Leading with Heart: Sheila G Mains of Visto Visors On The Power of Authentic Women’s Leadership

An Interview With Pirie Jones Grossman

Building Trust. Authenticity in leadership builds trust with team members and colleagues. Being seen as genuine, transparent and trustworthy enhances teamwork, loyalty and commitment to the company’s goals.

In today’s dynamic world, the concept of leadership is continuously evolving. While traditional leadership models have often been male-dominated, there is a growing recognition of the unique strengths and perspectives that women bring to these roles. This series aims to explore how women can become more effective leaders by authentically embracing their femininity and innate strengths, rather than conforming to traditional male leadership styles. In this series, we are talking to successful women leaders, coaches, authors, and experts who can provide insights and personal stories on how embracing their inherent feminine qualities has enhanced their leadership abilities. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Sheila G. Mains.

Today, Sheila G. Mains stands at the forefront of a new venture, spearheading the development of this cutting-edge headgear designed to enhance performance and elevate the player’s experience on the court and off. Just as she reshaped the landscape for sweet treats with Brownie Brittle, Sheila continues to push the boundaries of innovation and redefine the way we approach everyday challenges.

With an unwavering commitment to excellence and a relentless pursuit of improvement, Sheila’s legacy serves as a testament to the transformative power of perseverance, creativity, and a steadfast focus on the future. As she embarks on this new chapter of her entrepreneurial journey, Sheila G. Mains remains an inspiration to aspiring innovators and a beacon of ingenuity in a world ripe with possibilities.

Drawing from her experience reinventing brownies, Sheila set out to revolutionize headgear by creating an innovative solution that combined style, comfort, and functionality. Understanding the importance of keeping one’s eye on the ball, she tackled the inconvenience of traditional hats made with cotton brims with her signature ingenuity, patent-pending hats and visors crafted with transparent brims that provideUV sun protection and 360-degree views. Aptly named Visto Visors, this innovative, game changing headgear has fast become a popular favorite for all outdoor activities, including tennis, pickleball, golf, jogging, boating, volleyball or just a walk in the park.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about authentic, feminine leadership, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

After building and selling my previous business, Sheila G’s Brownie Brittle, I found retirement a bit unsettling. I had worked hard all my life and I wasn’t used to getting up in the morning without a “to-do” list. Ideas for new products were constantly buzzing around in my head and they needed to see the light of day.

I had also learned so much from building my last business, and felt a strong urge to apply those lessons to something new. One of the lessons learned, and a must for the next business was it had to meet the following criteria; the product would have to have better margins than the food business, it would not include the words “shelf life” and it wouldn’t be fragile. It was all of that and a strict non-compete agreement that contributed to the launch of my new venture, Visto Visors.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

I believe you’ll find that story further into this interview.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

Just as my first venture, Brownie Brittle, disrupted a category in the bakery and snack industry, Visto Visors is a disruptor in the apparel space. Unlike traditional hats and visors with cotton brims, our patent-pending hats and visors are crafted with transparent brims that provide UV sun protection and 360-degree views. When Brownie Brittle was first launched, the most common reaction from consumers was the comment “this is brilliant!” When I began to hear that same comment from those first introduced to Visto Visors, I knew I was on the right path.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Tenacity is number one. You can’t build a business without it, and you can’t build a winning team without it either. That never-give-up attitude cost me a lot — a home that went into foreclosure, and jewelry that I was forced to sell, just to keep going. As a result, those who came onboard were eager to roll up their sleeves and make sure Brownie Brittle was a huge success.

Versatility. Being open to change, embracing new ideas, and adjusting strategies based on evolving circumstances. Tailoring communication styles based on different audiences. Being able to analyze complex problems and develop innovative solutions. An entrepreneur needs to be a little “left brain” and a little “right brain.” If you’re too left-brained, your decision making skills rely too much on spreadsheets rather than a combination of creative thinking, common sense and fiscal responsibility. If you’re too right-brained, fiscal responsibility can be non-existent.

Empathy. Being able to understand the needs of others, including employees, customers and stakeholders. It’s a trait that is put to the test every single day.

Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader? I’m curious to understand how these challenges have shaped your leadership.

We were approached by a major retailer to replicate, or a knock-off, a product they had been purchasing from a competitor of ours, which coincidentally, was another woman owned business. I respectfully declined the offer. At the time, we were fending off all the companies who were trying to knock off Brownie Brittle and I wasn’t going to do that to someone else — especially another woman owned business. And how did it shape my leadership? You can never go wrong by doing the right thing. Leading with integrity sets a powerful example. Could we have used those sales? You bet. But I also believe in Karma — good and bad. And interestingly enough, not a single one of those Brownie Brittle knock-offs succeeded. Not even those with marketing budgets 1000 times larger than ours.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Can you share a personal experience where embracing your unique leadership style, which might not align with traditional expectations, led to a significant positive impact in your organization or team?

We had been trying for years to trademark the name “Brownie Brittle.” We were first to market, and no one had ever put those two words together until I created the product and gave it a name. We deserved that mark. Finally, after going back and forth for years, the trademark office approved our application. The next step was for the approval to be posted for opposition. That meant that for the next six months anyone could object to our receiving the mark. And someone did. A division of a fortune 500 company requested an extension to oppose the mark. We thought it best to play nice, and agreed. This continued every six months for over two years. We tried to work it out with them, but they were unrelenting. It was about to cost us several million dollars in legal fees, when I suggested another route that every C level executive and member of our board felt was a huge waste of time, and very naive on my part. I didn’t care. I sent an email to the CEO of the fortune 500’s parent company asking for 10 minutes of her time. We had never met, but we were both involved in an organization focused on women in the CPG industry. A month later, I was sitting in her office while she and I snacked on the many bags of Brownie Brittle I had brought along. We shared stories about our mothers and their reaction to our success in business, and we had a few laughs. Then she asked what she could do for me and told her what we had been going through. I was right in my assumption that she had no idea. She responded by saying, “you just keep doing what you’re doing, I’ll take care of this.” And she did. A few months later we had our trademark.

In your journey as a leader, how have you balanced demonstrating resilience, often seen as a masculine trait, with showing vulnerability, which is equally powerful, but typically feminine? Can you give an example where this balance created a meaningful difference?

My journey as an entrepreneur has been filled with many triumphs and setbacks, so there are several examples I could share where resilience and vulnerability came into play, but the worst experience of them all created the greatest and most meaningful difference. When I first launched Brownie Brittle I was introduced to a group out of NY and Miami who were in the specialty food business. I had been producing and selling brownies for over twenty years as a food service item (hotels, restaurants, theme parks, etc.) which meant working with retailers was like starting a completely new business. This particular group liked the product and wanted to help. For months I sold Brownie Brittle to them and they in turn sold it to their accounts. It was going well, and they were impressed with the response to the product. In fact, they were so impressed they waited until my biggest month in sales, lined their pockets with my receivables, and launched their own knock-off Brownie Brittle type product. I was devastated. I had always been on my own, funding production with my American Express card and never missing a payment. I had no savings to fall back on. Everything I had was invested in the business and this new venture. Fortunately, I had refused to sign an exclusive agreement with them, so I still had some accounts of my own. I survived for weeks by selling my jewelry, but I knew I had to find an investor. The idea of putting my fate in someone else’s hands terrified me. I had never felt so vulnerable, but I wasn’t about to give up. As it turned out, I found the perfect investor who not only provided the funding I needed to move forward, he had the connections as well and he used those connections to catapult Brownie Brittle into the marketplace. In 2011, I had been doing less than $500k in Brownie Brittle sales, and in 2012 after exposing my most vulnerable side and taking a chance by bringing in a partner, Brownie Brittle reached $7.8 million in sales, and we tripled it the following year. A very “meaningful difference.”

As a woman in leadership, how have you navigated and challenged gender stereotypes, especially in situations where traditional male-dominated approaches are the norm? What strategies have you employed to remain authentic to your style?

Simple. By just being true to my values, and staying humble. There are also occasions when you just have to let it be known that “nice” doesn’t mean “weak” — and it doesn’t matter if you’re in the boardroom or the bridge room.

How do you utilize emotional intelligence and active listening to create an inclusive environment in your team or organization? Could you share a specific instance where these qualities particularly enhanced team dynamics or performance?

Brownie Brittle operated out of two locations. One in Orlando, Florida and the other in West Palm Beach. Those of us in West Palm Beach were mostly women, while the Orlando office consisted mostly of men. So here you had two very diverse groups trying to work together in two different cities. I spent my time in both locations so I had a pretty good handle on all the personalities involved. It was my job to make sure we all worked as one team, and I accomplished that by actively listening to team members when conflicts arose and understanding their needs, their frustrations and at the same time presenting the other team’s position so they could relate and even empathize with the pressures facing the other team members. Bringing everyone together whenever possible for team building activities made a huge difference. We not only worked hard, we played hard and we celebrated each and every achievement as a team. As a result, everyone began to row in the same direction and no one ever wanted to be the one to “drop an oar.”

What role has mentorship played in developing your authentic leadership style, and how do you communicate authentically to inspire and empower both your mentors and mentees?

One of the toughest lessons learned was from someone I once looked up to as a leader and mentor. It was during the early stages of my brownie business when I needed help purchasing raw materials for a major customer who had placed a huge order. I turned to this individual for a loan and even though he knew I would repay him, he refused to help. I was crushed, and asked him why. He said “because as long as you think you have someone like me as your safety net, you will be operating your business from a position of weakness.” He was right. I had to get creative and find another solution. I went to my biggest supplier, and worked out a factoring agreement for the ingredients I needed. It was a win win. Their profit margin increased and I was able to meet the demand. It was a lesson learned that I applied many times in both my business life and personal life. And when it comes to leadership, there is no better way to communicate authentically than by demonstrating it through your own actions.

In addition, I have had the opportunity and privilege to share the many lessons learned as a speaker at numerous events including the following:

FMI (Food Marketing Institute) Annual Spouse’s Luncheon — keynote speaker

NEW — Network of Executive Women — Panel speaker.

All About You — Keynote speaker for a day long seminar for business women in Palm Beach County.

Working Women of Tampa Bay — Keynote speaker

FWBC — Florida Women’s Business Conference. Keynote speaker

Hadassah — Keynote speaker

Palm Beach Partners Business MatchMaker Conference and Expo — Keynote Speaker

Florida Atlantic University’s Business School — Panel event participant.

WEC — Women’s Executive Club — Keynote speaker.

Lynn University — guest lecturer for four years, as part of their CEO Series.

NCJW — National Council of Jewish Women. Keynote speaker and Woman In Power Award recipient.

Women’s Fund of Central New York — Annual Conference. Keynote speaker.

YWCA — Keynote speaker.

Leadership Palm Beach County — Annual conference mentoring high school students.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways Leading Authentically As A Woman Will Affect Your Leadership”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.

1 . Building Trust. Authenticity in leadership builds trust with team members and colleagues. Being seen as genuine, transparent and trustworthy enhances teamwork, loyalty and commitment to the company’s goals.

2 .Communication. Making open and honest communication a priority and creating an environment where team members feel comfortable expressing themselves and sharing ideas. This practice not only drives teamwork, but innovation and creativity as well.

3. Empowering Others. I believe authentic women leaders should empower and uplift those around them by setting the best example possible. Being confident and resilient can inspire others to embrace their own unique strengths and capabilities and achieve their own personal goals.

4. Inspiring Diversity. Bringing your own experiences into play and inspiring others to do the same creates a culture that adds value and celebrates differences.

5 . Being Supportive and Inclusive. There is no room for ego here. Listening to others, and I mean really listening even when it means abandoning your own beliefs and ideas in order to achieve the greater good. It can be challenging even for the most authentic leader — male or female. In the end, you not only learn something, but you teach something as well.

Are there potential pitfalls or challenges associated with being an empathetic leader? How can these be addressed?

There can be team members who are capable but not motivated, and then there are team members who are motivated but not capable. The latter is the most challenging for me. You may give them every opportunity to succeed but when all efforts fail it can be extremely difficult for an empathetic leader to part ways with that team member. It’s important to prepare in advance for the conversation and anticipate potential reactions. It’s never an easy conversation but acknowledging and validating their emotions and offering support can be beneficial to both parties. Next, focus on the well-being of the remaining team members.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I believe this world would be a better place if people would simply stop judging others. It’s a practice that is so common that most individuals aren’t even aware they’re doing it, or how destructive it can be. Judging others strains relationships, creates barriers to open communication and trust. It leads to resentment and conflicts based on biases, stereotypes and limited information. It creates a toxic environment. And when you focus on judging others, you also divert attention from self reflection and personal growth.

I would launch a movement that would build awareness through social media campaigns, collaborating with influencers, and partnering with local organizations, schools, businesses and community groups. Developing educational resources and toolkits would be key to providing strategies for educators to identify and challenge judgmental behavior in children, while at the same time integrating lessons on empathy and diversity. It’s vital that we begin at the elementary school level. If a child strikes another child at school he or she faces expulsion, but name calling is too often tolerated. That physical pain passes, but the emotional pain caused by name calling, judging, and labeling can last a lifetime.

How can our readers further follow you online?

Facebook: Sheila G. Mains

LinkedIn: Sheila G. Mains

IG: @sheilagmains

URL: vistovisors.com

Facebook: Visto Visors

IG, TikTok, Pinterest: @vistovisors

Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

About The Interviewer: Pirie is a TedX speaker, author and a Life Empowerment Coach. She is a co-host of Own your Throne podcast, inspiring women in the 2nd chapter of their lives. With over 20 years in front of the camera, Pirie Grossman understands the power of storytelling. After success in commercials and acting. She spent 10 years reporting for E! Entertainment Television, Entertainment Tonight, also hosted ABC’s “Every Woman”. Her work off-camera capitalizes on her strength, producing, bringing people together for unique experiences. She produced a Children’s Day of Compassion during the Dalai Lama’s visit here in 2005. 10,000 children attended, sharing ideas about compassion with His Holiness. From 2006–2009, Pirie Co-chaired the Special Olympics World Winter Games, in Idaho, welcoming 3,000 athletes from over 150 countries. She founded Destiny Productions to create Wellness Festivals and is an Advisory Board member of the Sun Valley Wellness Board.In February 2017, Pirie produced, “Love is Louder”, a Brain Health Summit, bringing in Kevin Hines, noted suicide survivor to Sun Valley who spoke to school kids about suicide. Sun Valley is in the top 5% highest suicide rate per capita in the Northwest, prompting a community initiative with St. Luke’s and other stake holders, to begin healing. She lives in Sun Valley with her two children, serves on the Board of Community School. She has her Master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica and is an Executive Life Empowerment Coach, where she helps people meet their dreams and goals! The difference between a dream and a goal is that a goal is a dream with a date on it!