Lee Heyward 2:11
Thanks for having me happy to be here.
Luis Scott 2:14
Absolutely. I was very excited about this, about this interview. In fact, for those of you who are listening on the podcast and can’t see, you’re going to want to check out the video because for the first time ever, on my podcast, I am wearing a suit and tie for this interview. So I wanted to make sure that I came prepared for the interview. And we’re going to be talking about how important image is to your success. And I really, really believe this. I want to just jump right into this before we get to know a little bit more about your business. And talk about something that that you have on your website, which I agree with, but I want to hear it from you. And and you say on your website, it’s not enough just to make yourself look good. Tell me a little bit more about that. And what that means.
Lee Heyward 2:57
Yeah, absolutely. Well, for everyone, just so you know, I give Luis a stamp of approval, he looks great. So yeah, I think that a lot of times getting dressed is something that we learn from our mothers, people in the community, you were allowed to wear this to school allowed to wear this all these places, and it became this sort of thing that you should do, you should look professional, you should look a certain way. And that’s kind of how it’s been stamped in everybody’s mind. And so a lot of people think they just need to show up at Nordstrom or wherever and get some clothes that look good. And all will be sorted out. But the problem was that with that is that it’s literally a band aid. So if you just put some stuff on that looks good, it will work for a certain amount of time, but it’s a little bit like a strainer, eventually the stuff falls out because you have never built it on the foundation of who you are, and where you’re going. And that’s the most important piece because I tell all my clients, you’re not actually getting dressed for who you are today. You’re getting dressed for where you’re going, the person you want to be in five years.
Luis Scott 4:05
Yeah, that’s awesome that you say that. I mean, I think it extends to more than just what you wear. I know you talked about alignment, and how you have to align your office and the things that surround you. Recently, I was talking to my assistant and I got in his car because we were going to lunch and his car was a little bit dirty. And he said somebody had borrowed it or something like that. And so I said, Come on, man, you gotta you gotta have this car in better shape than that you can’t pick me up in this car, you know. And I think it even extends to that who that is. And you have a story of someone you recently met who kind of didn’t portray the right image.
Lee Heyward 4:41
Yeah, and it’s funny because these are the details that you think don’t matter, but they like seep into people’s brains and start to like, tweak the impression that you’ve made with people. So here’s what happened. My husband and I refinanced our house. It was a situation where the lawyer came to our house to sign the paperwork and my husband was already home. The lawyer got here before I did. So I drive in and he’s got this white car. And it is like covered in bird poop, Oh my gosh, like, oh, let’s see, like, oh. And I’m like, because I asked a lot of questions, and I’m gonna go straight to the point I like walk in the door. I’m like, Dude, what happened to your car? Like, I’m expecting this miraculous story about like, a pterodactyl uprising, or like something cool to have that much poop. And he was like, No, I live with a driveway, there’s a tree and the bird poop in my car every day. And so A, I am totally disappointed because the story is now boring and B, the whole time we’re signing and going through this closing, I’m just like, you pass for car washes on the way to my house. Yeah, drive through. And you didn’t wash your car. So this is where my head is? Like, what detail did you miss, and this work that you’re doing for me? Because now that’s, that’s what I’m thinking about you like that you have, you’re just not really attentive to details. But here’s the biggest problem. I wrote the book you mentioned, there’s a chapter in the book that’s called the bird shit lawyer. I don’t know what his name is, I don’t know what the firm is like, I can’t refer this guy can’t do anything. I just call him, you know that. Right? So it’s a total missed opportunity just because his car was dirty.
Luis Scott 6:19
That is so true. You know, I’ve recently heard that the way you do anything, is the way you do everything. And the last thing you want to do is portray an image of not paying attention to detail, especially in like a professional service business. So that is that is so disappointing. You know, I’m curious, how did you get into this industry? Because you know, there’s not a lot of majors, college majors that are dedicated to branding your image, in a holistic approach, like, how did you even get into this? Yeah, so
Lee Heyward 6:50
it’s kind of interesting, because I am the rare story of like, the little girl who True story. In fourth grade, if you were my friend, I was like, let’s go through your closet, like, let’s design what you’re gonna wear next week of school, like my poor friends. And I loved it, I always loved it. And then I went to college to be a lawyer actually, and ended up getting a sales job and would would drive around, imagining either going to law school or creating my own business. And so one day, I just quit and was like, Alright, I wrote a press release, and got into a local newspaper. And I was like, Okay, I guess I’m doing this. So I essentially was like, I can help you look great, feel good, and get all the things done. And that eventually transitioned into only specifically working with high level entrepreneurs. Because that your image overall, both your personal brand, and the business throughout is such a key piece of your growth. And I just find that like developing that strategy, so much fun.
Luis Scott 7:52
I agree with that, you know, and the thing is working in your passion is what really makes life so much more enjoyable. And so being able to find that passion, I bet is just a great joy for you. You know, when I think about consulting, I think about what I do as a profession, being a lawyer, or even maybe a medical doctor, and so forth. These type of service businesses can be a challenge to start. So I’m curious about your start, and how, what were some of the challenges that you faced, starting this consulting practice after you got that first published article, and now you’re like, I’m gonna make money doing this? Like, what were some of the challenges that you faced?
Lee Heyward 8:26
Well, number one, like you mentioned, like, there was no degree for this. My degree is in Political Science and Business Administration. So that I mean, maybe on some days will help but not really. Um, so number one, I had to learn how to run a business. And number two, I had to learn how to tell other people besides my friends, you know how to do this and create a system doing it. And I mean, I kid you not like this is funny, but there used to be a show on TLC, the learning channel called What Not to Wear.
Luis Scott 8:57
Oh, I know that show.
Lee Heyward 8:58
Okay. All right. So I was already watching it. And so I just started watching it. And like teaching myself, I already did a lot of it naturally, like no joke. I mean, I taught myself all kinds of things from watching What Not to Wear. And then like reading every book I could get my hands on. And then I grew the business by doing two things back in the day when like teleseminars were unheard of. I was doing teleseminars, every other week on any any topic that people had any interest in. I was doing a teleseminar. And what’s interesting is in the beginning, I was making scripts, like I was scripting it out and then pretending like it wasn’t reading and yada, yada. And that actually translated into my first book, like, I never realized that was going to happen. But I had taught on all these subjects and it turned into a book. But that’s how I built the client base. And then I met one of my mentors, David Nagel and sort of said yes to some things that seemed crazy and and here we are 12 years later.
Luis Scott 9:58
That’s incredible. Now what was the You talked about mentorship and I think mentorship is such a big part of being an entrepreneur, being a business owner really growing yourself. What was something that you learn from David that really helped propel your business? Oh, gosh, I
Lee Heyward 10:12
mean, it’s hard to pick just one. But David is responsible for a huge turning point in my business. There was a time where I don’t know how I ended up here, somebody sent me an email that was like, come to this thing. And I was like, okay, and I signed up, and I paid the money, which was a ridiculous amount of money. I’m pretty sure I was making like, maybe $40,000 like this. In the beginning, I had not made any money. And this was a specific elite group of people who were making a lot of money. Right. I don’t know how I ended up there. And then I end up in front of David talking to him. And he said, You know, I want you to work with me. And I was like, I don’t work with men. And he just said two words to me. Why not? Hmm. And that is so simple and such an interesting thing to consider still to this day, like, why not? And a lot of times, there are plenty of reasons like for why not, but sometimes you don’t have a good reason. I had no reason other than, like, um, I just haven’t done it yet. Yeah, so so simple game changer,
Luis Scott 11:20
that that mindset change is so critical to to really, you know, helping you grow in your in your business. Now, you mentioned, you didn’t work with men. And, you know, I have found that men really undervalue the importance of their image. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen, you know, men, they show up to soccer field with their kids, or they show up to any kind of event. And they’re just so sloppy. And and what would you tell men who are like that? Like, because I think that that’s important, especially as a, as a professional as an entrepreneur or someone, even if you’re an employee, like, what would you tell that person if they’re a man who doesn’t focus on their image? Well,
Lee Heyward 11:52
I mean, the thing is, man or woman, you are representing yourself everywhere you go. So I tell my clients, like, every day, everywhere you go, you show up. Now, that doesn’t mean so people are listening to this right now. Like, Oh, God, that sounds like a pain in the ass like, No thanks. It’s not meant to be difficult, it just means that whatever is in your closet is available for you to wear is aligned with you and where you want to go. I think one of the challenges for men is, and this isn’t everybody. So this is a little bit of a blanket statement. But sure, you know, as a girl, I was like clipping out things to magazines, I was like, all the time thinking about this stuff, just not on most the most radar, most men, so a lot of times they go from their moms being a huge influence of what they wear to college beginning of life. So you were like, what you should wear a professional and then you get married. And like, How awesome is that your wife buys you clothes, like beautiful thing where you don’t have to put any effort to it. But the problem is, is you never have defined who you actually are in that scenario. And you will get to a certain level where you know, people are buying you no matter what you’re doing, no matter what you’re selling, where you have to be authentic, and you have to really be showing up. And so that’s what I like to have people think about it like what could be if you really were certain about who you are from the inside out.
Luis Scott 13:17
Yeah, I mean, that’s such a such an important thing, because you’re viewing it through the prism of personal brand. But really, it’s, it’s all about how do you feel about yourself? And how are you reflecting that into the world? I think that that’s really what we’re trying to answer, like, do we really understand who we are? And are we reflecting that properly to other people so that they can, they can experience this the way that we really should be into who we really are. So it’s really important, you know, I have found that that confidence goes hand in hand with how you look how you dress, your image, and so forth. What What have you seen in terms of confidence levels, when people really start projecting who they are as an individual?
Lee Heyward 13:54
Oh, it’s unbelievable. What will happen. I mean, unbelievable. And it’s not because of the clothes that they put on. So it’s not because they all of a sudden are wearing a certain designer or a certain brand or spend a certain amount of money. It’s because what happened is you figured out something on the inside, and then you match it to the outside in a way that just makes you completely forget about what you’re wearing. But you just you stand differently. I mean, I can’t tell you countless people who I had a guy who was an engineer who we work together on a Friday, he goes in on a Monday. And his goal, when we were going through this transition was like that he really wanted to be promoted. Within six months. We’re like, okay, here’s where you’re going, what here’s what we’re gonna do. Monday morning, 10 o’clock, his boss calls a man and he’s like, Dude, are you interviewing for other jobs? And the only reason he asked him is because like he looked at her like he looked nice, like you might be going yeah. And he wasn’t But what was interesting is that one tweak, created this opportunity, this new confidence for those boss to like see him in a different way, and he was promoted way faster than you know, he originally thought he would be. Right. It’s pretty amazing what can happen.
Luis Scott 15:08
I definitely can see that happening. I somebody told me recently about how you should dress for the job you want, not the job you have. And I think that that’s all part of, you know, setting yourself up for success. Now, I saw something, an article that you that you wrote about on Facebook, and you talked about how it’s important to dress that way for your spouse. And I and I, and I would love to hear what that means. Because, you know, you mentioned earlier men get married. And then the next thing you know, they don’t do anything with themselves. Like, tell us about that.
Lee Heyward 15:43
So and that’s gonna be a Facebook Live is happening tomorrow with a relationship expert, but it’s an interesting concept. So I think the first thought that people are gonna have when they see that as like I’m not going to dress for my spouse, we’re already married. But the idea really is like, What if you were putting out the extra effort to go back to that confidence point that you had to make yourself feel amazing, like, how much more patience would you have with that person? How much more? Would you go out of your way, because you simply feel better about yourself. And then there’s, of course, just the aesthetic attraction, you know, sort of image piece of it, too, is like, you know, there are certain things that I wear that make my husband a little more excited than others.
Luis Scott 16:30
Yeah, I can definitely relate. Because, you know, in COVID world, we’ve been a lot of people been working from home and my wife’s job, she’s been working from home. And so it’s very easy for her to wear, you know, something more comfortable, like a athleisure wear or something like that. But the other day, I got home and she was like fully dressed up, like, I’m talking about, like, head to toe dressed up. And I, I looked and I was like, Where are you going? Nowhere, we’re just gonna, we’re gonna eat at home. And I was like, no, we’re not we’re going out right now. You know. And it, it went from a we’re eating at the house to going out on a date night. So I mean, what you wear really makes a huge difference. Now, I I’m curious about this question. Because I’ve even heard some of my employees talk about how for Halloween, they’re going to be a Zoom employee. And they were going to have like, just their top, their, you know, their jacket on top, and they were going to wear like shorts on the bottom. I’ve always thought you should still dress the part even though you’re on zoom and can’t be seen. What’s your opinion on that?
Lee Heyward 17:35
Oh, boy. I mean, this is like a can of worms you have just opened. But I’ll summarize. So here’s the thing, no matter what, every day, you have to get dressed. Okay? So in theory, you got to get dressed. So why not put on stuff that is going to get some sort of result, whatever it is that you want, you’re dressing for two people all the time. Number one is yourself. Number one is to make yourself feel confident. Number two is to make others feel confident in you. So with that in mind, you got to get fully dressed man, like the fact Yes, stand up. You know, like, I did a call recently where my dog got up and knocked over the lights, you know, that you know, so things are gonna happen. And we’ve seen all sorts of funny things. And the way the pictures of people in court, like in their bed, and like, I mean, it’s amazing. But what’s happening is every time people see you on Zoom, it’s either increasing the way they think about you are decreasing the way they think about you, right. And if you’re just not putting the effort in, it’s gonna sort of chip away at that impression that you’ve worked so hard to make.
Luis Scott 18:47
And I think that people feel like they can get away with it. But really, you eventually find out that the person was not fully dressed, you know? And if you’re not, if you’re not taking the time to really get fully dressed, I mean, are you putting the full effort into your job, too? I mean, there’s so many, there’s so many, like, subconscious things that I think that people they don’t really concentrate on. Now. One of the issues and challenges I had as a young professional as a young entrepreneur was was the money right? And I’m sure you hear the money objection or the the money issue. I don’t have the money to buy the clothes. I don’t have the money to have a nice car. I don’t have the money to have a nice office. I don’t. And what would you tell people in that scenario? Like how can you make yourself better and have a better image when you don’t really have the money to, you know, to portray that image? Like, what would you tell them?
Lee Heyward 19:36
Yeah, absolutely. Well, I mean, I’m not gonna say like, money doesn’t help you have a better image because Sure, it can make it easier, but it can’t be an excuse either. So if you desire to put yourself into the world a certain way, it can be done. Um, one of the most fantastic things that’s happening right now is that recycling clothing is cool. So there are many versions of sort of online consignment stores that have everything you could possibly need in every size that you need and amazing price points. You know, shopping sale racks, there is absolutely nothing wrong shopping sales or sale racks. Sometimes I know in business, you know, you start you start hearing, they’re like, you’re investing in yourself, stop wasting your time with sales. And sure that can be true. But what you’re really just being true to is who you want to show up as so like if the $5 shirt is going to help you do that great if it’s not leave it, right. So I think it’s more of a mindset shift of like, you have to do the work to get the result that you want, and then it does become easier. So you may have to go to 10 stores to find what you need in the budget that you want. But once you have it, you don’t have to go anywhere for a while. That’s right. Same online. And it’s kind of I like to remind people that when you are shopping 50% of what you either take into a dressing room or have shipped into your house, it’s just not going to work. It doesn’t, doesn’t fit, you don’t like it, whatever. And so it’s not about you, it’s about does this, get the result you want? And if not let it move on.
Luis Scott 21:11
Right? Now, you’re talking a lot about how you want to portray on the outside what you are on the inside? How does a person without getting into the full complexity of what you do? But how does a person actually get to that point, like, Where do I you know, how do I actually get to the point where I know who I am as an individual.
Lee Heyward 21:30
So there’s a really easy exercise that everybody can do and start thinking about? And it’s a it’s a simple question. It’s a simple question that you know, sometimes it’s not as simple to answer, but to start thinking about it is not how do I want? Not? How do I want to look, you ask yourself? How do I want to feel? Hmm, okay, all right. So most people, when they start thinking about putting an image together, they’ll start talking to me about I want to look put together and I want to look this way, and that way doesn’t matter. I only need to know how you want to feel. So I want to feel powerful, badass, confident. You know, whatever it is unique, like a unicorn, I mean, like, whatever it is, whatever you whatever rocks your boat, your thing. And just I get people to sort of like, just kind of word vomit as many adjectives as they can, and then go back and sort of circle your top three or four. And those become the roadmap of Alright, you can literally stand in front of the mirror with these words and say, like, does this make me feel powerful, confident and approachable? Whatever it is,
Luis Scott 22:33
right? Wow, what a good exercise to do. Now, in your business in 12 years, you’ve mentioned being in business 12 years, and it wasn’t always as great as it is now. What would you say is the gutsiest thing you’ve ever had to do to really get your business off the ground? and get it to where you have it today?
Lee Heyward 22:53
Yeah, that’s a great question. Um, I don’t know that this is like a dramatic, gutsy thing. But honestly, it’s it was the reason I am here today is because I said yes. And that’s simple. And a lot of times you get to a point in your business where you can’t say yes, but like, opportunities, opportunities would show up. I know, I mentioned David Nagel earlier, one of the things I did that was in seemed insane to me at the time. They sold me a sponsorship, where I like went to an event, I’d never been to an event, I didn’t know what a coach was. I didn’t know what setting a table meant like I had no idea. And then they were like, that’ll be five grand. And I was like ok, I just said yes. To stuff like that over and over again. But you know what, you know, what was the only guiding map to that is I had to use my gut. Like it I know if you’ve ever done like your fascination advantage. Like, I know, one of the keys to me is feeling powerful and prestigious. And that’s Yes, how I fascinate people, but it’s also how I know when things are right. So like, I just had to listen to my gut and say, Yes, okay, I’ll
Luis Scott 24:06
do that. That’s awesome. You know, the thing is that that’s not only great advice, but it’s actually very gutsy to say yes, because many times, we want all the circumstances to be right. We want everything to be perfect. We want all the things that we want the stars to align, we want like the the double shooting star, we want the rainbow, we want everything before we do anything. And I think sometimes just stepping out on a limb and saying yes, is really the gutsiest thing we could do. Now for the people listening who want to today to say yes, to really ramping up their personal image, their brand and being who they actually were created to be. What would be the three to five tips you would give them so they could get started today to that better image?
Lee Heyward 24:47
Yeah, that’s a great question. I mean, number one, and this sounds like a airy fairy tip, but it’s actually really important is just decide that you believe that anything is possible because when it comes to image It’s like, Oh, you know, my car sucks, I can’t clean it out, I don’t have any clothes, you have all these excuses. But really, it’s just a decision of like, Alright, I believe that anything is possible. And I have faith that, you know, I can look and feel a certain way. I mean, so that’s number one. Number two really is going back to that exercise that I mentioned earlier, the more clarity that you can have around how you want to feel the better. And I’ll take it a little bit further, what I always suggest to people is get two sticky notes, and write those words that you come up with on each sticky note, one goes in your wallet. So if you’re standing in a dressing room, or you’ve gone shopping with friends, or you’re with your spouse, and they’re like I love it is amazing. And you just don’t know, you have a tool, here’s your roadmap, ask yourself, and then you can make a decision. The other one goes in your closet. And same thing, you put it on your wall when you get dressed, if you have to put something on and it’s not right. You know, it needs to go. Right. And let’s see. The last tip, like, this is like the last one, like it has to be really good. I don’t know, I mean, I think the key is just, I was gonna say, like, really having having faith in, in the vision of where you’re going. And, and realizing that it’s not about exactly who you are today. It’s really like honoring what you’re doing, and creating the image around that.
Luis Scott 26:41
And I mean, that’s, that’s a great tip. I mean, when you think about it, because the thing is that if you don’t live by that, if you don’t honor what you’re doing, if you don’t try to live by who you are, you’re always going to be disappointed in who you become. And so I love that advice. And I love the sticky note advice. I think that that’s really powerful for a person to always be reminded of, of what they should be doing to make sure that they enhance their image. So well, Lee, thank you so much for being here today. It’s been a real treat having you on the show. And for those of you guys who caught the tail end of this, we’ve been talking to Lee Heyward, who is the author of Strategically Suited, and the owner of The Prosperous Image. Lee, where can people find you if they want more information about enhancing their personal brands?
Lee Heyward 27:26
Yeah, absolutely. So you can definitely visit prosperousimage.com. And I know we mentioned the book a couple of times, and if anybody would like a copy of it, I’m happy to send you one just simply go to Prosperous Image and fill out the little form on our contact page and mention the podcast and we’ll get you one out. Awesome. Well, thank
Luis Scott 27:45
you very much, Lee. I appreciate that. And for all of you guys who are listening. Like she mentioned, a free book is on the line. So don’t delay, make sure you go to the website and you can get the free book offer. Just make sure you mentioned The Guts and Glory Show and you’ll have a free book delivered to you. So there you have it, guys, Lee Heyward helping clients get the brand image that they want. Anyone can do it but guts, courage and hard work is what it takes. And just remember if you love this episode, be sure to subscribe so you never miss a show. You’ve been listening to The Guts and Glory Show.
Outro 28:18
You’ve been listening to The Guts and Glory Show with Luis Scott. If you enjoyed the show, be sure to share. For more information on this episode, please see the show notes at www.gutsandgloryshow.com and join us next time as we talked to another leader in business that had the guts to overcome all odds for the glory of success.
