U the Leader graduate Lauri Erickson has a vision for 2017 and it’s beautifully crafted as artwork in her office for all to see. Learn more about this dynamic business owner and how her vision can help you create yours.
Like many U & Improved graduates, Lauri Erickson doesn’t sit still for too long. As co-owner and CEO of The Project Pros, a company she founded in 2014, she helps businesses manage everything from answering phones to forming nonprofits. She also churns her passion into Project Walk Foundation – Phoenix, an organization she co-founded to assist people with spinal cord injuries. Lauri lends her nonprofit expertise to other visionaries and in fact, played a key role in our formation of the U & Improved Leadership Foundation. A native of Iowa, Lauri and her husband Todd and 12-year-old daughter Taylor live in Chandler with their canine cohorts Bebe and Pepper. Family, friends, crafting and her daughter’s volleyball games round out her bustling life and while she may be always on the go, she still carves out time to help others bring their goals to life through printed vision board art.
More about that later, but first…
1. Who are U Lauri Erickson?
I would say I am the product of being a student athlete throughout my formative years. I grew up in a very small Midwestern town when I was young, and then moved to Mesa, Arizona in junior high school and a much different life. Throughout those years, the common denominator was playing and competing in sports. I credit a lot of who I am to the dedication, perseverance and relationship-building skills I leaned in the team environments of sports. I was fortunate enough to compete on some really great teams for championships in both high school and college. I carry the things I learned from coaches, teammates and competition with me to this day.
2. What services does Project Pros provide?
Project Pros specializes in a variety of different services that helps small to medium-sized businesses manage their business, complete tasks/projects, and bring resources to their business without hiring a new employee. We have virtual and on-site assistance to help with putting processes in place, streamlining work flow, as well as answering the phone, maintaining schedules and calendars, data entry and many other tasks. We also manage social media for our customers, graphic design (including designing pamphlets, logos and websites), human resources, nonprofit and business formation and corporate team building. Vision Boards are one of the our corporate team-building tools.
3. When did you discover your passion for vision boarding?
I have been creating vision boards for years. My passion comes from the fact that I know and have witnessed my vision boards manifesting my goals year after year. When you take the time to set goals, write them down on paper, and then transform those goals into pictures you can see day after day, positive things are going to happen in your life. I continue to grow every year, personally and professionally, and it stems from the visualization of my goals. If you take the time to make a vision board, I promise, those goals will start becoming reality.
4. How can people use vision boards to manifest their goals?
Most vision boards are done with magazines, scissors and glue. We do that piece at the beginning of class and then help our clients and companies design a digital piece of artwork they can proudly display in their office. Our vision boards are stunning! The paper vision boards are great, and I believe it is where everyone should start. Most people won’t put them where they can see them every day, because they don’t want other people to see them. They tend to be a little messy, hard to explain, and some of the images are not exactly what they intended (it was all they could find in the magazines). Our vision boards are a conversation piece that gets people talking about their goals. What could be better than having a conversation about your goals to clients, customers, referral partners and friends to reconfirm the direction you are going and get them excited about you and your company? Our vision boards will take you to the next level!
5. What are your personal goals for 2017?
I always set personal goals along with my professional goals and strive to keep them simple. I believe that complicated goals don’t get achieved as quickly as less complex ones do, but I still aim big with my goals. My personal goal for 2017 sits very close to my heart, and it’s something that I have been involved with for years: Nonprofits. It’s actually something I am very passionate about, as I am the co-founder of a nonprofit that helps people with spinal cord injuries (Project Walk Foundation – Phoenix). My goal though is not just for my foundation, but to help other people find what they are passionate about and help them get involved. Anything from finding a nonprofit to volunteer at or if they have an idea for a nonprofit, helping them develop and form that idea into their own nonprofit to become a reality.
For more about The Project Pros Vision Board classes, visit www.projectprosaz.com.
Are you a U & Improved alumni with a story? Contact us about a future feature. Would you like to be a future alumni? Learn more about our core classes, U the Leader and U the Communicator and contact us with your questions.