Meet Lee Densmer

We were lucky to catch up with Lee Densmer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lee, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Confidence and self-esteem doesn’t come easily for many of us, especially women. And it doesn’t come easy in a corporate setting, where so often what you do isn’t what you’re great at or what you want to do – it’s just chipping away at a job description for someone who doesn’t truly want you to grow. This all to say that often our professional circumstances do NOT help us develop our self-esteem, even if you know you are smart, capable, and hard-working.

I would say that I truly came into confidence and self-esteem when I started my own business. This correlates with when I conquered periodic imposter syndrome. Prior to this, I was just trusting that I had the training, skill, and intelligence to do good work – that’s not the same as strong confidence and strong self-esteem.

There’s some backstory: I opened by business at 51 after 2 layoffs. I was unemployed for a long time after the first layoff (6 months) and applied for 242 jobs. That – they layoff, the time unemployed, and the endless and senseless application for online jobs, including the ghosting from potential employers, periodic IQ test (seriously), and ‘free work’ required to get the next interview – was a huge hit to my self-esteem. The job search process is not good for your confidence. When I decided to open my own business, the freedom and control I felt in doing so was the antidote to that low self-esteem. All of a sudden I was in charge, could choose work I loved to do, could choose who I worked with, and could even decline to do work I knew I wasn’t good at. So, for the first time, the work I did was aligned with my skills, values, and interests. Feeling strong, confident, capable, and intelligent came quickly after.

But it took guts to step out on my own. I didn’t know I would succeed. Taking that risk and succeeding boosted my confidence even further.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m a content marketer and owner of a small agency providing content marketing strategy and content development in one industry (the translation and interpretation industry).

Specifically I help them with differentiators, messaging, and defining content programs that brings in buyers. I run blogs, craft email campaigns, create newsletter, and define social media strategy for these businesses.

A large part of my story is my love of language and travel – it’s how I ended up in the translation industry. I was born in Peru to American parents living there, and have studied Spanish all through high school and college. I’ve live in Ecuador and Chile and traveled to over 30 countries. The companies that I work for employ people from all cultures and countries and their services involve helping businesses reach customers across cultures and languages with translatino and interpretation services. I love the truly global aspect of the work I do, and the concept of breaking down language barriers so people can communicate, do business, learn, do research, innovate, access services, and thrive in a globally connected world.

Another important part of my story is that I started my business after 50. I spent 25 years in corporate and learned a significant amount, but also was beaten down over the years by bosses who were not interested in helping me grow my skills and/or (worse) actively ignoring my capabilities and underutilizing me. I was bored for much of that corporate career. the layoffs were a GIFT because they inspired me to go do something else. Also, at my age, I didn’t have time to experiment with a side hustle and eventually grow it into a business. I hit the ground running, learned all I needed to, networked aggressively, and within 12 months had built a business that exceeded my income expectations, brought me joy, and gained me the professional freedom and reward I had been seeking (and missing).

I’m also a lifelong teacher and I love running workshops and training people on things related to content marketing and writing.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Learner! You’ve got to take yourself to school if you are going to open your own business, both to hone your craft (in my case content marketing) and figure out how to run your business.

Networking! Meeting other people you can learn from or partner with is crucial to opening and growing a business and building your skills. Joining communities is a part of this (I’m in a couple business coaching communities and one for content marketing).

Setting and sticking to boundaries! I would say that setting boundaries has also been important for my success. This is about defining what you will and will not do, saying ‘no’ when you need to, and protecting your time so you can do well both at work and in your personal life and achieve that elusive balance between the 2.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

Myself. I have been the best partner to myself in my journey. I bet on myself when I started my business and once I committed I was all in. I worked hard to develop those essential skills I needed by reading books, listening to podcasts, taking classes, and talking to other people. No one spoon fed me any of that.

I would also give a strong nod to my husband who has supported me all along the way with encouragement and book keeping.

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leedensmer/

Image Credits

Lee Densmer