About Me

I'm an entrepreneur, sales executive, business author, columnist, speaker, stand-up comic, drummer and television producer.

Born and raised until age 9 in England, I adopted both American citizenship and accent. After spending my teenage years living in Virginia, South Carolina and the south coast of Spain (my American step-dad was in the navy), I joined the US Navy after high school. While stationed in Hawaii, I put down the trumpet I'd been playing in bands since 6th grade and learned how to play the drums.

In Southern California, after the navy, I became a full-time professional drummer, playing in smoky clubs 5 nights a week. I also began my study of Eastern philosophies including Zen and Taoism, which I contrasted and compared to my Christian upbringing. (I saw the similarities in 'ethics of reciprocity,' yet I appreciated the reduced Eastern focus on dogma along with the increased tolerance for diversity.)

When life as a drummer on the road started to lose its luster after a few years, I went to college and ended up with a bachelor's degree in computer science. Hired as an entry level computer programmer in 1981, I advanced into technical team management, then into technical sales, and finally into sales management.

While growing my new family (which included two daughters, who are both now wonderful young adults), I held sales management positions at Banyan Systems and Shiva (before their acquisition by Intel), I led Compaq's launch of their new networking products division in the Western US, and I managed Southern California sales for Extreme Networks. During the evenings I studied at the Graziadio Graduate School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University, and this entrepreneurial acumen led to my co-founding of Telsius Technology, a healthcare IT security start-up in Los Angeles that, after four years in operation, achieved profitability in 2005. After selling my equity in Telsius to my partners and resigning my position as VP of sales and marketing, I took on the role of growing Western North America sales for a Boston-based identity management software company. In less than two years I quadrupled revenue in that previously poor-performing geography by implementing new sales processes, opening new offices and hiring top talent.   

My 2004 book, ZenWise Selling: Mindful Methods to Improve Your Sales...and Your Self, explains how to sell goods and services profitably and ethically, and how to achieve both financial and personal success as a sales professional. ZenWise Selling is translated and distributed internationally, and it was a Finalist in ForeWord's Book of the Year Awards. I've written dozens of business articles and columns for The Los Angeles Times and the Long Beach Business Journal, I've written cover and feature stories for Referee Magazine, plus countless articles and stories (including short fiction and science fiction) for other publications. As a keynote speaker and workshop leader my clients have included conferences, associations, chambers of commerce and universities.

Several years ago I earned my license in television production, and immediately created a TV program called Good Business on which I interviewed CEOs and other leaders of ethically profitable companies. The show was named Best New Television Program of 2005 by Charter Communications. I was offered the position of West Coast correspondent for the PBS TV series Ethical Markets, but decided to focus instead on creating the Good Business Seal of Approval to help build consumer trust and corporate responsibility by drawing positive attention to companies that similarly value investor interests and social/environmental awareness. 

To balance all these serious matters, I maintain my funny bone, as illustrated by the comedic TV show I produced, Not Quite Right, starring top comedic actors from across the country, which is now on its way to the big screen as a feature-length, all-sketch movie called SketchFlick. As a stand-up comic I have performed at venues throughout Southern California. I have notebooks filled with humorous stories, poems and lyrics I've written over the years. Stress relief comes from meditation, regular workouts and full-court basketball at the gym, plus riding fast-but-safely on 5-wheeled speed-skates, in 4-wheeled cars and on 2-wheeled motorcycles.

Finally, I am still actively involved in the music business. While drumming with BGB these past few years I've shared the stage with acts including Three Dog Night, Eddie Money, Leon Russell and Macy Gray. My other band, the 12-piece (including a 5-piece horn section) funk/rock/rap group Project Tru, has performed alongside Poncho Sanchez and Salvador Santana at venues such as Hollywood's House of Blues and the Galaxy Theatre. We recently released our second album, "In Case They Still Believe." The 15-song CD took us over two years to record and mix, but the end product -- the music -- speaks for itself.

tel. (562) 986-5163   Lee@LeeGodden.com