We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Wilma Davidson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Wilma below.

Hi Wilma, thanks for joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

Imagine being in Minnesota (in February–right before a snowstorm that kept me there a few extra days), sitting in an elementary school classroom observing a classroom teacher who had participated in a graduate credit National Writing Project I taught the previous summer there (when the weather is much nicer!). The extra days there gave me time for contemplation. I was a high school English teacher back then, working on my doctorate and loved teenagers! But the summers I taught classroom teachers in the Writing Project gave me opportunities to work with adults to teach them better ways to teach writing.

During that blizzard, I had an “aha” moment when I thought, “Hey, if I can help classroom teachers be better at their jobs, couldn’t I also teach adults in the workplace who didn’t have the advantage of better-trained teachers to succeed!

I traded in my academic classrooms for training employees in corporate classrooms to better manage their written–and oral–communications. Thus was my consulting practice born!

Wilma, 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?

Always a lover of words, a sensitive person who felt my purpose in life was to help others feel better about themselves, I became a teacher. A lover of learning, I kept gathering degrees to better myself. It was when I was working on my doctorate that I realized I could teach both teens and adults who may not have had the best teachers in the past.

I specialized in creative, business and technical writing–and also presenting ideas and proposals orally in the business world. I marketed myself by letting corporations know that if their employees had “stage or page fright”, my firm (yes, I incorporated) was their answer. And because employees wanted to succeed in the workplace, they were already motivated. I became the training department’s solution to communication problems.

What sets me apart, I’ve been told, is my knowledge, my tact, and my sense of humor. My books on communication skills contain these qualities as well, making them easy to learn from! And I’m proud to say that I have maintained the same client companies and individuals through the years., so I must be doing something right!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My reputation was mostly “word of mouth.” I wanted to remain small because, in consulting, I learned that people liked my approach, personality and manner. What made my service different was that my clients always preferred me, even though I used sub-contractors in the early years as well. Since I couldn’t clone myself, and since I loved doing workshops and training myself, I made that decision to remain a small entity early on.

I wrote a book (still a steady seller in the field and in now in its third revision–The Third Revision:iBusiness Writing, What Works, What Won’t) to use in my seminars. I realized if I was the business, I had to build a strong reputation of excellence and also make my book a part of the seminar to increase my earnings.

I offered to speak at different organizations for free. If a company said they didn’t need a training course, I’d make sure I followed up in a few months to see if that were still true. Persistence pays.

When clients moved to different companies, my reputation spread–and I gained more clients without formally advertising. My website shared my education, my approach, and the kinds of programs I could offer (www.wilmadavidson.com). The key for me was customizing for my clients!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The first two years of my business, I had a business partner. We were graduate school students working in the same field on our doctorates. We “shared the scare” of starting a business. And that was important. However, we soon learned that we looked over each other’s shoulder all the time because we shared the same expertise, That partnership lasted but two years. I reincorporated myself after we dissolved the business, and I never looked back. I realized that those two years were valuable for sharing the scare–and I realized that I probably lacked the confidence at first that I could succeed on my own.

And I have enjoyed a wonderfully successful practice on my own, gratifying both financially, emotionally, and intellectually.

The lesson learned: Trust yourself and believe in yourself. Keep doubts about yourself away.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wilmadavidson.com
• Facebook: WilmaDavidson, Ed.D.
• Linkedin: Wilma Davidson, Ed.D.
• Twitter: @DavidsonWilma
• Other: www.soldiersistersavant.com