Meet Esther Lee of Overland Park

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

Hi Esther, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always loved entrepreneurship, dating back to selling treats out of a Middle School locker. I started my photography business, EstherLens, in 2016 with the mission to highlight the natural traits of my clients and capture them in a way where they could see the beauty they hold. I have been president of The Community of College Entrepreneurs at Truman State University for two years. I first placed in the Bulldog B.I.T.E. pitch competition in 2021 for my idea of an interactive study app, netting $2k. From there, I was invited to be the moderator on the Women’s Entrepreneurship Panel, leading a discussion that featured successful Alumni. My most recent initiative has been starting a non-profit called Speak Enhancement. This idea won the first-place prize of $3,000 in the B.I.T.E. competition in 2022 and qualified for a $500 grant from the Moneta Charitable Foundation. Speak Enhancement gives college business and language students a hands-on opportunity to apply the skills they have built through developing translated business improvement plans for immigrant-owned businesses in the community. In the future, I plan to implement Speak Enhancement at different universities. I am also creating a cookbook called Recipe Overlap, which helps formulate budget-friendly meals through shared ingredients.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest struggle for entrepreneurs is imposter-syndrome. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking someone else is doing it better, and there is no need for your idea in the market. However, everyone brings something special to the table, and you can brand an idea to make it one of a kind. Especially as a young entrepreneur, it takes a lot of networking to build trust with investors to fund your ideas or even take a risk and invest in yourself. A learning curve is also involved in perfecting your practice and marketing yourself. Securing your first clients is always challenging, but quality work will ensure that the word is spread about your business.

Additionally, I struggled to grow my entrepreneurship club initially because it took a lot of work getting students to see innovation’s value. Whether they hope to enter the corporate world or start their own business, having a side hustle allows you to bring in additional financial support, express creativity, and become a problem solver.

Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
I pride myself on building relationships and creating impact. All my ideas begin with a need that I see. With EstherLens’s photography, I saw that some of my peers needed more confidence in their appearance. I decided that there was a need for more than just high-quality photos in the photography industry. People needed a photographer with whom they could connect and feel at ease to bring out their warmest smiles and allow their inner beauty to shine outwardly.

With Speak Enhancement, I realized that immigrants are the driving force within the small business sector, with great products and services to offer. Still, the problem is that they often need help to turn a profit and attract new customers due to cultural differences. Providing them with a free student-run translation and marketing service helped increase their revenue while giving students real-world experience to show employers. With Recipe Overlap, I was inspired when I saw college students constantly opting for unhealthy options due to a limited budget. I realized that students need the incentive to cook since most ingredients expire before they can fully use them. That is when I started developing grocery lists that would use the same handful of ingredients to create various meals and prevent waste.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Email me to donate to the Speak Enhancement initiative or to Crowdfund Recipe Overlap.

Contact Info:

• Website: estherlens.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/estherlens

Image Credits
Timothy Barcus Wai Lee Reese Rosenquist