We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mary Beth Henderson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mary Beth below.
Mary Beth, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
As I answer this, I can’t help but shake my head because I don’t identify as being a confident person.
– Can I create calm and order from chaos? Every damn day.
– Do I own the rooms I walk into? You bet.
– Will you assume I’ll fight before flight? Best believe.
– Does any of this come naturally? Absolutely not.
I share this because I am the rule, not the exception – especially among my fellow business owners and entrepreneurs. For me and, I suspect most of us here, curating confidence and building self esteem is a learned skill and ongoing practice over an innate ability.
The rub, however, is that we often tell ourselves if we don’t feel confident in a conversation, room or space, that we’re not ready to be there, which is limiting and likely false.
In my world, this may look like talking yourself out of starting a business because you’re not sure you’ve got something special to bring to the market (you probably do…) or that you’ll be good enough to compete (you probably will…).
It may also take the shape of an owner stuck in dated practices because they don’t trust themselves to disrupt what’s comfortable, or sitting on a new product or service launch because it’s not quite perfect.
I could go on, but at the end of the day, these barriers are not only limiting, but also often entirely self-inflicted and rooted in a lack of confidence in your ability to pull it off.
So. With that in mind, what can we do to build, train and ultimately strengthen our self esteem as business owners and entrepreneurs? Here are six truths that continue to help me and my clients with our collective confidence as business owners.
1. Shift your mindset on what confidence is – if you look at developing your self esteem as a skill to be learned, trained and practiced versus some inherent gift, you take your control and power back. Take note of that word: practiced. At least for me, this will forever be a journey, not a destination.
2. Take stock of where you’re seeking validation – note which cues are sending the strongest signals and their sources. Do they make sense? For example, I used to cling to client feedback like a needy girlfriend before realizing that, as much as I appreciate kind words, the irrefutable proof that I’m doing a good job for them is in the tangible results and quantifiable outcomes.
3. Define what success looks like for you. Whether it’s introducing yourself to three new people at that networking event (gulp…) or clearing six figures in revenue – give yourself concrete points to come back to as reminders that you can show up for and do the things that scare you.
4. Understand that perfection is boring. I’m here for keeping your head, heels and standards high, but the overly polished is out and character is in. Your quirks, personality and story are delightfully sticky – own and use them to attract the right people to you and stave off the wrong ones.
5. Surround yourself with a solid support system. In our Discovery process, I ask clients to list out their “board” – this may include usual suspects like partners, family members or friends, but I also encourage you to note peers, colleagues and people in your professional network who will speak your name in rooms of opportunity and tell you if there is lipstick on your teeth. None of us do this alone, so find your people and look to them when you need a sounding board, support or even a mirror.
6. Accept that failure is inevitable. Trust the recovering perfectionist in me weeps as I write this, but you will slip, trip and, if like me, face plant at least twice. It’s inevitable, so take a deep breath and go do the thing anyway. You will get up, skinned knees and all, and go forth. I believe in you.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’ve been at this brand and marketing thing for a hot minute (12+ years). My experience spans stiletto-sprinting as part of a 10-person internal PR team for an international litigation firm and introducing marketing automation to a mid-market tech company on to rolling up my sleeves as employee #5 for a quintessential startup.
Will trade war stories for wine.
As you can imagine, I’ve seen some things and done some things along the way including starting two businesses of my own – founding Front & Center in 2016 and co-founding The Cohort Collab in 2022.
Since the start of 2023, Front & Center has directly supported 30+ ventures across dynamic industries including hospitality, law, retail, interior design and more.
Working directly with business owners, I shine with new business formation, brand revamps, pivots, service + product launches and special projects along with the occasional arm chair therapy session.
When I’m not neck deep in branding and marketing projects or giving pep talks, you may find me chewing on a barbell at Rhapsody Fitness or bopping around Park Circle with the goon squad (3 rescue pups) and bearded brewer.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
It will take a village. I ran myself into the ground repeatedly trying to do it all myself without any support. Spoiler alert, none of us do it alone, so help others early and often and ask for help early and often.
Know that at some point, you’ll just have to dive in. I am a big proponent of doing your homework, planning and preparing, but, at some point you’re just going to have to take the leap and see how the market will react. Boldly go.
Trust and believe your clients will tell you exactly what they want and need. Being a small business brand and marketing firm wasn’t my first idea – it was the clients I loved working with who guided me into this space. Listen. Ask questions. Pay attention.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Going into our 7th year, I am currently repositioning Front & Center to focus on consulting and coaching for small business owners, while leveraging its new sister firm, The Cohort Collaborative, to be the full-scale brand and marketing execution arm.
In full disclosure, this is equal parts thrilling and terrifying to me.
The greatest hurdle I have to clear is landing on the revamped presentation and launch for Front & Center. The epitome of a cobbler’s kid story, I grapple with clarity while being so close to it and prioritizing my own business over my clients’ projects.
It’s not lost on me that the work I do for my clients is the work I’m struggling to do for myself.
To get to the other side with sanity in tact, I’m treating Front & Center as a paying client. Taking myself through our processes, blocking time and saving space just as I would for a new client. I’m also asking for help and accountability from my “board”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.frontandcentermarketing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontandcenter.mktg/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryehenderson/
- Other: Whether your new venture is a sparkle in your eye or you’ve signed on the dotted line for your LLC, this collection is for you. From high-touch Discovery tracks that include 1:1 mind-meld sessions with Mary Beth to digital downloads stuffed with pearls of wisdom, templates, checklists, exercises and more, these resources are designed to help you hit the ground running with your new venture. We sure are rooting for you! https://www.frontandcentermarketing.com/shop
Image Credits
Abby Murphy Photography
