BUSINESS
Millie Green of MDHUB met up with Founder of Brighton-based bespoke market research company Aviatrix, Helen Bailey
MASTERING THE ART OF PERCEPTION IN BUSINESS AND LIFE When I first met with Helen, the interaction began with a shared moment of unexpected humour. Attempting to enter a local coffee shop for the interview, we both struggled with a deceptively tricky door, missing a vital ‘push’ sign: a small yet telling detail that Helen, with her keen researcher’s eye, did not overlook. We watched several others repeat our mistake. Helen pointed out the flaw with a mix of amusement and professional critique. “This door isn’t just a physical barrier, it’s a psychological one too. It’s essentially setting visitors up for embarrassment. For a business, that’s a subtle yet significant deterrent.”
❛❛ While Helen explains that
she works hard, she has routines. She has her holidays and her personal time-out moments, but not in a formulaic way ❜❜
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This is Helen Bailey; analytical, perceptive and funny, and a serial entrepreneur in what she calls the fun part of life – leisure, travel and hospitality – for over 30 years. She founded Aviatrix (literally ‘female pilot’) as a solo project in 2012. She immediately signed up for MDHUB, finding the support on offer in the early days as crucial. Reflecting on her initial experiences at MDHUB, she recalls the daunting challenge of adopting a leadership persona. “You had to talk as if you were actually an MD. One of the main benefits of joining MDHUB is you have to take your spot. Even if you’ve got yourself in the position of MD or director, you often feel you aren’t one,” she explains. This candid admission highlights the of ten - overlooked emotional and psychological aspects of leadership. MDHUB’s facilitated workgroups provided Helen with a space to talk about her business, hear other people talking about theirs, as well as providing a chance to try her thoughts out on other people. As Helen put it, “Being an MD is a really lonely business. A lot of things you feel shame about, you can bring to an MDHUB group to have a safe and confidential space to discuss.”