Women-Owned Business Series: Delesia from Life is Deleesh
Jan 30, 2024 brooklyn,brooklyn women-owned,business owners,community,empowerment,female founded,female founder,love brooklyn,women-owned,women-owned business,women-owned business spotlight series
Welcome back to our Women-Owned Business Series! Our first feature for 2024 is Delesia, founder of Life is Deleesh. After working in PR and then in the luxury world, she decided to merge her passion and experience into an entrepreneurial venture, serving copywriting needs to luxury brands. Read on to hear her journey!
First, tell us about your business and anything special we should know about it or you.
Life is Deleesh is a copywriting studio for luxury brands. Our mission is to illuminate the world through captivating content and unforgettable brand experiences. Based in New York City, we serve clients worldwide.
Our clients are visionaries. They often know what they want to say, but not how to say it. Whether it’s developing their brand voice, crafting product description pages, or drafting a press release, my team acts as an extension of the client’s marketing team. We help them define and refine their messaging to reflect the quality of their brands.
You could say it all began in third grade—when my book of poems won first place in a Young Authors contest. I’ve been a writer ever since.
Later as a PR intern, I was introduced to the business side of luxury. I was tasked with compiling the daily report for our client, Burberry. Each morning, I’d research competitor news—and not just what was trending in fashion, but what technology they were using to target in-store shoppers, and how their CEOs were showing up in the media.
Years later, I was in a toxic work environment and desperately needed a change. Though I’d never taken a business course and didn’t know how to write a business plan, I took a leap of faith. I combined my love for writing with my luxury industry insights to form a business: luxury copywriting.
Why do you feel a connection to your work?
More than 90% of my clients are women-owned and -led businesses. As a third-generation entrepreneur and woman in business, I have a passion for seeing women thrive in the movements they’re building.
My business is truly where all my passions collide.
As a business owner, community is everything. In what ways do you serve your community and how has your community served you?
Since our inception, we’ve donated 10% of our earnings to a local faith-based organization. We align with their commitment to the community through acts of service, neighborhood partnerships, and mental health resources.
In 2023, we further expanded our impact by taking on a quarterly pro bono project, specifically for fellow women and minority-owned businesses who otherwise may not be able to afford our services.
These endeavors underscore our dedication to enhancing the lives of women, entrepreneurs, and underserved communities. Our work goes beyond business—it reflects our commitment to create meaningful change and empower those making a difference in the world.As a woman of color, entrepreneur and creative, I am fortunate to have gained partnerships and support within these overlapping communities. It’s through these that I flourish, both as a businesswoman and a leader. And that’s when I feel most served.
What advice would you give to young women who want to start a small business?
Don’t let fear of rejection or failure stop you from pursuing your dreams! And despite what others may think, your view of yourself is the only one that matters.
What women inspire you and why?
She’s before my time, but I’m inspired by Madam C.J. Walker. She was a first-of-her-kind entrepreneur who was the first female self-made female millionaire in America, changed the hair game for Black women and is still inspiring people today.
Among modern women, Alli Webb’s story warms my heart. She’s the founder of Drybar who didn’t find her “thing” until her mid-30s, but it became a wildly successful business that she sold for $255 million.
What do you think are the most significant challenges for women business owners or women in leadership positions?
Unfortunately, being taken seriously. Our lived experiences enable us to build successful businesses (like Rent the Runway and Drybar), direct and star in box office hits (hi, Barbie!), and sell out concert tours (Beyoncé and Taylor Swift ruled summer 2023). The female dollar is incredibly powerful, yet collectively we still struggle to get funding for our businesses and respect for what we’re building, especially when it’s for a female audience. Still, I believe we’re headed in the right direction.
Delesia is experiencing a whirlwind of growth right now. Over the past year, she secured her brand name with a trademark, began a regular newsletter to her subscribers, had her first five-figure client, and co-sponsored a golf event. This year, she launched She Impacts, a series of intimate gatherings for entrepreneurial women of color. It’s an expansion of her brand that is designed to share resources and create opportunities for fellow changemakers.