We were lucky to catch up with Helena Bowen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Helena, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

Am I happy? A thousand times, YES! When I worked in Corporate America (TM), I kept wondering, “Why are we doing this? Why are we doing it this way? Isn’t there a better way to do it?” As an entrepreneur, I love that I have control over how I spend my days, what I do, when, why, and how. I can prioritize the things that really matter to me, and decline the things that don’t suit me or my lifestyle.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a speechwriter, speaker coach, and executive communication strategist. The 300+ TED & TEDx Talks that I’ve produced have over 200 million views online and have been translated into 35 different languages. I’ve taught public speaking to professors & faculty members from more than 20 universities nationwide.

I got into this field VERY accidentally. I was working in Hollywood on set as an Assistant Director. I loved the job, but not the lifestyle. Working on set is a minimum 12-hour day. I looked to the people who were 10, 20, or 30 years ahead of me in my career and thought, “Maybe I need a new job.” Already, I was interested in TED / TEDx Talks and wondered, “should I start my own TEDx event?” So I started volunteering as a TEDx Transcriber & attended TEDActive in Vancouver. That quickly spiraled out of control. One minute it was a volunteer job. The next minute it was a whole side hustle. But I worked at HBO for 3 whole years before I finally took the leap to start my own speaker coaching & speechwriting business.

What I’m most proud of is the fact that I broke into this strange and unfamiliar industry with no formal credentials, I found my way, and launched a very successful business. If you asked me 10 years ago what I thought my job would be, I would never in a million years say, “Speechwriter,” and yet here I am! Co-writing TED Talks, TEDx Talks, and speeches for the United Nations. Life surprises you sometimes!

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

Social media is great. Word of mouth is greater. I’ve always felt like a bit of a failure when it comes to Social Media. There’s something about it that just doesn’t quite work with my brain. Instead of a wide & shallow approach, I’ve taken a narrow & deep approach. I have a small handful of people who refer my services to others — and that’s it. Yes, I’m still active on Social Media… periodically. But most of my business comes from a small handful of people who truly believe in what I do & can promote my services to new people.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Here are 5 books that have had the greatest influence on me as an entrepreneur:

1) The Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday — Quality over quantity is my philosophy for business and life. This book reaffirms that.
2) When by Daniel H. Pink — This book fundamentally changed how I live my life. It showed me that my ebbs and flows of energy throughout the day aren’t a problem, but an opportunity. See also: Do Less by Kate Northrup.
3) Deep Work & A World Without Email by Cal Newport — Two different books, but they’re cousins. Both reminded me that it’s ok to step away from the churn of email to focus on what really matters: serving my clients well.
4) Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert — At times, I’ve forgotten that I’m a fundamentally creative person. This book reminds me to take a creative approach to business & to life, no matter what.
5) The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer — I’ll be the first to admit that this is a bizarre choice for this list. It’s a heavily Christian book. I’m not a Christian. And yet, I find the concepts to be extremely transferrable to my philosophy for business. I have read and re-read this book countless times. It reaffirms my belief in taking a slower, deeper approach to business (and life!).

Contact Info:

• Website: helenabowen.com
• Instagram: `helenaspeaking
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenaspeaking
• Other: TikTok – helenaspeaking

Image Credits
Paige Ray