Hi my name is April Brown and I am the author and creator of Money is Marvelous. I love money, or more precisely, I love helping people make money. I love what money does for people.
I am a professional auctioneer and the founding director of WhiskerCity a feline rescue organization located in Seattle. I love animals and if I had the resources I would rescue every species, and since my resources are limited cats are the lucky ones at this time in my life. WhiskerCity is managed by about 30 volunteers and 1 full time employee.
I’m a fan of CBS Sunday Morning. I’ve watched that show for most of my life. One Sunday morning back in 1992 I made a decision to change the course of my life. I was newly married and not particularly crazy about the arrangement. Neither my husband nor I are very good at being married-to this day.I needed an adventure, something legal and exciting. Right there on that Sunday I made 2 decisions that transformed my life. I decided to attend an auction and devote my life to animal rescue.
Auction school was a fit. I loved everything about it.Auction school in the early 90’s was like stepping into a time warp. There were about 300 men and 17 women and even the women were sexist! Still, the hunky young good ole boys in tight jeans were irresistible. Yes ma’am this and no ma’am that. I don’t think I opened a door for myself the entire time I was there.
I returned to Seattle a full fledged auctioneer with an auction chant, a cowboy hat, and a solid silver belt buckle I bought from my favorite teacher, Boyd Michaels. I billed myself as Colonel April Brown, spoke with a bit of a twang and opened April Brown Auction Service. I went after private estates and commercial liquidations and just like that I was in business
The work was back breaking. The hours were long and I had to hustle to find new clients - people die once and businesses liquidate once. The end of an earthly life or business is painful. Many hours were devoted to tearful conversations with fractured families and business partners. Families, creditors, business owners and attorneys - I met my share of liars and thieves. There was always a character or two looking to screw someone out of a dollar and sometimes that someone was me! Their heartache became my heartache. I loved being an auctioneer but I needed something more. It was then that I decided to explore the charity auction world.
In the early 90s, the benefit auction model had become pretty stale. Charity auctions were predictable and boring. Other than auction software, nothing new had been introduced to the format in a decade. Non-profit fundraisers were dropping the auction event and actively seeking a money-making alternative. I was concerned, since my career aspirations were hanging on the concept. I didn’t know it then, but my timing could not have been more perfect.
As long as I can remember, I wanted to be that person that is in demand. Over the years my service and performance has rewarded me with a vibrant client base and faithful and loyal following.
I spent the summer of 2006 writing and producing Money is Marvelous. It is the first audio training series for serious auction professionals, non-profit organizations and event vendors. This 2 cd set is filled with money making ideas, procedures and methods for raising money by producing a highly successful, fun and lively Live and Silent auction. Money is Marvelous includes lots of money making strategies for executing clever and profitable raffles as part of an auction event. The information is so powerful that if an auction is already successful, this series could add another zero or two to the bottom line!
I can’t be at every auction, but I can influence the success of every auction, every auctioneer and every non-profit organization from Seattle to Singapore. This brings me back to where I started… I love money!
