Conversations with Lee Silber

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lee Silber.

Hi Lee, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Opening Waves and Wheels Surf Centers at a young age (and while attending art school) led a local middle school principal to approach me and ask if I would speak at Career Day. She thought it would be good for the kids to hear about another possible path to success. Plus, the neighborhood kids all knew me and many were regulars at the stores.

I skateboarded onto the stage, spoke about trade schools and entrepreneurship, and made the presentation fun. The kids liked it, and I loved it. Our stores gave free surfing lessons, gifts for good grades, ran surf and skate contests, and held midnight surf movie showings—making a difference was what I loved most about the business.

My two brothers and business partners each wanted to do something else as well, so we decided to pursue our other passions. I became an author and keynote speaker, and although I missed the lifestyle industry, signing on with SkillPath Seminars allowed me to travel the world and do something I loved and I was good at.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
If there were a ledger about being professional speaker and trainer, author, and entrepreneur the list of things on the plus side would be long. However, the items on the negative side are not for the weak. That list would include unpredictability, never ending marketing and promotion, rejection, and maybe hardest of all, periods of little of no income.

I love everything about what I do. I get to use all of my strengths and my “job” is my hobby. I get to write, design, and entertain. What’s not to love? Surprise! The traveling isn’t as much fun as you would imagine. Don’t get me wrong, the fancy hotels, visiting cool places, and eating out are awesome. It’s the airports, planes, and trains that aren’t enjoyable.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a keynote speaker I often sit in and listen to others do what I do. What I have learned is what doesn’t work for me also doesn’t work for others. As an attendee I want to have fun, be entertained, and be taught things I can use in my work and life. So as a presenter, that’s what I do—I bring the fun. In fact, an event planner called me, “The Facilitator of Fun” and it stuck. I don’t do boring, and all of the fun and games are there for a reason, to anchor the key takeaways.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
When I was in my late teens I typed up and copied a letter asking for advice. I was looking for a mentor. To me it made sense to go to Rancho Santa Fe (a wealthy area of San Diego) and put the letters on the nicest cars. In the letter I provided my phone number. It worked! I gained my first mentor (who happened to be a retired publishing professional) and his help was invaluable. We also became lifelong friends and he flew to Maui to attend my wedding and I went to see him well into his nineties.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.leesilber.com