Letting Go in Order to Grow | The Art of Delegation
Today’s guest on the podcast is Mary Huddleston, the founder of one of the largest luxury rental event companies in the southeast, Please Be Seated. She also runs the Instagram account @mrssouthernsocial, where she shares with her 80 thousand friends and followers all about southern hospitality, tradition with a twist, and a little bit of sarcasm.
“Southern charm without lifting an arm,” is her motto and she’s ditching the DIY in exchange for delegation. Make sure to tune in to the full episode because Mary is sharing how she built two incredibly successful businesses through the art of delegation and how you can do so as well.
About Mrs. Southern Social
Mary noticed a trend to have over-the-top parties for her children filled with immense pressure. She thought to herself there has to be a better way to have beautiful and memorable events where you’re not spending weeks planning in advance. These are the types of ideas you see on Pinterest but Mary advises it’s great for a source of inspiration but it doesn’t have to be the Bible to entertaining. With Mrs. Southern Social, Mary explains, “I wanted to show other women that it’s ok to take the pressure off by asking for help.”
Mary also noticed a trend as marketplaces like Etsy grew, that there were a plethora of resources of others that could do something great, and fast, that would have taken her days or weeks to do. “There is a time to do things from scratch, and there is a time to ask for help and that’s what Mrs. Southern Social is about.”
Letting go in order to grow
You just have to take that first step! At first, it’s a financial decision because you need help. It took having an employee showing Mary her level of knowledge of Instagram and knowing the Let’s Be Seated brand and voice for Mary to let go and let her run the account. “She’s killed it, and has taken the brand so much further than I could have taken it,” shares Mary. She’s found that you have to let go to grow, which can be one of the hardest things to do but also one of the most important. Delegating comes with building trust with someone.
When Pinterest creates pressure
There’s a time and a place for using Pinterest. It’s great to use as a guide for things like floral designs or having a cake made where it might be harder to explain your vision. The pressure to be able to recreate what you see online is real and it’s just impossible to think you can have it all and do it all. Try to focus on big impact items like a balloon garland or your cake. “No one else is going to remember cocktail napkins monogrammed with his initials,” Mary explains. If you care, that's one thing, but don’t force yourself into a hole where everything has to look like what you see.
Why delegating isn't just for the rich (simple ways to ask for help)
It is a financial commitment but delegating is definitely not only for the rich. If you boil down your time hourly by how long it takes you to do something, it would definitely save you money by delegating it out. Mary gives us the example of making a balloon garland, which used to be very time extensive with blowing up balloons and tying them onto a string. Nowadays there are kits you can purchase on Amazon with all the stuff you need to do it but just quicker and easier.
More from Mary Huddleston
Mary gives so much more insight on delegation with plenty of examples, and shares all the things she delegates out in her business. She is such a fun follow and her energy is infectious. You can find Mary on Instagram @mrssouthernsocial and online at mrssouthersocial.com. I hope you’ll hit play on this episode to hear Mary’s full story on The BrandWell Podcast.
KEEP BRANDING WELL,
Victoria
