EP10: Build the Team your Business Needs with guest Jennifer Seay, Founder and CEO of Art+ Artisans

Show Notes

In this episode of the Lead for Performance podcast, Sheree Comninellis, CEO of Lead with Sheree, interviews guest Jennifer Brener Seay about her leadership journey with building out her amazing team at Art + Artisans.

Jennifer is the Founder and CEO of Art + Artisans. She has helped clients create meaningful, impactful spaces for over two decades. Jennifer views her primary role today as Chief Relationship Builder with clients and within her team. Jennifer has built a culture at A+A deeply rooted in delivering excellence in both client service and quality of work delivered. Developing and nurturing trust with clients, team members, artists, and vendors has enabled Art + Artisans to successfully grow for 22 years.

Jennifer has led many large commercial projects nationwide with clients who understand the importance of integrating art to tell a story, convey their brand, build community, and engage people. She has helped hundreds of companies, real estate developers, universities, and healthcare facilities use art to differentiate their space, stand out from their competitors, and create destination-worthy properties.

Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and has lived in Austin for over 30 years. Jennifer has served on the Executive Board of CREW Austin and as a Guardian Angel for the Center for Child Protection. In 2018, she was a nominee for the Austin Business Journal's Profiles in Power, a finalist for the Austin Business Journal's CEO of the Year in 2019, and in 2024 she was a Bisnow honoree for Women Leading Austin Real Estate and an Austin Business Journal Women in Business nominee.

In this episode, Jennifer shares with us how she took the leap to start her business. She openly shares the challenges of the early solopreneur days, and her thinking around her decision to make her first hire. We discuss how her team has grown from these early days to now a team of 10, where not everyone in her team reports directly in to her.

Jennifer shares her leadership development journey with us. She describes the various hurdles that she has experienced from her early days of leading her team to now, and she shares strategies you can use to find community and learn what you need to learn to lead your team effectively.

This episode is filled with tons of incredible leadership tips – from delegating, to values, to culture, to difficult conversaitons – we talk about it all! And Jennifer, is so generous in sharing about her journey and her strategies throughout.

This conversation is a “must listen” if you are in the “messy middle” of leading your team, and you want to learn from a seasoned leader who has walked the same journey you are on; and to see what is possible for you, your team and your business.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
2:37 What led Jennifer to starting her business
7:15 Jennifer’s thinking around making her first hire
8:50 How Jennifer started to document processes for future onboarding
11:00 Where Jennifer suggests that you should focus your energy
13:13 Jennifer reflects on her current team size of 10 employees, and what works in this situation
16:14 Jennifer’s leadership development journey
19:19 The early days of leading a team for Jennifer
19:50 The power of being in community with fellow women CEOs
25:20 Jennifer’s leadership highlights
31:00 The structure of Jennifer’s team
35:00 The process of letting go and giving your team the opportunity to learn
36:27 Why giving feedback can be difficult at times
37:32 Jennifer’s leadership tips
45:22 What Jennifer is excited about for the year ahead.

To connect with Jennifer Brener Seay and Art + Artisans, visit her website: https://artplusartisans.com/. Or connect with her on LinkedIn here:   / jennifer-brener-seay  .

#leadership #performance @entrepreneurship #teamperformance #hiring #leadershipjourney

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