Meet Meshell Baker | Chief Confidence Igniter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Meshell Baker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Meshell, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The decision to start a business was the result of my love and desire to support my sister Daphne’s care. Daphne almost died in 2009, I realized my periodic trips from Austin to Dallas weren’t enough.

At the time I was a successful B2B Biotech Sales Rep residing in Austin, Texas, where I had taken on the role of Daphne’s live-in aide and caregiver. Yet I soon discovered I was unable to successfully maintain the demands of my sales role, traveling 80% of the time and facilitating Daphne’s care. While Daphne was thriving and happy; I was overwhelmed and overwrought. I knew the choice was either my job or my sister. To me this was a no-brainer, I gave 30 days’ notice to the job.

Six days after giving notice, I attended a women’s conference. I met a woman who later became my mentor, coach, and wise counsel. She invited me to attend my first-ever small business networking event. Hearing the speaker share her journey, the memories and lifelong dreams of entrepreneurial success came roaring back. She invited me to attend my first-ever women’s networking luncheon.

As the guest speaker gave her presentation differentiating goals and purpose, I instantly remembered who I wanted to be. I remembered that when I was 13 years old I had 3 successful businesses; baking, babysitting, and sewing. Within weeks, I organized in my apartment building’s rec room a vision board gathering for friends, colleagues, and women from my church. That day I experienced the birth of my business and passion. And I have never looked back.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Meshell Baker Enterprises delivers Sales and Confidence Keynotes, Talks, and Coaching. It was founded to help female founders, women business owners, and sales leaders empower themselves and their sellers to develop high-performance resilience and unstoppable confidence.

I leverage my 25+ years of sales and leadership success in more than a dozen countries, to inspire energetic and collaborative communication. My clients acquire the knowledge, skills, and tenacity to individualize and implement success principles and fundamentals resulting in markedly improved confidence and sustainable increased sales results.

My clients and audiences come away with an empowered mindset and inspired awareness for better workplace communication and collaborative cultures that support businesses to thrive and prosper in the rank order of people, profits, and processes.

Building and being a business owner is the absolute most difficult thing I’ve done with my life. It has challenged me to see a better and more beautiful version of myself. It requires that I demonstrate not just communicate that life is fantastic even amid the drama, trauma, difficulties, and disappointments.

My greatest gift to the world is my unabashed authenticity. There is nothing more powerful than a person with a clear captivating vision and unstoppable confidence.

As a black woman in business, I believe it is my responsibility to support the local community whenever and wherever I can. With the help and support of my loyal customers, I believe there is nothing my company cannot achieve.

Dress for Success is one of the organizations that my business partners with to help disenfranchised women through their Professional Women’s Group (PWG). Annually, I give a free talk/training on boosting and establishing confidence.

I also partner with local nonprofits and charities, such as Dress For Success, SCORE.org, and YWCA, giving a quarterly free talk or workshop. In addition, I discount my Speaking and Training fees by 50% once quarterly to a local nonprofit or charity, via my Ignite Confident Communities Program, https://bit.ly/ICCProgram. These topics are for employees, sellers, small business owners, and business leaders helping them establish a more consciously confident mindset, workforce, and workplace.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of my favorite places in Dallas is the larger-than-life art called the Cattle Drive Sculptures. Incredibly impressive. And for lunch non other than Cattleack Barbeque! OMG this spot is for lunch on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and there’s a line every time the doors are open. Yet the brisket is out of this world!

Afternoon would be to visit either the Dallas Museum of Art or the John F. Kennedy Memorial Depends on who is my visitor.

After a nice amount of walking experience either of the aforementioned, ya gotta finish a day in Dallas at a steakhouse. I mean this is the capital of beef, so away we go to YO Ranch Steakhouse.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Participating in communities for professional development has greatly improved my personal confidence and professional success. The Shift/Co – https://shiftco.global/ business growth community and Women Sales Pros – https://womensalespros.com/ have both been safe and empowering spaces to ask, learn and grow!

Website: https://www.meshellbaker.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/MeshellRBaker

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meshellrbaker

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeshellRBaker

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meshell.baker

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/MeshellRBaker