Keep Going — Week 2: Humility & Hard Work in Small Business
- Sarah Beth Herman
- Oct 9
- 5 min read
Written by: Sarah Beth Herman5x CEO | Leadership Mentor | Host of No Silverspoons
Before Week 2 of the Keep Going Series premieres on No Silver Spoons this Monday, I want to set the stage. This blog post is your warm-up lap — a space to prepare your mindset before we explore humility and hard work in depth on the show. Whether you’re leading a small team, scaling a side hustle, or managing multiple businesses like I do, you already know that leadership doesn’t always look glamorous. It’s the long nights, quiet persistence, and emotional steadiness that shape real success.
This post is your invitation to see humility not as a weakness, but as a skill — one that grounds your confidence and sustains your leadership when things get heavy. Before the episode drops, let’s talk about what every business leader should know about humility, consistency, and the unseen work that builds legacy.
Humility as a Leadership Advantage
In the world of entrepreneurship, humility doesn’t get enough credit. The online business culture often celebrates visibility, speed, and personal branding — but rarely stillness, patience, or listening. Yet research shows humility is one of the most powerful predictors of trust and engagement in leadership (Owens et al., 2025).
Humility in business doesn’t mean shrinking yourself. It means staying teachable even when you’re successful, listening when your ego wants to talk, and making room for growth when you think you’ve “made it.”
As Power et al. (2021) describe humility in leadership creates psychological safety — the kind of environment where people feel free to speak up, experiment, and fail forward. That’s how innovation happens.
In my own experience, humility has been the quiet superpower that’s shaped every company I’ve built. I’ve learned that sometimes the most courageous thing you can say as a CEO isn’t “I know,” but “I’m listening.”
Before you tune in Monday, ask yourself: Do I create space for feedback, or do I only tolerate it? Do I model humility in my team, or do I expect it from others first?
Consistency: The Real Brand Currency
We often talk about branding as visuals, fonts, and messaging — but your brand’s real currency is consistency. Consistency is what builds reliability, and reliability is what builds trust.
When you’re inconsistent — in communication, tone, or delivery — your team and clients start to guess who’s showing up each day. That uncertainty weakens your leadership credibility faster than any marketing misstep.
Bryant Consultants (2024) points out that consistency isn’t about perfection — it’s about predictability. Entrepreneurs who show up the same way on good days and bad days signal strength, not stiffness.
In my own companies, I’ve seen that small patterns compound — how you respond to late payments, missed deadlines, or client feedback matters more than your mission statement. Your audience, employees, and even your competitors are always learning from your patterns.
Before Monday’s episode, reflect on this: Am I consistent in how I communicate, follow through, and treat people — even when no one is watching?
The Unseen Work That Builds Legacy
Entrepreneurship is often glamorized as freedom, but what really defines it is endurance. Behind every “overnight success” are years of quiet consistency — the invisible seasons of learning, risk, and recalibration.
Sherzad et al. (2023) found that leadership growth in small businesses usually develops informally — through real-world practice, not formal training. Most business owners don’t become great leaders from courses or certifications. They become great leaders by showing up, making mistakes, and staying steady through discomfort.
The unseen work might look like:
Sending a handwritten note to a client who’s been loyal for years.
Owning a mistake publicly, instead of hiding behind excuses.
Taking a deep breath before responding to a frustrated team member.
Or sitting quietly at night, reviewing systems and asking, “What can we do better?”
These moments won’t make your Instagram feed, but they’ll define your legacy. They are the humble, hard work that no one applauds — and that’s exactly why it matters most.
Reflection Prompts Before Week 2
Before you listen to Monday’s episode, I want you to take a few minutes to reflect. Journal these or type them into your phone — but be honest with yourself:
What task in my business feels beneath me right now, and what could it be teaching me?
Where am I inconsistent as a leader — tone, reliability, or accountability?
When was the last time I admitted I was wrong to my team or client?
How can I quietly serve someone this week without seeking recognition?
These are the mindset shifts that prepare you for deeper leadership growth. The podcast will take these themes further — but the groundwork starts here.
Small Work, Big Trust
Every successful small business owner I’ve mentored has one thing in common: they treat small work like big work. They respond to messages on time. They deliver when they say they will. They follow up even when the deal doesn’t close.
As Bryant Consultants (2024) explains, consistency in small actions builds organizational resilience. Clients and teams don’t remember the one big project you finished — they remember how you made them feel every single time they interacted with you.
In small business, trust is the multiplier. You can’t buy it, and you can’t fake it. It’s earned through hundreds of small, invisible moments of reliability.
That’s what I mean by Small Work, Big Trust. It’s the heartbeat of humility and the foundation for every sustainable business model.
Why Humility Is the Future of Small Business Leadership
For decades, leadership training focused on charisma, authority, and decision-making speed. But the new generation of small business leaders is proving that humility, empathy, and presence outperform pressure-driven models.
Owens et al. (2025) describe humility as a relational skill that enhances learning and innovation. In fast-changing markets, that flexibility isn’t just useful — it’s essential.
Small business success now depends less on hierarchy and more on collaboration. Leaders who invite ideas, empower their people, and stay grounded in gratitude tend to build teams that last.
Humility isn’t about playing small; it’s about staying strong without losing your softness. It’s choosing to grow with people instead of above them.
Closing Thoughts
As you prepare for Week 2: “Humility & Hard Work” on No Silver Spoons, remember: real growth rarely happens in applause. It happens in repetition, reflection, and refinement.
Every quiet effort you make in your business today — every moment of patience, kindness, and humility — is shaping the leader you’re becoming.
Your future self is counting on you not to quit when things feel unseen. Keep showing up. Keep learning. Keep going.
The full episode releases Monday on the No Silver Spoons Podcast — and I can’t wait to walk through this one with you.
References
Bryant Consultants. (2024, January 3). The importance of consistent leadership in business. Bryant Consultants. https://www.bryantconsultants.com/dental-consulting/the-importance-of-consistent-leadership-in-dent…
Owens, B. P., Hekman, D. R., & Chou, W. J. (2025). Leader expressed humility: A meta-analysis and agenda for future research. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 189(1), 104–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2025.104290
Power, F., Tysall, C., & Franklin, J. (2021). Voicing beliefs on global leadership. Journal of Leadership & Education, 85(11), 1730–1735. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355252019_Voicing_Beliefs_on_Global_Leadership_for_Dentist…
Sherzad, S., Ahmed, H., & Al-Dabbagh, M. (2023). Leadership in small business: Lessons from applied practice. Asian Journal of Management and Business Studies, 6(2), 28–36. https://www.ajmhsrcmp.org/images/journal/Vol6_Issue2_Nov23/04_SaraSherzad_AJMHS_2023_Vol6_Issue2_Re…
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