Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michelle Hill. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Michelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?

A few years ago, I read The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, and the entire book is about creating memorable moments for customers. The book was so inspirational that I started thinking about how I could create “the power of moments” for my own clients.

After some brainstorming I figured it out. When a new client signs the Letter of Agreement and pays their deposit, I have them complete a questionnaire that includes asking about some of their favorites, like color, sports team, hobbies, holiday, food/snack items. charitable organization, and favorite way to relax. I create a curated, branded Welcome Box with my logo, and add some red crinkle strips, and some of the things the client included in their answers. If the person was referred, I also send the referrer a branded thank you card with a gift card added.

After my client’s book project is finished and they’re a published author, I have bookmarks printed with their cover design and a QR code. I surprise them by mailing it to them with a “Congratulations, you’re a published author” card.

My clients love the customized, personalized attention that I provide throughout their book journey.

Michelle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Growing up, I was a natural writer, and because of toxic family dynamics, I spent a LOT of time in my room reading and writing. In school, when the teacher announced “report” or “research paper” my heart leapt for joy while others groaned. When grown-ups asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, “A writer.”

Fast forward to 2008, and I had just been downsized for the third time in nine years while living in Southern California, and since there really were no jobs worth having, I set out to forge a new path. I knew I wanted to marry my love of writing with my love of sports.

I started by printing out lists of NFL and NBA teams, and on LinkedIn, I went from A to Z, team by team, and connected with as many people within each team as I could. Today, my LinkedIn connections total roughly about 8,600, all organically built.

Now don’t think that I wanted to connect with athletes because I was good at sports because I wasn’t – in fact, I was lousy at pretty much every sport during my school years except a semester of archery in high school. As a left-handed archer, I was decent. I was the one who excelled in cooking and typing class…and…well…writing.

When my business was officially “born” I was standing in the middle of an aisle at an entrepreneurial expo in Southern California when the name Winning Proof hit me upside my head. It stuck.

While I was building Winning Proof, I worked full-time as an Administrative Assistant, on Monday nights I was a personal chef for a family of five in Newport Beach, and on Tuesday and Thursday nights I worked at LA Fitness as a personal trainer. I worked Winning Proof on nights and weekends.

I took Winning Proof full-time in 2015, four years after relocating to North Carolina. It was scary since I had no other fall-back support system – just a ton of tenacity, determination, and courage. I was a ghostwriter for six years and now I call myself a recovering ghostwriter. I found I didn’t like the long-form and I found myself hating my own business, plus I don’t think I was particularly great at it.

Then…one beautiful day in 2020, I was on a “We Are Connect-Ed” networking group on Zoom, and the speaker told the group that if we’ve fallen out of love with our business, we don’t have to quit. She said that sometimes it’s about shifting 15 degrees to the left or right. That struck a chord in me! In fact, it was a mega ah-ha moment! I pushed the reset button and re-emerged as a Book and Publishing Consultant.

I’m now in my zone of genius and I love the moving and shaking of connecting clients with my incredible teammates which include editors and proofreaders, cover designers, book formatters, audiobook pros, and book marketing experts. I do all of the behind-the-scenes tasks, which just fills my heart with goodness.

Now, in 2025, I’ve helped 40+ first-time authors self-publish their books. I love educating my clients on the publishing process and I would say I give a lot more time to my clients than the average book company. I’m proud to say that 95% of my clients express interest in doing a second book with me.

I’m the author of five books, Bathroom Prayers – Inspiring Thoughts While You’re on the Pot under the pen name Anita Flushing, From Pen to Published that I co-wrote with former NFL player, Brandon Williams, two best-selling, multiple award-winning children’s books, Gizelle’s Silly Soggy Day and Gizelle’s Whimsical Wintery Day, and my fifth book, The Heart Swindler – Reclaim Your Heart and Stop Falling for Liars, Losers, and Lunatics was a bestseller. Currently, I’m at the starting gate for the sequel to The Heart Swindler (men’s edition), and am also working on a few other ideas.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

It’s been said that self-employment is NOT for the fainthearted. It’s said because it’s true! I’ve experienced extremely anxious moments during my self-employment years. I’ve had periods of burying my head in my arms and sobbing at my desk, feeling hopeless and discouraged. And I can’t count the times in the past when I’ve asked myself, “How in the world am I going to pay my rent this month?”

One particularly difficult struggle came in 2017 when two former NFL clients refused to pay me for projects they had contracted for. That’s how January started and that entire year my faith was tested more than any other. I had to visit a local food bank four times, which was very humbling…and humiliating, as I always thought food banks were for poor people, or people who didn’t want to work. I almost lost my apartment (I started visualizing how I was going to decorate my car), and I remember sobbing into a pillow on several occasions.

Some things happened that year that bolstered my faith and showed me that God was indeed in control. Gift cards showed up in the mail out of nowhere, random funds were deposited into a money app, and a friend hired me to clean up after his Air B and B guests, another extremely humbling gig, and one that I swore I would never do again.

It’s not the smartest or the most talented who win the entrepreneurial game. It’s the ones who don’t quit, and that’s what resilience is all about…not quitting even when everything in you wants to.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy is and always will be the way I treat and value my clients. A lot of “mill-type” book publishing companies treat clients like doctors treat patients: Chart number 12345. Move em in, move em out. Upsell. Upsell. Upsell.

I take a different approach. I start out on the very first Zoom by educating potential clients on publishing options and share how the process and timeline works, all with a casual, friendly “non-salesy” approach. I’m available to my clients via text, email, and phone within reasonable hours to answer their questions and calm their anxiousness as first-time authors. My role involves a lot of cheerleading throughout the project because writing and publishing a top-notch book can feel daunting, especially for those who have never done it before. I reassure, inform, and do exactly what I say I’m going to do. My clients appreciate that.

Bottom line: I really do value my clients! They can sense my own excitement for their book and they can feel my genuineness as I lead them through the journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://winningproof.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/winningproof
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/winningproof
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/winningproof
• Twitter: https://x.com/WinningProof
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@winningproofunscripted/videos
• Other: The website for my 5th book, The Heart Swindler – Reclaim Your Heart and Stop Falling for Liars, Losers, and Lunatics – https://heartswindler.com