Nine times. That’s how many times Wen Zhang failed the TOEFL test. Most people would’ve quit after two. Maybe three. But Wen isn’t most people.
On the latest episode of Rock Solid, Round Rock’s own business leadership podcast, Wen sat down with host Bryan Eisenberg to talk about how she went from a tiny mountain village in China to leading a 400-person team at Dell—and why she gave all that up to help entrepreneurs find their voice.
She said, “There’s nothing to overcome. We are always becoming.”
That’s how she sees failure. Not as a wall, but as a sign she’s on the right path. One that’s messy, bumpy, full of friction—because that’s how growth works.
Today, she runs a consulting and coaching business called If Not Now, When?, where she helps founders and leaders tell their story, raise capital, and get clear on why they matter. But her real work? Helping people remember who they were before the world told them to shrink.
Wen doesn’t do boring. She doesn’t do fake. She laughs hard, thinks deep, and leads with joy. It’s contagious.
She believes joy isn’t something you earn. It’s who you are before the world covers it up. She compares people to light bulbs—bright by nature but painted over by life’s disappointments. Her work is about peeling back the layers so that light can shine again.
Wen’s story is built on moments. A cassette tape machine in a forgotten library corner. Her decision to turn down a big promotion. A feeling in her chest that never left. She calls it fire. And she follows it.
After earning her MBA at Duke and rising through the ranks at Dell, she hit a crossroads. Accept the next big title or answer the call she’d been hearing since she was a kid. She chose the fire. She walked away from comfort and into entrepreneurship.
Now, she speaks on stages, runs workshops, and builds community—especially for women in leadership—right here in Round Rock.
When asked what Round Rock means to her, she described it as full of hidden gems. A small-town charm that doesn’t need to pretend to be anything else. A place that quietly celebrates entrepreneurship, where everyone can be who they are. She sees Round Rock as a village—a real one—where every person brings their own gift to the table.
Her advice? If you don’t show up with your bread, the village goes without.
She helps people bring their bread. Their story. Their gift. Not by teaching them how to fake a pitch, but by helping them speak honestly. Human to human.
When asked what would go in her time capsule, she didn’t hesitate. A photo of her doing improv comedy. A moment with her global community of women leaders. And a memory with her husband and their dog.
Not business cards. Not trophies. Just the things that remind her why she shows up every day.
Wen Zhang doesn’t pretend to have it all figured out. She doesn’t need to. She just follows the fire. She listens to that voice that says, “There’s more.” And she helps others do the same.
Because if not now… when?
