169. Can you say yes to help? How the right help can lead us to our goals

As entrepreneurs many of us are quick to offer help—but far slower to ask for it. Can you relate?

But offering - and asking for - help in the right way can be a sign of strong leadership. Why not ask people who have been there or have the right tools to help us unlock the next level of success we’re working towards?

In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) and Clint Matthew’s (Start Right Foods) reflect on several real-life stories that serve as important reminders for all of us: sometimes the thing slowing you down in reaching a goal isn’t lack of effort, but resistance to accepting the right support.

From clearing snowy driveways to several bike crash stories (and bruised egos), this conversation explores why so many entrepreneurs default to “I’ve got this”—and how learning to accept help can create momentum, clarity, and connection.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• A story that reveals how hard it can be to accept help—even when it’s right in front of us
• Why entrepreneurs often default to fixing everything themselves
• How pride, instinct, or habit can quietly slow progress
• Why sometimes you’re the helper—and sometimes you’re the one who needs help
• How normalizing “what do you need?” can strengthen communities
• The role of trusted people, tools, and networks in building your business

A Key Takeaway

Accepting help isn’t a weakness—it’s a skill. When you allow others to support you (or when you step in to support someone else), you create space for better decisions, stronger relationships, and more aligned growth.

Need Help or Want to Connect?

If you’re feeling stuck, unsure, or just need another perspective, reach out. Katie and Clint are always happy to share insights, experiences, or connections from their networks. Email [e-mail] 

Join us in the Real Food Brands Marketing Round Table (a free Facebook Community) to exchange notes on what we all need in our businesses right now. You never know when the right connection is right there!

RELATED EPISODES MENTIONED:

• Lessons From an Uphill Climb — from waaay back in the archives (Ep 61) but still very relevant to think that "races are won and lost on the hills" (i.e. when things get tough).

WANT TO GO DEEPER?

Each episode of the podcast is paired with a worksheet (emailed on Fridays) designed to help you apply what you’re learning to your own business. These worksheets, along with 1:1 Brand Strategy Sessions, are available exclusively through Katie’s email list, where you can save them over time and build your own brand strategy workbook—at the right pace, with the right information, at the right time.

👉 Join the email list to get the worksheet for this episode, access to single 1:1 Brand Strategy Sessions, and future resources to create your own Brand Workbook. 

1. 📧 Katie’s Friday Newsletter includes a Weekly Worksheet to help you apply these ideas directly to your food business. Sign up here. This is also the only way you can get access to single Brand Strategy Sessions (as of airing this is $149 for a 60 min session...check email for current pricing). 

2. 💬 Join the Conversation! Tune in to the podcast, then join us in the Real Food Brands Marketing Round Table – a free food & farm business owner community – to ask questions and meet other people who love producing real food as much as you do!

Katie Mleziva

Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands