We were lucky to catch up with Blayr Barnard recently and have shared our conversation below.
Blayr , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Confidence is such a difficult trait to develop when coming from childhood trauma. My mother had mental health disorders and one of the outcomes of her BPD was crushing those closest to her. At 16, I won Youth Secretary of State for the YMCA Youth and Government Program after getting to present my speech at the State Capital through a very competitive election coming from a tiny district and a year younger than the other competitors – My mother showed no pride but was irate I didn’t seek her out immediately upon winning… out of a crowd of over 700 people and friends from school. It was a tough start. Compliments have always escaped me or gone completely over my head until hours, even days, later.
Many would be surprised by that self assessment because I present as very confident. I mask my lack of confidence with lots of research, hard work and a tough exterior that shows no fear – even when fear is present. The hard work and research helps immensely with confidence building. It allows me to go to meetings or work situations knowing that I will have some context for the situation. I also actively find people that are subject matter experts and lean on them for guidance – just ask my fertilizer or feed vendors.
At 41, I’m still trying to assess my positive qualities and find confidence. That process I give credit entirely to my therapist, but the confidence I feel is directly impacted by my incredible husband, Douglas Landrum. We were best friends for almost 2 years before we started dating so he knew allllllllll the things – all the quirks, all the downfalls, all the history, all the problems – but he chose me anyway. He’s spent the last 20 years trying to hold up a mirror to all of my positive qualities. My kids have done the same recently. When a 5 year old talks about how pretty you are, you know it was their love for my characteristics that related to motherhood and naivety – not physical appearance or even a clear assessment. But when an insightful 11 year old takes the time to give you specific compliments and still gives you big hugs when you come home from work – it really makes you try to see yourself from their eyes.
I think discerning those you can trust and truly listening to their assessments of you is hard work but worth it. I say my husband hugged all my broken, traumatized pieces back together to make a human being, but what I mean is that I found someone I could trust and have actively tried to see from his eyes – then I try to internalize it. It’s worth the work and time.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Hey Ya’ll! I’m Blayr Barnard with Barnard Beef Cattle Company, Midheaven, SLAP Properties and The Big Clean. I am most well known as the Blue Haired Beef Lady – a title bestowed by my amazing customers for our ranch-to-plate beef (and pork/chicken/lamb). We specialize in providing beef with 5 star reviews for taste and customer service but clear, affordable pricing. When I started selling freezer beef, all of the competitors I found sold by the hanging weight (carcass weight), but that meant my customers wouldn’t know how much they were on the hook for until the beef was at the butcher. As the person who made our family budget, I could not expect other families to have a $1000 swing on the cost – a horror story I’d heard from a friend’s direct experience. Instead, I worked with my incredible team to come up with a plan to target a finished weight and, therefore, provide a set price for customers the minute they purchased. That really resonated with families and launched us into statewide sales. Last year, we sold out 4 times for the whole year in February so it has been a fantastic community experience.
The direct sales side of Barnard Beef is less than 2% of our actual business. The majority of our business is in traditional ranching activities. We run about 200 head cow/calf, 15,000-17,500 stockers, a heifer development program and finish 900 or so animals for beef sales. We farm native and improved grasses for grazing, oats/wheat/rye for grazing, corn for silage, and sudan for both hay and grazing.
I also own a 15 person AirBNB in Coryell County called Midheaven. It is my childhood home and the place I was married in the manicured gardens (when not in this horrible drought). It has a stunning valley sunset view and has been booked up much farther than I expected given it is 15 minutes to any town and 30 minutes to Waco.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Financial literacy would be the absolute first quality/knowledge I would advise to work on for all business owners. Even a basic understanding of accounting (P&L, depreciation, Balance Sheet), lending practices (loan terms, interest rates), and good record keeping would set you apart from 60% of other businesses. Many owners want to secure a grant for their business but that is largely a waste of time. The only man who has ever made a killing on grants was the man in the dollar sign suit on late night TV selling you his book on grants.
Tough skin would be the next important quality I would suggest. You start a business out of passion and you are doing the best you can – usually exceeding expectations, but there will be someone who will try to take you down a notch. Recently, I was advocating for my neighbors on a local ranch that was sold to a Dallas developer. I am not against growth ‐ it is literally what I did for a living for 13 years – but these developers were shady, had bad reviews for lying to buyers and were going to put no water infrastructure in so they could profit more. While the death threats from the developer were unexpected, the worst pain came from a buyer who decided that my quest to help protect my current and future neighbors by trying to dispel the developers lies ($25,000 wells instead of actual bids showing over $85,000, for example) was really because I was an entitled princess who was mad I wasn’t given the land. Months of internet trolling. I knew in my heart that my motives were ethical and genuine but reading that nonsense was tough.
Lastly, I think a good work ethic is critical but Human Resources is ignored. Most people who go to the trouble of having their own business are not lazy – they rarely have a basic understanding of HR, however. Unless you are an artist creating every piece by yourself, at some point, you will have to hire and rely on others. These people will largely represent your company on customer interactions more than you will. For that reason, hiring practices, interviewing skills, crafting good job descriptions/offers, leadership/mentorship skills, motivational techniques, training and kindness are incredibly important. I fired an employee twice that now calls me mom and I know his future at my company is bright but I will also be his strongest advocate/reference if he needs more growth than I can provide. And don’t get me started on the potential lawsuits!
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Jack of All Trades but a Master of None.” Many see that phrasing as a negative and to refocus into one mastery area. If you were to read the whole saying, it is actually “Jack of All Trades but a Master of None, Oftentimes Better Than A Master of One.” I very much lean that second direction. I’ve been a popcorn girl at a bank which taught me customer service at 11. I’ve worked in a warehouse blowing up and packaging sports equipment before working my way up to crew chief which taught me hard work ethic. I’ve been a secretary, market research analyst, construction worker, business consultant, rancher, rental property owner and now car wash owner.
I worked for a program provided at no-cost to everyone in the US called the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). An incredible and under-utilized organization, this group works with businesses under 500 employees to help them with any area of their business – start ups, layoffs, getting a loan, human resources, research. It was an incredible 13 years where I was able to work with businesses of all stages with different problems. In one 2 hour period, I worked with an elderly woman who loved to crochet earrings and just wanted help pricing them to a 399 employee Japanese joint venture. It gave me so many incredible perspectives in business. The businesses I found that struggled the most were the ones led by an owner who started because he/she loved a certain craft or idea and focused so hard on that one passion they missed the other business acumen needed to be successful.
If I wanted to stay in traditional employment, I would become a subject matter expert to further my career and earning potential. But a business owner needs a broad range of experience and to always be learning new things!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.texasbestbeef.com
- Instagram: @BarnardBeef
- Facebook: @BarnardBeef @MidheavenTX @SlapRentals
