Previous Episode 1404

Derek Lewis: I love reading great business books, but I love helping authors create them even more.

When I was in high school, a Brazilian missionary lent me his tattered copy of Quest for the Best of Neiman-Marcus fame. Love at first read.

As my friends gamed or read Stephen King, I devoured books on economics, entrepreneurs, titans of business, and more. Those influenced me to pursue a degree in economics, then a master’s in economic development where I wrote a thesis on microfinance from my fieldwork with Dominican loan sharks.

After grad school, I landed a job in a consultancy managing nonprofits on behalf of their respective boards, first training micro-entrepreneurs through an economic development organization and then serving as the administrator for a program that sheltered and cared for teen mothers and their children.

Upon returning to Louisiana, I worked as the in-house consultant for a $30 million family company group, spearheading new projects and even assuming responsibility of a $2 million company for months during a leadership crisis.

I finally took the leap: a coworker and I started our own IT company. I found out the hard way that I’m not an IT guy. (Going a whole winter without central heat was a clue.) Once I fired myself, the company took off. Today, it’s one of the best service providers in Baton Rouge. My failure was a blessing in disguise: while broke, I started a copywriting side-hustle that turned into my full-time practice.

One day, I found someone wanting to write a business book. That led to creating a profession where I read and write business books all day—a literal dream come true.

In the ensuing decade, I’ve worked with inspiring business leaders and publishing professionals all over the world, in addition to training ghostwriters from Argentina to Italy on infusing entrepreneurship into their writing practice.

I’m on a mission to help business authors share their brilliance with the world. I’d love to see the same for you.

Derek’s Profile:

• linkedin.com/in/dereklewisbooks

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