IAM297- President & CEO Provides Quality, Handmade, Meaningful Accessories for Men and Women

For nearly a decade as President & CEO of Leonard Group, Stephen has seen the importance of creating meaningful and quality product. Established in 2010, the Leonard Group has grown from home-based business into a multi-million, multi-brand company including lines for men and women, faith-based jewelry, a pet line and American-based manufacturing. The rapid growth, top-tier partners, growing infrastructure, and message of hope has poised Leonard Group to see exponential growth in the coming years. Having launched the Stephen David Leonard brand in late 2017, Stephen’s vision is to help struggling people find their purpose understand their unique identity, experience, skills, and talents so they can live the life they were created to live.

• CEO Hack: Reading alot
• CEO Nugget: Be yourself, stay true to yourself and run your own race
• CEO Defined: Chief believe officer

Website: https://www.stephendavidleonard.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StephenDavidLeonardCo/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephendavidleonard/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephen_leonard

Full Interview

Check out one of our favorite CEO Hack’s Audible. Get your free audiobook and check out more of our favorite CEO Hacks HERE.

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today! 

Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresham from the I AM CEO Podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Stephen Leonard from the Leonard group. Stephen, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Stephen Leonard 0:39

Great to be here, Gresham. Thank you for having me.

Gresham Harkless 0:41

No problem super excited to have you on and what I want to do, which is read a little bit more about Steven so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing. And for nearly a decade as President and CEO of Leonard Group, Steven has seen the importance of creating meaningful and quality products.

Established in 2010The Leonard Group has grown from a home-based business into a multi-million multi-brand company includes including lines for men and women, faith-based jewelry, a pet line, and American base manufacturing. The rapid growth, top-tier partners, growing infrastructure, and message of hope have poised Leonard Group to see exponential growth in the coming years.

Having launched the Stephen David Leonard brand 2017, in late 2017, Stephen’s vision is to help struggling people find their purpose and understand their unique identity, experience, skills, and talents so they can live the life they were created to live. Steven, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

[restrict paid=”true”]

Stephen Leonard 1:37

I am

Gresham Harkless 1:38

Awesome, let's do it. So the first thing I want to do to do was to hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story. And when did you start your business?

Stephen Leonard 1:46

Yeah, so my wife and I started, started the first business in 2002, when our son, our first son was born with special needs. My wife started making jewelry. And over time, we realized in relocating to the area, we live now that we needed to have a web presence.

And so along with me along with a friend of ours, who was actually in the cult group that I was pastor of, at the time, built our first website. And we began sort of developing our online presence that way, and I was kind of doing this in my spare time at that time, as I was a full-time pastor then.

And as, as the business continued to grow, through social media and some different things, we realized I needed to do, we needed somebody to step in and do what I was doing full time either, I needed to do it myself, or we needed to hire somebody, and we decided, You know what, it's time to take the leap and, and kind of go all in with both of us, both my wife and I full time.

And so, I jumped in and started leaving the company full time, and we continue to develop the company, it's always been kind of a social, social media-based company based on you know, just depending on what is kind of happening at the time. And continue to kind of grow from there.

So my wife and I always, I think, but with the birth of our son, we've always been very connected to, to, you know, just the reality that, that there's a lot of hard things in life. That's, that's a big part of life, I think, you know, anybody can attest to that, whether it's dealing with, you know, illnesses or job challenges, or, you know, identity issues, or, you know, lots of things, both internal and external.

And so my wife and I, as we've kind of, you know, struggled through with the issues with our son. And as we've kind of put some of that into the product and the messaging that we put into the business, we you know, we've always tried to put something positive kind of a message of hope out into the world, you know, through the business. And so that's been, I think, kind of that the inspiration guiding everything all the way along.

Gresham Harkless 4:07

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And that's why you know, I love everything you've been able to build in our building as well, just because a lot of times, you know, whatever's around you becomes your reality a lot of times so if you don't know that somebody has, you know, gone through a difficult time and been able to go through it no matter what it can be like, you know, some of the things you spoke about, you never know that getting through it is something that's possible, but the fact that you have been able to, you know, show that and then you're showing that and everything that you're creating as well as definitely something that's remarkable.

Stephen Leonard 4:36

Thank you. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Gresham Harkless 4:38

And I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper and hear a little bit more about you know, the brand and everything you're building. Could you tell us a little bit more about how you're serving the clients you are working with?

Stephen Leonard 4:46

Yeah, yeah, for sure. So, so we do two things. Like I said, we you mentioned we've got lines for men and women. We've got a Christian jewelry line faith-based jewelry line pet line. Art Our key line is called the cylinder designs. And we do women's jewelry through that line, and then started the Steven David Leonard line, as you mentioned in late 2017.

And we were able to purchase the other two lines. And the thing that we do is we try to kind of embody in our, in our jewelry, a couple of things, one, one thing that's very important to us is meaning, now you can buy a lot of jewelry out there, you can buy a lot of stuff, but there's so much kind of in the marketplace, that's just another thing.

And we you know, we have always seen that you know, when you're wearing something on your hand or around your neck or on your wrist, you know, it's nice to have pretty things and that's legitimate, but we've always were to put meaning into those things. And so we do a lot of personalization. And people put their kid's names or significant dates or, you know, inspiring messages.

So that as they're going through their day, they're kind of remembering those things that are important to them. And then the other thing is, is just in the way we make the jewelry, like, like I said earlier, we've always been about that sort of message of hope and kind of realizing that, that comes in the middle of a world that, that there's a lot of hard things that there's a lot of difficulties.

And so kind of the look, the aesthetic of our product is always kind of got a combination of a little bit of I don't wanna say rough edge, but a more sort of organic kind of look to it, where it's not perfect, but always beautiful. And so just even in that, look, it's kind of a reminder that, you know, life isn't perfect, but it can be beautiful. So those are a couple of big things. And then we tell that story through the writing that we do on our blogs and social media, and kind of continue that same message.

Gresham Harkless 6:49

Nice. I love that. And I'm not sure if that, you know, is what you would call like their secret sauce. But the thing that I love you know a lot about it is that a lot of times people especially in this day and age where you know, you have everything at your fingertips, you can, you know, follow anybody on social media, or you can research anything, you can really make purchases based off the things that you're truly passionate about, and you can give meaning to your purchases by doing that.

And I love the fact that again, your brand kind of represents that, but then by people, you know, supporting your brand, they're supporting those ideals as well.

Stephen Leonard 7:20

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

Gresham Harkless 7:22

Would you consider that to be like your secret sauce? Or would you say to be something else?

Stephen Leonard 7:26

Well, I think it relates to our secret sauce, I think our secret sauce, really is that it's real. And by that I mean, you know, I can think of other companies, you know, that talk about meaning and sometimes, you know, you read, you know, you read a company story, and it kind of rings, like a corporate story trying to sound meaningful, right for air and, and for us in my wife and I never really intended to go into business in the first place.

Not especially not to the level that we're at now. We've kind of followed our nos as things have, things have developed. And so because of that, it's always been important to us to really root everything we do in our story and to route everything we do, in that in that story of hope.

And so we work very hard to keep things grounded in reality. And you know, we've come up with, with cool marketing slogans at times or, you know, things like that, that, you know, that sound really nice. And then we stop and think about it and ask like, Okay, what does this actually mean that what are we what are we really sounds great, but what are we really trying to say?

And if we can't, if we can't route it back into reality, and into actually trying to put a good message out in the world and a positive message that's rooted in something real, we'll ditch it and, and come back and find something real. And so I think that's our, our secret sauce is that you know, that that kind of integrity between who we are and what we're putting out into the world.

And, you know, my, my experience in businesses, that's pretty rare. You know, I think, I think a lot of companies, a lot of folks in the business, you know, and not that there's anything necessarily wrong with this. But there's a lot of people that you know, what their company does and what they do, it's just another product out into the world. And sometimes some of those products meet great needs. And, you know, we're thankful that we have them and, you know, but I think that's something that's unique to us is that integrity between, you know, the real story and what we do.

Gresham Harkless 9:27

Yeah, and I would definitely use the word authenticity as well just because a lot of times, you know, like you said, you know, a lot of people are trying to, you know, take courses and do things and read books or whatever to be authentic, but there's nothing that you can do better than being authentic, being authentic, for lack of a better

Stephen Leonard 9:45

Or you need to read a book to find out how to come across as authentic.

Gresham Harkless 9:50

Exactly, but that's what's happening a lot of times now when in reality, you don't have to read a book. You just have to kind of be yourself and be true to your story. Be true to everything that you stand for. And a lot of times you know We sometimes forget that and get caught in that. So I'm glad you're definitely you know, reminding us of that. I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an app or book or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Stephen Leonard 10:13

I think a few things come to my mind, but I think sometimes I'm kind of proud of is I am a reader I, I, you know, I try again, I doing you know, being a business leader is not something I started off, you know, to do. And so I, you know, I feel like I'm playing catch up a lot and just have a lot to learn, always.

So anyway, I read a lot. And one of the things that I've come across is that a kind of big issue for any company is the actual, like execution of plans. It's easy to do a lot of planning, it's easy to have great ideas, it's, you know, all those things. You know, entrepreneurs and CEOs tend to be pretty good at that stuff. But the execution is where things fall apart. I'm no different. Execution is where I fall apart sometimes as well.

Gresham Harkless 10:59

Nice. And now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice. Or if you can happen to be a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Stephen Leonard 11:08

Yeah, I think, I think it goes to some of the things that that we've discussed, I think, really, you know, to understand who you are, and, and pursue, you know, pursue your vision out of who you are, don't try to be somebody else.

And it sounds simple, you know, and I'm not the first person by a longshot to say that, but I think I think it's really easy to get distracted by either trying to be somebody else trying to copy another company, you know, seeing what somebody else is doing and thinking, you know, I can, you know, I can just, you know, copy that and, and do it or whatever.

And I think, you know, I think we can be inspired by, you know, by things that we see out there. We're all inspired. And that's, that's true. But I think I really think that that one of the most powerful things that we can do is be ourselves, we can be who we were each created to be like, I like what You're saying instead about, you know, nobody can run your race like.

And so again, it's simple, but I think there's a lot of things that pull any of us toward trying to be somebody else or trying to measure ourselves, you know, you get really discouraged, measuring yourself against somebody who's doing what you're doing, but 10 years down the line, and you think, Oh, I haven't reached that yet.

And it's like, well, they've been at it a long time, you know, and we don't tend to measure ourselves against what somebody's doing, you know, what they were doing the same year one, or the same time that you're doing it. And so, you know, and with that, I think there's just a lot of hard work. And so, so anyway, that's I would say, you know, be pretty dogged about, you know, about being who you are and staying true to your vision. You're not getting distracted by others.

Gresham Harkless 12:55

Yeah, and again, I love that just because and I'm glad you brought up, you know, a lot of those different things because a lot of times you you know, whether you're reading a book or taking a course, or whatever, you see something on social media, you automatically you know, I guess without even knowing kind of measure yourself against that person or that business or whatever.

And understanding that there are those things that are competing for your attention, I guess you can say to do that but to really work at being yourself and being authentic and understanding even who that is. Because a lot of times, things will tell you what you should be or measure you according to that.

And it's important for you to kind of stay true and understand that. And then pretty much fight for it. Now, I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is a definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different, quote-unquote, CEOs on this show. So Stephen, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Stephen Leonard 13:44

Yeah. You know, my first real answer is I have no idea. That day by day.

Gresham Harkless 13:52

That's why I'm asking the questions. I don't know, either.

Stephen Leonard 13:55

Yeah, I think being a CEO, I guess I'll say it this way, the way I, I kind of joke with our team, I think that a huge part of my job is being the Chief Belief Officer, you know, we spend a lot of times in an organization solving problems, you know, and it seems like as soon as you solve one to more tickets place, you know, and somebody in the organization has got to believe in a, in an extraordinary way in the mission and the vision in what you're trying to accomplish.

And to keep everybody looking at that. And so I you know, I think the way, a huge part of my approach to being a CEO, is being that Chief Belief Officer and reminding us of what we can do, and, you know, in our company over, you know, 10 plus years, we've experienced really good times, and we've experienced really difficult times. And each of those has its challenges.

You know, I think sometimes you think I was successful, it'd be so much easier sometimes. There are some of the hardest times but holding to the vision and the vision, the mission, you know, kind of keeping everybody looking forward no matter what's going on, I think is I think it's a very orienting thing so that you're looking at that Horizon and not just, you know, kind of the up and down of what's happening. So that's probably my big thing is kind of leading in the belief and what we're doing.

Gresham Harkless 15:08

Yeah, and I love that that's a great definition for someone that didn't know. But I think that's so true just because you know, you have to have that belief and you have to hold or keep everybody aware of that belief and why you're doing what you're doing. Because a lot of times, like you said, you know, the up and down on the roller coaster, because sometimes, you know, give you the lows, you can only see the lows, or the highs, you can only see the highs and understanding both of those are part of the process is important. So I love that definition. And I borrow that a few times.

So I appreciate that. And, Stephen, I truly appreciate your time. What I wanted to do was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional, you want to let our readers and our listeners now and then how best to get ahold of you

Stephen Leonard 15:46

No beyond that, you know, we're, again, Gresham on just you know, thankful to be here on the podcast with you today. And you know, I would just say if you want to learn more about us, and you want to kind of follow our journey, go to lisaleonard.com and stephendavidleonard.com, there's our product, you have access to our blogs, all of our social media links are there, you know, people can come and check us out and see what we're all about.

Gresham Harkless 16:09

Awesome, awesome, awesome. I will have those links in the show notes as well, just so that everybody can follow up with you and see all the awesome things that you're doing and support the cause, of course, and I appreciate you again, Stephen, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Stephen Leonard 16:21

All right, thanks a lot, you too Gresham.

Outro 16:22

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

[/restrict]