The “Different” Thinking That Led Lisa Chensvold to Entrepreneurship

For years, Lisa Chensvold built her career helping organizations communicate clearly, strategically, and with purpose. But long before launching Chensvold Communications, she was already doing something that would quietly shape the way she approaches leadership, messaging, and business today: noticing patterns others often missed.

Whether studying music in college without the traditional theory background of her classmates or navigating complex organizational dynamics throughout her communications career, Lisa developed a deep ability to see how individual pieces connect to a larger whole. That instinct became both a strength and, at times, a challenge. In environments where politics or convention often softened bold thinking, Lisa found herself holding back parts of her perspective to make others more comfortable.

Starting her own company became an opportunity to do the opposite. Through Chensvold Communications, Lisa now partners with mission-driven organizations to help them clarify what they stand for, communicate with authenticity, and navigate complexity with greater confidence and intention. Her work blends strategy with empathy, helping leaders and organizations find language that not only informs, but genuinely resonates.

In this conversation, Lisa reflects on the realities of building a values-aligned business, the pressure founders face to chase rapid growth, the leadership lessons she’s most proud of, and why she’s intentionally creating a career—and life—rooted in meaning, sustainability, and human connection.

Have you ever felt like you’re “different?” If yes, in what ways has this contributed to your journey as an entrepreneur?

I've always learned things quickly, not just absorbing information but seeing the underlying structure and how it relates to other things. I studied music in college, but I arrived without the music theory foundation that most of my peers had. Still, I excelled because I recognized it as a system to decode and then apply. My brain sees patterns, finds the logic, and understands how the parts create the whole. This is useful, but it isn't always welcome. 

Clearly seeing complexity—and being able to name what others sense but can't articulate—can create distance. It also made institutional life a challenge for me. I spent two decades in organizations where I diluted my thinking for the sake of politics or avoiding others’ discomfort with bold choices. When I went out on my own, I was finally creating conditions where I bring my best work and where "different" becomes an asset in service of organizations creating meaningful change.

What are some of the most meaningful impacts your business has had so far?

The professional impact I'm most proud of is people. I've had former teammates describe me as the best boss they ever had. If I held them to high standards, it's because I believed in what they were capable of—and they knew that. At the same time, I gave them freedom to make mistakes and learn by doing. I learned my own craft that way, and I wanted to create that space for others.

As a communicator, you learn a lot from your subject matter expert colleagues, so I'm grateful to have returned the favor. I helped a senior colleague sharpen her voice, to be bold and authentic, and deliver messages that inspired action. I worked with a peer on public speaking and writing who later told me he saw a comms director who stayed, added value, and built capacity rather than just passing through.

People tell me they still hear my voice saying things like "Don't use five words when two will do" or "Good professional writing isn't all about you; you must have empathy for your audience." I love that those ideas stuck.

What’s one thing you wish you had known before starting your company?

An entire industry exists to sell new founders expensive shortcuts to success. The "build a six-figure pipeline in 90 days" crowd. The "scale to seven figures in your first year" promises. It has a carnivalesque quality: bright lights, the promise of big prizes, and barkers whose business model depends on your hope and urgency. I'm still learning to ignore the noise, but it's hard. Especially early on, the pressure to accelerate is real, and the sales pitches are designed to find your weak spots. 

For me, what's helped most is finding other founders who've been through it. I recently had a conversation with a fellow traveler who was painfully honest about the tens of thousands she'd wasted and her commitment to helping others avoid the same mistakes. This has also clarified what I don't want to be. I'm building a business on relationships instead of funnels. And I'm still developing the language for how I show up—in thought leadership, marketing, sales conversations—in ways that are true to who I am and how I actually help mission-driven organizations.

We dare you to brag: What achievements are you most proud of?

A new CEO joined a national non-profit in March 2020, two weeks before the world shut down. What followed was 18 months of crisis communications, trust-building, and figuring out how to lead with both steadiness and compassion during total disruption. This moment called for a trusted communications partner. We had to help a network of local organizations understand what was happening, support their communities, and stay afloat, all while establishing her voice and credibility as a new leader. 

We also saw an opportunity. The pandemic made painfully visible what those of us in this work had always known: that the systems meant to support frontline workers were fragile, unequal, and often invisible. We repositioned the organization around that reality, sharpening the message around equity and economic mobility for workers who had been overlooked. That clarity attracted new national funders. I'm proud of the funding. But I'm more proud of what it took to get there: being a steady presence for a leader in an impossible moment and helping an organization say clearly what it stood for.

Has your definition of success evolved throughout your journey as a leader?

Early in my career, I measured success the way I thought I was supposed to: title, salary, the prestige of the organization on my resume. I carried a chip on my shoulder for not having a degree in communications; I built my credentials on the job and always felt like I was a step behind.

Thankfully, with more years and life experience behind me, that’s no longer the case. When you're building something yourself, you get to decide what success looks like. No one hands you the metrics, though plenty will try. The same carnival that sells founders on six-figure pipelines assumes we all want the same thing: maximum revenue, rapid scale. I’m building toward something different.

I want to do meaningful work. I want my point of view and ways of thinking to have an impact on the social impact sector and the communications professionals working in it. I'm working to build something successful and sustainable that supports a life I actually want, one that includes intellectual and creative enrichment, travel, and above all, the ability to show up for the people I care about.

What’s next for you and your career?

I recently launched a newsletter called The Diagnostic. I know everyone has a newsletter these days, but I'm excited to see what kind of community I can build through mine. I want to share what I know, but also learn from readers how I can better support social impact organizations.

I'm also in conversations with people to find creative ways to serve the smallest, most resource-constrained non-profits, the ones that desperately need strategic communications support but can't access it in the traditional ways. I'm figuring out what a sustainable model looks like, both for them and for my business.

Longer term, I have an idea for a podcast where I interview people who trained in the humanities and built successful careers across disciplines, exploring how that training informs their work and makes them better at what they do. It’s aspirational, but definitely on the list.