We recently connected with Melanie L. Denny and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Melanie L. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

As an award-winning resume writer, I used my writing, teaching and coaching skills to help brilliant professionals land new jobs for the last 13 years.

Although I have loved writing since childhood, the writing got old – real quick!

What kept me going?

🤗 The clarity my clients gained and the confidence they exuded after working with me…

🤗 the joy in their voices when they saw their new branded resume that told THEIR unique story…

🤗 the excitement that came with a new job and a significant pay raise…

That NEVER got old for me.

I basked in their excitement for their renewed perception of who they were as a professional.

I built a great business and a strong brand as a resume expert over the last 13 years.

✅ I’ve won multiple awards for my work.

✅ I’ve been quoted in 30+ outlets for my expertise.

✅ Conducted 100+ trainings and workshops for job seekers and industry colleagues.

✅ My work has been featured in 6 different career books.

✅ I even started a group of resume writers to train them on how to build sustainable resume businesses and write higher-quality documents.

But, I was no longer truly fulfilled and didn’t feel as deep a connection to my work as I had wanted.

So, I took a step back in an attempt to renew my own self-perception and decided to put a halt on the resume business to reflect.

Here’s what I have discovered about myself and come to terms with:

🙌🏾 I reaffirmed that I absolutely love helping brilliant women – particularly women of color – to see themselves as more.

🙌🏾 Although I’ve held thousands in their job search, I found it challenging to tell my story in a way that I thought would resonate with my client base of corporate professionals when my lane was entrepreneurship vs the 9-5.

🙌🏾 When I looked even further within, I know now that it was never about the resume – that was just a tool to facilitate the process. In my heart, I wanted my people to be able to show up bolder and more confident in their abilities, be empowered to ask for what they want and advocate for themselves.

🙌🏾 My purpose here on Earth transcends any job search or award-winning resume. My purpose was about more than helping people find jobs. It was about helping people find their voice, embrace their uniqueness and articulate the value they offer in the form of strategic storytelling.

Now, I am on a mission to help brilliant women of color to overcome limiting beliefs, gain more visibility and capitalize on new opportunities beyond their 9-5 by harnessing the power of #personalbranding.

That’s how my personal branding program for Brilliant Black Women (Empowered Presence™) was born.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My purpose is to help brilliant women of color see themselves as more.

So, I offer workshops, programs and courses on how to overcome limiting beliefs, gain more visibility and capitalize on new opportunities beyond the 9-5.

As an award-winning resume writer and career coach, I loved helping rising professionals and aspiring executives see themselves in a new light and gain a new sense of confidence in themselves.

Although I’ve helped thousands of people to land high-paying jobs, deep in my heart, I never felt connected to the corporate journey. I fell in love with the results and client reactions and revelations my clients were experiencing as a result of my work.

I’m passionate about business and now after 13 years of helping job seekers I want to help aspiring womenpreneurs or corporate women go after (and win) new opportunities to spread their message, make an impact and maximize revenue through the power of personal branding.

I see women doubt themselves, dim their light and sell themselves short ALL the time. We as a society have been silencing women and subconsciously teaching them to not be outspoken or opinionated – especially women of color. I myself succumbed to this, and it has hindered my willingness to be seen at work AND in my personal life. The future is female and it’s time we reframe our “bossiness” as leadership skills, our “emotions” as empathy and our our ability to “nurture” as developing others.

I designed all my offerings with the brilliant black woman in mind. She is educated, and seen as an expert in her field. She has earned tons of accolades and takes pride in her work. She is constantly learning and growing to master her craft, but no one knows how deep her brilliance runs because she is insecure about advocating for herself. She tends to shy away from boasting too loudly because she doesn’t want to come off as arrogant or “doing the most.” She is a true leader but doesn’t realize the depth of her power. She enjoys her job but she has something bigger to share with the world.

She secretly dreams about speaking at industry conferences and podcasts – and even thought about starting her own consultancy or mentorship program, but has no clue where to start. She doubts anyone would take her seriously or trust her words. She logs into social media once in a while and sees people less qualified that her, speaking and sharing content online. She longs for more….

more reach…
more visibility…
more impact.

She was me.

And she broke through to become a thought leader in her field, quoted and featured in 30+ times in the media, led 100+ trainings, speeches, podcast interviews and even TV appearances. She started a mentoring program to empower ~300 of the next generation of resume writers. She has earned the love and respect of industry giants who had paved the way for her.

I’m now on a mission to help my people do the same in their respective industries. Through workshops, courses and my signature program, Empowered Presence™ I help my phenomenal clients to:

→ embrace their uniqueness and boost their self confidence
→ gain a renewed sense of clarity around their personal mission
→ understand the importance of impacting others by telling their story
→ package their knowledge, skills and abilities to showcase their value
→ position themselves for opportunities by become seen as a thought leader / authority
→ increase their visibility and make a meaningful impact in their industry

Through 6 modules, program participants gain power through my proprietary framework:

The Power of Visibility → Get closely acquainted with how personal branding can produce new opportunities and generate revenue. Eradicate the limiting beliefs that have been holding you back from boldly showing up thus far.

The Power of Vision → Dare to dream about the details of your desires without holding back. Clarify your BIG why and craft a personal mission statement so you can move forward with conviction and clarity.

The Power of Story → Embark on a journey of self exploration to unearth your values, passions, special skills, weaknesses, strengths and everything in between. Shape your brand identity and start formulating the stories that pack the most punch.

The Power of Impact → Understand what problems you uniquely solve and connect your personal experiences to the people you are looking to connect with. Pinpoint who benefits most from your message or offer and exactly how to find them.

The Power of Positioning → Establish your brand’s style, tone, voice, aesthetics and content pillars. Package your knowledge, skills and experiences to showcase the value you offer and quickly become recognized as a thought leader and industry authority.

The Power of Action → Map out your VCR™ self-marketing strategy. Learn how to network confidently and build a community of raving fans, partners, prospects, clients and customers both online and in person.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Countless times throughout my journey, I felt isolated and lonely in my business. I thought about giving up more times than I can count. Many nights, I cried myself to sleep feeling inadequate after glancing at my depleted bank account. I was puzzled about what I was doing wrong.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I went on a journey of self-discovery as I chased the mighty dollar. I read book after book about generating money. These are some of the ones that stuck out to me and changed the trajectory of my business and life.

Get Clients Now – by CJ Hayden. The lesson I learned here was it’s not about what you do, but THAT you do. It’s a philosophy I whole heartedly believe in because I found that taking action is the quickest way to learn and move forward.

Uncloned Life – by Audria Richmond. This book I found when I was in the depths of my sorrows feeling lost and confused about my next move. This book challenged me to face who I was and to show up in all my authentic uniqueness.

You’re a Badass – by Jen Sincero. This one definitely made me cry. I helped me to realize how much of myself I had lost after becoming a mom and wife. Another lesson in redefining my own self-identity. Powerful book.

Think and Grow Rich – by Napoleon Hill. I listened to this everyday as I was on my way out of my corporate job. It enlightened me a lot on the topic of creating money.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Good help is hard to find.

I thought that was just a cliche adage — until I had to find good help.

Before you start hiring folks, make sure you have a good training program in place so your new hires don’t feel lost and trying to figure things out on their own. Make sure you have the time to pour into your team members so they feel supported and like you’re invested in their success.

I would also make sure to be clear on what their role is ahead of time. Type out and explicit job description and define a certain set of requirements that your new hire will need in order to even qualify to work for your company.

Make sure they share your vision and has some passion for the work you’re doing. I found that these folks take their jobs more seriously and strive to do well so they can be part of your mission and purpose.

Also, have regular check ins with folks and hold fun and engaging team meetings with everyone. This helps with fostering a sense of belonging and collaboration. I asked all my new hires a few very important questions about their preferences, favorite stores and love language so I can show them appreciation that would resonate most with them. Always always always acknowledge their efforts and show appreciation. It goes a long way.

Contact Info:

• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/melanieldenny
• Twitter: @melanieldenny
• Other: To get on the wait list for Empowered Presence™: https://resumeevolution.kartra.com/page/waitlist