Life as a Serial Entrepreneur, with Kristen Denzer

Kristen Denzer is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Tierra Encantada, the Leader in Spanish Immersion Early Education®. Kristen has a Bachelors in Political Science and Psychology, a Masters in Advocacy and Leadership, and has completed the doctoral coursework for a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Administration. Kristen is actively involved in the community and serves on the Board of Directors of Women Venture and the School Board of her children’s school. Kristen is a travel enthusiast and her exploits have included gorilla trekking in Rwanda, hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, and playing with seals in the Galapagos.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

• Kristen’s journey as a serial entrepreneur
• What drove Kristen to start her own business, and how she did it
• How Kristen stayed grounded while balancing a family, a business, and a master’s degree
• Why Kristen decided to sell her original two businesses to focus solely on Tierra Encantada
• What Kristen is doing to promote diversity through her organization
• How Kristen managed to franchise her business and the impact it has had on her as a leader
• How Kristen maintains her resilience as a leader

Resources:

• Website:
  • https://franchise.tierraencantada.com/
  • https://www.tierraencantada.com/
• LinkedIn:
  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristendenzer/
  • https://www.linkedin.com/company/tierraencantada/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristenmdenzer/

The Freedom of Entrepreneurship

Kristen Denzer is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Tierra Encantada, the Leader in Spanish Immersion Early Education®. She is also actively involved in the community, serving on the Board of Directors of Women Venture and the School Board of her children’s school. In this episode of the Intentional Greatness podcast, Kristen joins us to talk about her journey as a serial entrepreneur. She also explains how she has maintained her resilience as a leader while running a business that has been heavily impacted by the pandemic.

Reap What You Sow

Kristen started out on a normal career path, but after her supervisor took credit for the outcome she worked so hard to achieve, Kristen became determined to run her own operation. She wanted to reap what she sowed, where her hard work was met with reward instead of petty office politics. Kristen began her journey into entrepreneurship at a young age. By 2013, she was running an event rental company, a doggy daycare, and her latest venture, Tierra Encantada, all at the same time. This was the ticket to time and financial freedom. From her adventurous travel to her family time, Kristen is still enjoying the freedom of entrepreneurship to this day. It doesn’t matter how old you are, or what your background is, the same opportunity is available to you if you’re willing to double down and jump in feet-first.

Earned Not Given

The freedom of entrepreneurship is unparalleled, but it earned, not given. By no means is it an easy path, however, when it is something that sparks joy and passion, success is just a byproduct of your hard work. As an entrepreneur, your business is your baby. Every extra hour that you spend prospecting, refining your process, etc., is going to directly impact your time and financial freedom. You get what you put in, and while it’s not always reciprocated, it is so much better than putting the fate of your career in someone else’s hands. At one point, Kristen was balancing two businesses, a family, and a master’s degree at the same time. If she was able to make it work, you can too.