Meet Hayle Howland

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hayle Howland. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hayle below.

Hayle, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Everyone faces challenges that force them to adapt and recover. In my work life, I have spent the last 16 years with such high- highs, and low-lows, that I have developed mental toughness and resourcefulness. My work life shaped me into a professional that was able to thrive when I saw a challenge. I knew that the ebb and flow in sales, the “no’s”, and the unexpected fallouts, would come and go. It took a long time to develop the resiliency to bounce back, but after a few years, you get conditioned.
When I started my own business, I realized that my developed resiliency was one of the greatest gifts I could have been given. The natural (now) ability to adapt has been one of the main reasons I am still able to put one foot in front of the other! I am able to see that the growth and success is always just around the corner!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

In 2023, I developed the first website platform for female golfers to discover gear. I was frustrated with the online shopping experience when it came to the “after-thought” of women’s golf gear. It’s a growing sport with women and I felt I could deliver a better online tool, to serve customers and brands alike. I saw a gap in the market, where I could bridge customers and brands – a website that introduced emerging designers alongside the established brands. To create a one-stop platform where consumers could have thousands of golf products showcased before them.

MemberGuestShop.com is my version of the ultimate women’s golf hub. A website to explore every category. A resource for shoppers to view everything, compare, and hopefully save time and money! I am excited to be apart of this growing sport with women – it’s become a huge push for me to see my business succeed.

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?

I think the most important skill I developed, which led to the greatest impact on my business, was communication and networking. I quickly realized in the business of golf, the network of women and the ability to communicate with other entrepreneurs was crucial. The golf industry is huge and the subset of female golfers has the largest growth in recent years. Having skills to navigate that was important, but leveraging my network was the key to progress. If you find yourself in an industry, like golf, learn that the community around you is the most impactful aspect. Learning to develop a skill of good, consistent communication, and joining every group you possibly can, will push you up that hill a lot faster!!!

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

I am in this business by myself. I am not at the stage where I have employees and others in the trenches with me. It’s me all day, everyday, and I get in my own head! I often feel the sense of overwhelm because I need to do it all. What I have found is having another person to call, bounce ideas off of, or just get a mental break from is the most necessary strategy! I take my mental health seriously, and I know myself so well (especially on this journey), that my go-to’s are taking a break, making a phone call, or going outside for a walk. Those are my cures for overwhelm!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.memberguestshop.com
• Instagram: @memberguestshop
• Facebook: @memberguestshop
• Linkedin: /haylehowland

Image Credits

Brenna Joy Photography