Today we’d like to introduce you to Debbie Wemyss.
Debbie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Originally from New England, I arrived in Ft. Lauderdale in the late 70’s in the hospitality industry with four other single women, working in the restaurant/bar business for nine years. Back then it was known as the Spring Break capital of the US and we enjoyed the lifestyle. We definitely favored the weather over cold NE winters! I have lived in South Florida ever since.
Marriage caused five moves around Florida over a 10-year period as my ex moved up the ladder with his work. I signed up with temporary agencies to do administrative work in each new city and enjoyed jobs in many different industries as we knew each move would last just a couple of years.
When we decided to start a family, we settled in West Palm Beach and I began a career in nonprofit work becoming proficient in marketing, media, and PR. I worked with a corporate real estate membership association, the Palm Beach Zoo, Ballet Florida, and the South Florida affiliate for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. During the final seven years, I developed expertise as a Development Director and became enamored with fundraising and networking.
I loved every minute along with raising two daughters, and for a long time, I was able to strike a balance within my roles as a Mom, wife, soccer coach, part-time Avon Rep, and Marketing/Development Director. But my ex and I were heading in different directions with different mindsets and that caused us to divorce after 18 years. At that time, I had also become a caregiver to my Mom, who endured a journey through Alzheimer’s that lasted 11 years.
Two things I learned early in Life from my parents (both sports lovers,) and being the youngest of five very athletic siblings: You don’t ever give up and you don’t lose hope. And we were raised to always strive to help those less fortunate. I hold those traits close in my own Life today and believe my two daughters, now on their own, have also embraced this way of Life.
I had been hired at my last nonprofit job as a Development Director because of my strong database of philanthropists and business owners. I enjoyed developing relationships and worked hard to maintain them over the years, supporting every mission of my employment. Unfortunately, I was in a scenario where my success was viewed as a threat and I was let go at age 57 for the first time, ever.
Being unemployed as a single Mom with an Associate’s degree from 1973 and two kids in college provided a whole new dynamic for me to embrace: uncertainty. Lots of odds stacked against me and my thoughts that my impressive database would lead me to my next job were quickly dashed. It was the recession… and no one was hiring. Thank goodness for the Florida Prepaid College Plan. At least my girls could finish college without worrying about debt – that was one of the smart things their Dad and I had done prior to our divorce.
I ended up being unemployed for almost two years. That gave me plenty of time to:
1. Realize I was not going to be able to continue in the nonprofit industry.
2. Accept the fact that I would be running out of money faster than anticipated.
3. Decide that I needed to reinvent myself.
A career counselor at Workforce Alliance (now known as CareerSource,) patiently guided me through a series of tests and determined that I “needed to be a coach!” Great – now I just need to figure out the ‘what’. I had discovered LinkedIn as another tool for job seeking and had plenty of time to study it a bit closer than most. Realizing the site was all about building professional relationships for business really struck me as an innovative way to use technology. Being away from an office environment for the first time also made me feel like I could become a ‘tech dinosaur’ pretty quickly if I didn’t get moving on this new quest, wherever it was to lead me.
I was attending monthly meetings with other mature (over 50) job seekers, mostly executive level with either 4-year degrees or management experience (I had the latter,) through CareerSource. I had learned that LinkedIn was fairly important for the job seeking process, with ways to get in front of hiring managers. I studied how other LinkedIn members were using the site and began connecting with professionals using a strategy. I was a sponge, ready to learn everything about how to attract hiring managers and opportunities on the site. I engaged with other members who were already teaching people to use the site with more success. In time, I felt a strong confidence in my ability to coach others and began with the older job seekers I was getting to know through those monthly meetings.
I wasn’t able to share what I was learning in the monthly meetings, so I mentioned to anyone with an interest that I would be happy to show them what I had learned. True story: I took them to the parking lot, set up my laptop on the hood of my car and used my Verizon Jetpak (I still use one,) to get onto the Internet. I started showing them the basics of setting up a good LinkedIn profile, according to LinkedIn’s Learning Center (now called the Help Center) and they took notes. I invited them all to connect with me as I had a few hundred Connections and that would help them to get started on building a viable network.
My interest in LinkedIn was sealed when I learned (self-taught,) enough to land three executive-level interviews in 6 weeks on my own, when I had three local headhunting firms contracted to help me. The number of interviews from those firms? Zero. One of those interviews I had landed took me to Washington, DC as a finalist for an Executive Director position with a local PBC nonprofit. I had learned to ‘leverage my professional network to get in front of my target audience.’ I didn’t get the job… but I got the interview… at age 58… and afterward realized I had found a viable coaching focus. I decided to launch my consulting business working with older job seekers to help them land interviews. I was slightly terrified at this giant risk: Starting a business as a first-time owner with no capital and no guarantees. But my unemployment benefits had run out and I was living on loans from my siblings.
My confidence increased along with my skill set with each new client. When my older clients started to land interviews because of what I had shown them, the light bulb burned brighter. Shortly after, I was working with my ‘gainfully employed friends’ who needed to know more about LinkedIn. Needless to say, as my clients became successful at using LinkedIn as a powerful branding and marketing tool, my Recommendations grew along with my network. Fast forward: In June, I celebrated my 8th year in business and have three people on my team. I have personally coached over 750 professionals and we have clients in 23 countries. 95% of my business is referral-based.
We turned our focus to corporate coaching a few years ago and this year we added a unique coaching model to our conference engagements. Our services today include speaking engagements, individual coaching, corporate team coaching, and onsite group coaching for professional networking groups and organizations. All of our coaching is done ‘live’ so we can consistently teach based on current options and formats on the site, and we focus on LinkedIn members who use the free Basic Membership. We are blessed with a busy schedule, and we are grateful for every single client!
And I am constantly reminding my clients: Don’t ever give up and don’t ever lose hope. Focus on what you truly want, and you will, indeed, have it.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
#1 Struggle: Maintaining my belief that I could really make this idea of being a ‘LinkedIn Coach’ work!
And:
Making decisions based on unfounded beliefs.
Fear of being able to build a consistent cash flow: I cashed in my change for gas money more than once.
Accepting the fact that it can be a lonely venture to run your own business in the beginning.
Learning how valuable a mentor can be.
FINALLY understanding how to embrace that as you grow your expertise, your income should also grow.
Please tell us about DW Consulting Solutions.
My work is explained in the previous narrative, along with what we do and our services today.
What I am known for:
I am known for ‘over-delivering’ to my clients and being a ‘Master Networker’! And we consistently brand ourselves as Independent LinkedIn Specialists. We do not work for LinkedIn and incorporate a disclaimer in all of our marketing materials and online sites.
Most proud of as a service provider:
Our insistence on integrity and professionalism throughout our business and instruction.
What sets us apart:
All of our coaching is presented ‘live’ – no online courses, DVDs, or books. We use GoToMeeting worldwide and our instruction is up-to-the-minute concurrent with incorporating all the latest changes on LinkedIn. Social media changes constantly, and LinkedIn is no exception. We coach ‘live’ in person or virtually using GTM.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the West Palm Beach area and all of South Florida because I’ve been an advocate of economic development for years. I love how the Jupiter area has a strong ‘tech corridor’ of businesses.
I love how Brightline (soon to be Virgin Trains,) has expanded our ability to visit the tri-county area easily and with less of a carbon footprint.
I love how all three counties (Palm Beach, Broward, and Dade) have become thriving centers for entrepreneurs, startups, and venues to assist their growth: The Hub Palm Beach, Innovation Hub at Broward College, Miami Labs, etc.
What I like least?
More attention/emphasis is needed for multi-language signage in all three counties!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dwconsultingsolutions.com
- Phone: 561-444-2265
- Email: debbie@dwconsultingsolutions.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/DWConsultingSolutions/
- Twitter: twitter.com/WemyssD
- Other: www.linkedin.com/in/debbiewemyss
Image Credit:
DWCS 3 Team Members by Sandra Effertz Photography
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