Secret Millionaire Ali Brown

If you missed the second season of ABC television’s Secret Millionaire, you missed a lot! Six millionaires had the opportunity to go undercover in the poorest areas of the country. They worked alongside amazing volunteers who, despite their own troubles, were doing everything they could to improve their communities. At the end of a week undercover, each millionaire was revealed and provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to the community.

Ali Brown was one of these millionaires. Many know her by her nickname, “Ezine Queen.” Brown is emerging as the face of entrepreneurialism and the voice for women nationwide. She founded and serves as CEO for Ali International LLC, which empowers female entrepreneurs worldwide. Brown entered the direct marketing sector in 1999, working from her small apartment in New York City. She never looked back, eventually creating an on and offline following of more than 50,000 members.

Brown’s achievements have been highly recognized. Her company landed on the Inc. 500 fastest growing company list in 2009. Just one year later, Ernst & Young included Brown in their Class of Entrepreneurial Winning Women. She was also named the 2010 Enterprising Woman of the Year by Enterprising Women. This young entrepreneur has also won the Commitment to Philanthropy award from the Step Up Women’s Network and the Stevie® Women Helping Women Award.

Forbes has named Brown one of their Women to Watch and she was dubbed “The Entrepreneurial Guru for Women” by Business News Daily. She has been featured as an expert in the New York Post and Investor’s Business Daily. Brown has also appeared on ABC News Now, Fox Business Network, E!, and several morning television talk shows. However, her feature appearance on the Secret Millionaire season one finale provided the ultimate exposure.

When Brown decided to stop working for others and become her own boss in 1998, she opened the door to a new world. The road to becoming a millionaire was not easy because this young woman did not have a mentor. At one point, Brown found herself with a bank account balance of less than $20. She did not let that deter her. In fact, it motivated her to work even harder. She immersed herself in marketing and success books, absorbing information like a sponge.

Brown learned the ins and outs of online marketing and used it to develop her business. She began sending email letters, or e-zines, to her prospects to market the venture. Eventually, she found herself working on projects with Scholastic Books, Dunn & Bradstreet, and other major corporate players. Women took notice and began asking about her business techniques. This led Brown to develop an e-book about achieving business success with e-zines.

The book was well-received, which led Brown in a new direction. She began providing marketing, entrepreneurial, and success strategies to others, eventually developing courses, programs, seminars, and events. After mentoring female business owners for several years, Brown established the membership program Elevate®, which provides education and coaching to entrepreneurs with all levels of experience.