Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Wanda La Russa with Friederrike Ablang. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Wanda, appreciate you joining us today. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?
REST & RELAXATION IS ESSENTIAL!
I take vacations on a regular basis and recently took a well-deserved vacation to the Bahamas. My days and nights were filled with rest, relaxation, and a lot of beach time. People who take vacations have lower stress, less risk of heart disease, a better outlook on life, and more motivation to achieve goals. Remember that life is a gift. You’re not meant to just work for the rest of your life. Especially now with Covid restrictions much more relaxed, we have the ability to go out and about to travel. As an entrepreneur, make sure that you take time away from your business because your mental and physical health will be better for taking a break. Take self-care time. Plan and take a vacation. It can rejuvenate and bring new ideas to implement when you return to be even better! Happy adventuring.
Wanda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m a dynamic motivational speaker with a larger-than-life, charismatic personality. Over the past 20 years, I have joyfully immersed myself in uplifting women of all ages by teaching, inspiring, motivating, and empowering them to enrich, improve and enhance their well-being, personal relationships, and professional lives. Although I enjoyed teaching elementary school, I recognized early on that I had an entrepreneurial spirit, thus retiring from being a schoolteacher and joining the direct sales industry.
I became a very successful independent consultant, led nationwide teams, achieved top sales, and received numerous awards for my team-building skills. Due to my successful leadership, I was asked to be a trainer at team meetings and district/regional conferences. I was then asked by numerous event directors and meeting planners to speak to various groups of girls and women at retreats, sales training, community, and corporate events.
While finding my path to personal and professional fulfillment, I brought my education, training skills, and positive outlook to a number of endeavors, and those experiences led me to leave direct sales and launch my speaking business. What motivates me each day is knowing that I have opportunities to speak to audiences because I am altruistic and my desire is to help or bring advantages to others.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I was a reputable & established speaker in Northern California, but when I relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in 2018, I was not known in the community. I understood the importance of marketing/advertising/promoting my speaking business so I immediately began to contact meeting planners, event organizers, attend networking events, mixers, and going to places where business-minded people gathered.
As I interacted with people, my questions were: Does your team, group, organization, or company need a relevant speaker? Are you looking for someone who is dynamic? Someone who can resonate with your audience? Someone who can add value to your event? If the answer was YES then I asked them to allow me to bring my unique blend of fun and facts to their organization’s next meeting. If the answer was NO then I asked them: Who do you know? I informed them that if they could think of anyone who might be open to work with me, I’d really appreciate it if they would connect us.
Even though it took a little while for me to become known in the area, meeting planners and event organizers eventually began to contact me and my calendar began to fill up with numerous speaking gigs. I was hired as a: Keynote Speaker, Master of Ceremonies, a Guest Speaker on podcasts and conducted my workshops numerous times.
I have recently relocated to the Chicago area and I am implementing the same strategy of directly contacting those who are seeking Motivational Speakers and also asking for referrals. I am happy to report that my calendar is overflowing with speaking engagements. A closed mouth doesn’t get fed!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
My favorite quote is: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Mahatma Gandhi
I have a genuine talent for connecting with audiences and have been consistently praised as a source of encouragement by participants, meeting planners and event organizers alike. I’m a charismatic speaker & facilitator and my love of connecting with people imbues my workshops with laughter and energy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wandalarussa.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wandalarussa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/info.wandalarussa
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wandalarussa
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/wanda_larussa
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCICfkI-7kxStlx52k43Jftg