We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ishmael Mayhew a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ishmael, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
There have been many instances when I am the only one in the room that looks like me, especially throughout my career and in business.
I think the most important thing to me is to consistently remind myself that I deserve to be there and I am the beginning of so many others who look like me being where they deserve.
The next thing that is important for me to remember is, the room I’m in isn’t special because I’m with people who don’t look like me and may have more access or advantage than me. The room I’m in is special because I’m there and I showed up. Other people do not validate your existence and other people cannot qualify you; only you can do that. Your uniqueness makes you an asset and brings value. Understand your leverage and don’t apologize for existing and don’t conflate gratitude with unworthiness. Be thankful but understand you did the right things to get here and you deserve to be here like anyone else.
Lastly, I’ve learned to be brave. You can’t bring meaningful value to a team if you aren’t brave enough to contribute to that team even in the midst of fear or opposition. Speak up. Even when your voice is cracking. Share your ideas even when you think they’re silly. Your experience adds a flavor to the recipe that’s needed to make things happen.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’ve been a brand and marketing strategist for 12 years and it’s something I truly love to do. My best friend and I started our brand agency, Label Haus, in 2018 and it’s since evolved into an entity that serves brands in the verticals of aesthetics & beauty, hospitality, fashion and real estate.
The unique thing about Label Haus is we don’t treat our members like clients. We treat them like family members and special guests and we don’t call them clients. It really excites me when our members trust us with their brand and see the results with their own eyes.
We’ve recently reimagined Label Haus into a high level membership network where members will get benefits, education and resources that take them far beyond what a general services-based agency would do.
In the coming year, we will also be focusing on what we call our “Haus brands” which are brands we develop ourselves through the vessel of Label Haus. It’s our passion to build amazing brands and we’re grateful to grow more and more each year.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The biggest quality that I believe is a MUST is resilience. You have to be able to bounce back. Life will be full of challenges and valleys and you simply have to come back to things and try again if you’re going to win.
You have to be able to collaborate. Know when you can do things independently and know when you can delegate or receive insight from someone other than yourself. You cannot be successful with your input alone. No one’s business vision is ever 20/20. You need binoculars to see far distances.
Planning. You simply have to plan things out and leave room in your plan for your plan to not work out perfectly. Your plan should always be a balance of fluidity and structure. Without a plan, you’ll be working haphazardly and won’t make much progress in your efforts.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I feel overwhelmed I do these things in this order.
1. I let everyone involved know I’m overwhelmed and I articulate that clearly. Communication is key.
2. I stop. I pause. I walk away from the thing that is overwhelming me. I give myself a break.
3. I come back to this challenge and I think of potential solutions. I ask for help or advice from others as well.
4. I implement solutions to minimize future overwhelming feelings.
Contact Info:
- Website: labelhausco.com
- Instagram: labelhausco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelabelhaus?mibextid=9R9pXO
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thelabelhaus/
- Other: Ishmael Mayhew: Instagram: @ishcontent LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishmaelmayhew?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
