Women Of The C-Suite: Melissa Hughes of The Live Rich. Spread Wealth. Global Movement On The Five Things You Need To Succeed As A Senior Executive
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
You don’t need permission. You have this seed that was planted in your soul, an idea that was planted in your head. If other people don’t agree, that’s on them. Don’t let other people hold you hostage to this idea that was given to you. So when I followed my heart, I was committed to bringing those ideas to life. It worked out. But if I had waited for everybody’s permission, and to get all that acceptance, to make it happen. I would never be here even being interviewed today. So trust the small voice.
As a part of our interview series called “Women Of The C-Suite”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Melissa Hughes.
A self-made millionaire by 31, Melissa Hughes is the founder of the Live Rich. Spread Wealth. Global Movement, which is changing the lives of businesspeople worldwide. She is a master business coach, best-selling author, international speaker, and consultant. Her mission: to help entrepreneurs and individuals in corporate America accomplish their business goals, (including massive profits), while staying connected to their authentic self, transforming the world, and creating lives of limitless abundance.
Known as The Guru of Implementation®, Melissa’s success, and that of her clients, is a result of her practical, proven systems for business and life success. Her clients include companies like Microsoft, Motorola, ESPN, and globally recognized speaker Lisa Nichols, star of the hit film, The Secret, as well as small start-ups and individuals. Large corporations around the world hire Melissa to advise them on projects and initiatives to the tune of $20 million, and she specializes in helping to ensure culture, communication, project scope, and implementation are successful across divisions, departments, and business units.
Melissa is a dynamic, transformative speaker who has presented to companies and at entrepreneurial events, conferences, universities, and associations throughout the U.S. and in Ukraine, Dubai, Costa Rica, Canada, Bali, Tokyo, and Amsterdam, to name a few.
Thanks to her high-accountability and firm-love coaching style, Melissa’s coaching clients (who number in the thousands) have created massive results in their business and personal lives.
Melissa, a wife and the mom of a six-year-old global citizen (who has already been to 14 countries), serves as a board member on the Detroit Chapter of the Entrepreneur Organization. She has worked with leaders, trailblazers, sleeping giants, and entrepreneurs worldwide, helping them live their divine purpose and a full life.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
When I was in this fortune 500 company, and I wanted to be a manager, people were telling me well, they don’t really hire minorities as managers. So I took it on as my responsibility to focus on my cover sheet and made sure that my resume truly reflected what I’ve been able to accomplish. And then I was at peace with it. Because then I did my part to tee up. These are my qualifications for the job. I didn’t wait for them to assume it, I took responsibility for that. And I teed it up there. As a result, I got the job.
I was going to my first meeting in the C suite. It had its own elevator, glass doors & windows everywhere. I was trying to find the office where the meeting was being held, and the Secretary ran up to me, and was like, Excuse me, can I help you? Like, she thought that I wasn’t supposed to be there!
I sit down at the table, and all the execs are talking .When I spoke, nobody heard me. Someone else would say the exact same thing that I just said. And they’re like, Yeah, that’s great. But the good news is, by the fifth meeting, they didn’t start the meeting without me. They wanted to know what I had to say so I never gave up. I did not let the traditional sense of environment, the traditional sense of being, interrupt my desire to make a difference. So I never leaned into my ego, I leaned into how I can be a part of the solution. Put that as a priority: how can I be a part of the solution as people eventually will bend an arrow your way as then you’re known to be that person.
So as a result of being in corporate, getting the promotions and Microsoft recruited me. I was like, Okay, I’m like, at the acme of a career, I’m making great money. I was like, Well, wait a minute, is this real or is this virtual reality? Can I do this on my own? Can I create my own wealth? And that’s what I decided to branch out and be a business owner, because I wanted to exercise what that would look like.
When you’re in a corporation, you’re in one swim lane, but when you have your own business, you wear all those hats. That opportunity to be my own boss really stretched me. I was working harder than I ever worked before, but I was fulfilled more than I ever was because all of my work was a direct correlation to the success or the demise of the business. I own that and I felt really good about that. I did grow my business eventually to become a millionaire by 31.
Mindset is so important when you’re looking to navigate life and want to be that Trailblazer. My mindset at the time was that success meant being alone. I was very isolated, I was only working on my business. As far as freedom was concerned, it didn’t feel like freedom.
I went back to work, I went back to corporate. I didn’t even know if I could be hireable after you do your own thing. Who wants to listen to somebody else? I wanted to test that too. Could I actually be humble? How can I still be functional, productive, if I didn’t own the business but what I found was it made me even better, because then I understood what it was from an owner perspective. And when it was from an employee perspective, I was met with more value.
Without having that experience, you really don’t know what it’s like to be the owner, or the person that’s responsible for the profit & loss and things of that nature. So after a while, I was like, Okay, I wanted to be more in the family. I wanted to have my own things. I wanted to have more control over my time, and what I wanted to do in life. And so when I did that, I said, well what is the career that will allow me to still show up in all my skills, and all my contribution, that will actually bend towards the lifestyle that I want to create. So now I was able to use my corporate grooming and apply it to my legacy, my future, my business. That was the journey to be CEO. And I’ve been a CEO for 20 years.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
When I started my company, I had an intention of wanting to make an impact in the world. I kind of imagined I had this mansion. And then I would welcome people with lots of acres lit up, like symbolically what that was, you know, I have something really great to contribute. It was not only about my clients, but it was also being able to impact the next generation.
I had a client that called me and said, I quit my job, I want you to help me to build my business as I want to now go out on my own.She was in a good position in the hospitality industry, has a family, they all go to private school, but she made a powerful choice to quit and go out on her own. She was coaching with me and this was pre COVID (October 2019), and by the time March came around, she was so glad she left her job because her industry totally tanked during the pandemic.
She got to spend more quality time with her son. I had been coaching her for years, and he had been listening at her feet. During COVID, he started his business, a tutoring business that became really successful.So for me, that was an interesting story because it really showed how when parents stand to take a stand for themselves, and invest in their future that it undisputedly impacts their legacy. And the fact that she attributes our experience, her/my coaching relationship, she was positioned very well, even for the time that the world was falling apart.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I started my first business, a spa, I knew that I had to get attention for my business. I paid for marketing spots on the radio. I was so excited. I was like, oh my gosh, we’re gonna be on the radio and In my mind I thought that advertising it would be like celebrating the business.
Well, the talk show host started talking about green masks on your face, and how bizarre it is to get facials, and how it crackles on your face, the drama of how this green stuff goes on your face, They were cracking jokes, it was so ridiculous. I was shocked. I was like, oh my gosh this isn’t good, it’s supposed to promote me. I was totally appalled.
I didn’t understand the importance of visibility and how I’m thinking one thing, and it was something totally different. They made such a big deal about it on the radio, that people had to drop by and see what it was all about.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
The first one is my grandparents. My grandfather was the first entrepreneur that I’ve ever met in my life. Just knowing it was possible, by his IQ, by way of his example, was definitely very pivotable. Because, as an African American woman, we don’t always see it. This was pre Oprah, we didn’t see it on TV.
I can look into my family and see examples of people that look like me to say, Oh, wow, this could very well be possible. That was one thing. The other thing as far as my best friend, Kim, she’s someone that always spoke life into me. She knew what kind of background I had, she knew some of the struggles that I had as a person and how my dreams are not always recognized, heard or understood. I had a way of kind of going against what the normal thought processes were. She always celebrated and said, Hey, go for it. She always had a kind word choice which spoke life into me, as a really great friend. She’s someone that actually knows me and spoke life into me as opposed to people that actually know you, but they don’t speak life into you. I’m very thankful that I had an earth angel in my life, to continue to listen to my dreams and my aspirations, and to continue to speak life into those things.
As you know, the United States is facing a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality and inclusion. This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?
This is for the companies that want to be extremely profitable, and global. It’s important for you to understand who your customers are and to not have a blind eye to the other people that are buying your goods and services. The importance of inclusion and diversity in a CEO suite, is because your customers have different conversations. They have different ways of looking and experiencing your products and your services. The more intel you have around that is, the more you’re able to to be successful and profitable with more grace and ease.
When you understand what is acceptable in certain cultures, and what’s not accepted in certain cultures. For example, why you wouldn’t have monkeys in your commercials. If you had an African American on the executive team, you would recognize that monkeys were symbolic, as in African American culture, people used to be called apes.
Like having an executive team that is diverse, allows you to have when you come with a solution, it’s more solid, because it’s been looked at from different angles. You might not always agree in the boardroom., but when it’s produced, and it’s now launched into the world, those things are better positioned to be very successful from a global perspective. So you get everybody’s green, as opposed to only one type of people’s green.
As a business leader, can you please share a few steps we must take to truly create an inclusive, representative, and equitable society? Kindly share a story or example for each.
I had to work in different countries, like Canada, the Bahamas, Ukraine, etc and and different cultures have been exposed to different business settings. I believe that in order to create more of an inclusive environment, you have to be open to adopt a diverse perspective. When you’re at the table with everyone, make sure that everybody has a voice. Why invite them to the table and not give them a voice?
The outgoing ones that will freely give you their information. Obviously, they’re going to be heard, but the ones that are not as outgoing, that are more demure, introverts create a safe environment so you hear what they have to say as well. Oftentimes, they have the key to what can really blow this all the way out the water. So if you’re going to invite people to the table, hear what they have to say, and create an inclusive environment, so that people can feel heard, and not judge, and that their information can be received, and they feel like you’ve heard that.If we listen more to people, and then we create solutions from there, we’ll be better off.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?
Okay, yes, executives have full accountability on the rise or fall of whatever goes on in the organization.
Other leaders might be responsible for their section, but even if their section falls, it’s still going to be on the CEO. The CEO has full responsibility for the rise and fall of what’s going on in the organization.
The CEO, while having a team oftentimes, still has the final decision. Truth to be told, there’s a lot of weight in having that final decision. It’s important as a CEO to have the skill sets, being able to deal in the ambiguity of conversations. Sometimes the solutions are not there but because you have enough input, you have to make some kinds of tough decisions. It’s easy to make decisions, everything’s right. It’s hard to make decisions when things are falling apart. The CEO will still have that responsibility, regardless of whether it’s great or bad.
That is a distinction. Also, the CEO can’t get another job.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive. Can you explain what you mean?
The myth is that that there must be superhuman powers that we have. We don’t. We’re not smarter. We’re not superhuman. We’re humans, like everybody else. We made serious decisions, or we’ve been given a certain path that allowed us to be positioned to where we are. However, CEOs are human beings as well. So there is no perfection, even when there’s large responsibilities.
As a CEO, you’re only as good as your weakest link so that’s why it’s so important that as a CEO, you are open to getting the appropriate expertise and counsel to support you and making great decisions to the best of your ability.
The other thing is, CEO’s have good days and bad days as human beings. They have family matters, health, just like everybody else. So they’re not any different than you. They’ve just made different sort of decisions, sacrifices, and have been positioned differently to be where they are. But it doesn’t make them better or worse there at the end of the day, just the same as everybody else.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women executives that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
Earnings. Oftentimes, women don’t make as much as men and then that’s a double edged sword because sometimes we’re not groomed to ask for more, either. We’re just happy to get on the roll. We’re trailblazing those roles oftentimes.
Men will really ask for that, they are responsible for their families. But now, even when women are responsible for their families, they still don’t get as much pay as the male counterpart would. The way women work is different. We do tend to be more collaborative, as opposed to dictatorships. And that oftentimes can be seen as weaknesses, it oftentimes can be seen as us asking permission to go left or right. When no, it’s actually just a different management style. So that you have more of a complete conclusion. The Difference also is that all women aren’t interested in sports. Men talk about different topics around the table, in between meetings. And it’s not always what a woman feels like talking about. That can kind of create a lack of bonding that way too. Communication styles are also different. Sometimes we get asked to do things that they would never ask a man to do.
It’s a way of life that corporate America has not expanded to yet. To understand that this is, this is how it is. It’s not a woman or a man thing. It’s about protecting the threat of family. Because those are gonna be the next executives. And if they didn’t have their parents around, guess what you’re creating. So it’s good business, to have good family benefits and family environments.
What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?
I’m an entrepreneur, so I got to create my job. I would say the second time around, I created exactly like I wanted it to be. I had more inputs. I thought being entrepreneur and owning a business would require you to work around the clock. I found that if you put certain systems, build some blocks, have an intention that you could actually create a life where you don’t have to do that.
As opposed to corporate America, when you’re working for someone, you might not have any choice. If you don’t work around the clock, you can’t keep up. Usually when you work for someone, you think, oh, I need to work more hours to get the work done.
When you have your own business, you can create structures in your business so that you actually can have a life as you monetize. With the right intention, and a belief system that you can work less and earn more, that is totally possible. It doesn’t mean you’re not working. Your work is still quality. It doesn’t mean that you lower how you take care of your customers. It’s a way to not work as much as you were working as an executive in corporate America.
Is everyone cut out to be an executive? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?
Not everybody’s not cut out to be an executive at all. One of the things that make a very successful executive is emotional intelligence. Business has ebbs and flows, business deals with people, people make up a business. Even if it’s mostly high tech, you still have people involved. Everybody’s not motivated the same way. So you need to be able to tap into your, company. And you need to be able to meet people where they are to move the needle, whether it’s high times or low times. And if you don’t have emotional intelligence, you can be a bull in a china shop. You can lose your best people and not even understand why that happened. If you are emotionally intelligent, you will understand and figure out well, what are the elite levers? No, it might not be that you’re paying the most, but you have created the best culture. It might not be that you know the most but you know what they would rather work for you than anyone else. Because they know that you’re taking a stand for them.
So leadership is knowing how to lead people to do the things that’s necessary to get the job done. Not the micromanager. If you have high performers, they don’t want micromanagers. If you’re up to big things, you want high performers, and you want to know how to lead high performers. If you have high performers and you’re micromanaging every step of the way, It’s one thing to invest in and onboard them. Because even high performers need support. They need communication, they need to know how to work in this new environment. But once they get it, let them run with it and hold them accountable to the results and standards you have set. You have to make sure your business is working well.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
- You’re the last person to get paid.
One of the stories that I have in reference to that is one of my first businesses, the spa, it was the day before making payroll. And the bank did not have enough to cover everyone’s payroll. it was actually the first time this ever happened to me, I was like suicidal. Because I would rather die, literally, than to face people that already worked. And to tell them I didn’t have their paycheck.
When I walked towards my spa, the next day there was a man waiting to pay for a membership for his wife and in that moment, that covered not only the payroll, it also covered supplies.
I wish someone would have told me that coming in because it wouldn’t have been such a devastating experience.
2. There’s always a way.
Like, there’s no giving up, there’s always a way. So when you’re down and out, because you never had a business before and you’re kind of perplexed. Know there is always a way. So for example, when you’re like, okay, oh my gosh, I have this business, I’ve created all this, and I have this product and this service, but no one is buying anything. Even if you’re not comfortable doing so, you need to find a way to invest in that or get the support you need. Because there’s always a way. You limit yourself, when you think that it’s either you have it or there’s not going to be had.
3. You don’t need permission.
You have this seed that was planted in your soul, an idea that was planted in your head. If other people don’t agree, that’s on them. Don’t let other people hold you hostage to this idea that was given to you. So when I followed my heart, I was committed to bringing those ideas to life. It worked out. But if I had waited for everybody’s permission, and to get all that acceptance, to make it happen. I would never be here even being interviewed today. So trust the small voice.
4. You can take a stand for your family.
It doesn’t need to be either or. You either have a successful business or a family. You can value both. You don’t need to compromise your soul to be successful. Having a daughter and a husband are full time jobs as well. How do you co exist? While I’m not saying it’s easy, it’s possible to have both. Because what is a successful business if you have nobody to share it with?
I work in the beauty tech industry, so I am very interested to hear your philosophy or perspective about beauty. In your role as a powerful woman and leader, how much of an emphasis do you place on your appearance? Do you see beauty as something that is superficial, or is it something that has inherent value for a leader in a public context? Can you explain what you mean?
So first of all, Appearance is important, but appearance has to be true to you.
So in the sense of what it looks like to be beautiful, you get to define that. Because what I feel like society needs is they need the diverse spectrum of what beauty looks like. And so as a result, yes, you want to show a consistent brand.Then maybe you’re inconsistent. And people like that too, because they’re always guessing, like what is she going to wear next. The definition of beauty is an inside out job. You want to hold to that. And so the most important thing is to stay consistent with who you are. So when people are purchasing things from you and wanting your services and your goods, you do have a responsibility to show up for them so you want to be your best, and you don’t want to act like you’re just rolling out of bed all the time unless that’s part of your product and your brand. You know, some guys want to only wear black. But It seems like the same black shirt isn’t fine. That can be their definition of beauty. So in essence beauty is an inside out job because we’re still gonna get older, you know, surgery, Botox can only go so far. So what is that thing about you that can transcend appearances. And if you don’t have that you’ll get lost in the shuffle, you will get lost in the trends, you get lost in wanting to be accepted. I want to look how you did 10 years ago when you’re not 10 years ago. And then that’s not fun. And then that’s not desirable. And that will make you less valuable in the marketplace.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Okay, over 15 years ago, I asked myself the same thing. And I always want to take a stand for empowerment and abundance. And those are the words that were driving me. And so that was the foundation of where my movement came from. That’s where rich red wealth was born. Live Rich is all about embracing all of who you are, self acceptance of love, the quirky your education, your experiences, and supporting humanity with those things in a positive way. And then making room for the abundance that provides you. So as a result of being a founder of a movement, what I found that has happened is it does uplift people, even whether it’s a conversation, whether it’s an experience at an event, whether it’s a program, whether it’s a free offering, having a message that is solely created to inspire and educate and support the uplifting of humanity is a legacy that I choose to continue on the path with. It actually feels good. Actually, everybody wins. And it’s not always tied to money. However, you can have an abundant life as a result, including money. But I would say that a movement is for the people. A movement is not solely for the founder of the movement, the founder of the movement, gives birth to it, but at the end of the day to the people, if it resonates with people is great. And if it doesn’t, then it’s not. So you want to make sure that you are able to serve people in your movement. And that’s what makes us a successful movement versus not one that’s successful.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them
So definitely Oprah. And I’ll tell you why. Because I feel like she is a powerful soul having a human experience. And she is dedicated and committed to making a huge impact while she’s here. And I love that, because I know it’s possible as a result of seeing all the things that she’d been able to accomplish. And I know that her life has been on the world stage, the ups and downs. And as a result of her transparency, and our authenticity, it allowed me to be human, with my desires and my goals. And to know that it doesn’t have to be perfect. But it has to be but you have to be true to what you feel like your assignment is. And I feel like she’s on her soul assignment.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Women Of The C-Suite: Melissa Hughes On TheFive Things You Need To Succeed As A Senior Executive was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.