cared for. I soon realized that this contest was as important to them as it was to me (like wow!) and it was such a gift to have all these creative and generous beings by my side. Of course there are too many to name, but thank you to each of you for all that you did to make this happen. BIG thanks to Jewels especially for leading us all to victory through nothing but love. xo www.fledglingarts.org
DAILY VOTERS
You set the foundation for this contest. Whoever you are, thank you so much. 2 weeks was too long so I sincerely appreciate your daily commitment to something that had very little to do with you. Thank you for caring, for your efforts, for being moved enough by what I do to take time out of your day to contribute to the numbers.
LAST MINUTE VOTERS AKA MIRACLE WORKERS
For those who watched the contest in the final hour you will know exactly what I'm talking about. People moved cyber mountains to get me the votes I needed to win each time I posted an update on the score. People who never thought they'd vote, those who were anti-apps, and even those who had been annoyed with me for the duration of the contest, were scrambling to get their votes in and were posting the link on their walls and their friends wall just to recruit more support. One friend begged her ex to help and he actually voted AND posted the link on his wall knowing nothing about me but trusting that it must be important if she's contacting him about it.
I had another woman who couldn't access the link through her phone so she sent me her email and password so that I could vote on her behalf. This was a woman I had only ever met once. Can you believe it!?! People whom I never even thought followed my work were messaging me telling me that they just voted and got their friends to vote. I was in awe over the activity that surrounded me and when we made it to the top by midnight I know I wasn't the only one who felt absolutely amazing! We all won this together. It really was a community effort and I still can't believe all the miracles that took place in the final hours that led to our victory. Thank you everyone. You are each a part of my success.
MY ELECTION PARTY AKA THOSE WHO CAME TO MY PLACE TO WATCH THE COUNTDOWN AND SUFFER RIGHT ALONG WITH ME
Jolene, Steve, Kirsandra, Christen and Irwin, thank you so much for coming to my last minute CAKE PARTY and being there for the last half hour of torture and the moment of OMFG!!! WE DID IT!!!! It was soooooo intense in my kitchen as we went minute to minute posting numbers on updates and counting down to midnight. None of us were at ease. We are all wound up tight and I was shaking near the end as it all came to a close. When we realized that MANDYLAND was the winner, holy shit. I screamed SOOO loud and smiled SOOO big and clapped and jigged and hugged my friends and then kicked them out immediately (and temporarily) so that I could concentrate on writing an update for everyone who had been following along the whole time.
Nothing could replace the high of sharing the news with those who wanted to see me winning and of those who had participated just moments before and make this possible. How amazing is that to know that your vote was THAT important! It was. Thank you so much everyone. And thank you to Melissa who came by after 7 hrs of partying to celebrate with me after everyone had left. Needless to say, I partied hard and was useless all of Tuesday. Rock on.
Thank you EVERYONE for an intense but incredible experience that I will never forget. What a trip it was. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!
With immense love and gratitude,
Mandy
xo
WOOHOO!!!!
P.S.
MANDYLAND IS...
For those who voted for me and have no idea why (lol), here is a glimpse of what MANDYLAND is comprised of so that you know what your votes were supporting. This is just a brief overview but you can check out the full story here: www.mandylandrocks.com
1. GODS & DIVAS (Personal Transformation Classes)
2. SEXPOT STUDIO (Personal Transformation Videos)
3. HUMANITY PHOTOGRAPHY (You will LOVE it!)
4. MANDYLAND RADIO ON ITUNES (Talk radio that inspires, entertains and educates)
5. MANDYLAND COLUMN IN ECHO WEEKLY (Promotion for independent businesses, creative geniuses and other forms of awesome)
6. MANDYLAND MUSINGS (Writings From The Heart)
7. MANDYLAND AWESOME AWARDS (If you're awesome, you win!)
8. THE POET & THE BUTTERFLY (A Non-Fiction Soul Story)
9. HER HAPPY HIGHNESS (My Blog)
10. MODELLING (My Portfolio)
Go to www.mandylandrocks.com to connect with Mandyland Rocks on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, iTunes and Tumblr.
P.P.S. I won 5K in services not cash so stop asking me for money!!! LOL!!
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