Episode Overview
Main Theme:
In this episode, “The Self-Confidence Required to Become the Local Go-To,” Leslie Presnall explores the essential role self-confidence plays for local entrepreneurs striving to be recognized as the go-to person in their local market. She delves into the distinction between confidence and self-confidence, sharing personal experiences and practical insights to help listeners develop the mindset necessary to push through discomfort, failure, and inexperience as they build their visibility and reputation.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Backward Confidence Trap (00:21)
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Many believe they’ll feel confident after becoming the local go-to, but Leslie argues that self-confidence must come first, before success or recognition.
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The act of putting yourself out there, taking risks, and failing publicly to raise your profile all require a foundational self-confidence.
“People wait to think of themselves as that local go to person because they think...when they are that person that they will feel this level of confidence. But it's really backwards. It requires a level of confidence to even put yourself out there to begin with.”
— Leslie Presnall [00:23]
2. Defining True Self-Confidence (01:40)
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Leslie distinguishes confidence (certainty from past experience) from self-confidence (trust in your resilience regardless of outcome).
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Self-confidence is knowing you have your own back and can pick yourself up after setbacks.
“It's self confidence. It's confidence that you're going to be okay no matter what. It's confidence that you've got your own back.”
— Leslie Presnall [01:52]
3. Self-Confidence in Practice: Personal Stories (02:20)
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Leslie recalls her own moments of inexperience and vulnerability, from her first Instagram Live to her first steps in journalism.
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She was often “terrified” and lacked outward confidence but had just enough belief in her own ability to improve.
“The first time I ever went live, I was not confident at all...I faked a technical issue. I did. And I was like, oh no. Like something's wrong. I'm freezing up here. And I just, I got off. I faked it. I got off as fast as I could.”
— Leslie Presnall [03:22] -
In her first newsroom job, Leslie describes going from feeling utterly unqualified to eventually running the newsroom — all by allowing herself to be bad at first and trusting that she could learn.
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Her story underscores that initial ineptitude doesn’t preclude eventual mastery.
4. Emotional Capacity and Skill-Building (05:08)
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The journey to becoming a recognized local expert is not just about marketing skills but about developing emotional resilience (or “emotional capacity”).
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Leslie tells her clients not to expect early competence in new business skills like marketing or social media — what's important is persistence and willingness to be inexperienced.
“We're not born good at marketing. We're not born good at social media. Like, you are good at what you do, whatever you sell, whatever you offer, however you help your clients, that is what you're good at. You're not supposed to be good at marketing.”
— Leslie Presnall [06:08]
5. The Kindergarten Analogy (07:23)
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Leslie uses the analogy of starting school: you don’t quit in kindergarten because you can’t do calculus — you trust you’ll learn step by step.
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Similarly, business owners shouldn’t expect mastery from the start; self-confidence is the trust that you can develop any necessary skill over time.
“Think about when you started kindergarten. You didn't know how to do calculus, but you weren't like, well, never going to graduate high school. You believed that if you just kept learning...by the time you got to senior year, you would have the skill set and the capabilities to be able to figure it out and graduate.”
— Leslie Presnall [07:46]
6. Permission to Fail and Grow (08:35)
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Leslie emphasizes the importance of allowing yourself to “be really bad” at first and to feel “terrible emotions” without quitting.
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This is how the “local go-to” identity is built — through continual practice, not by waiting for confidence.
“If you could allow yourself to be really bad, feel the terrible emotions that come along with it and keep showing up and improving yourself anyway, there's nothing that you can't accomplish.”
— Leslie Presnall [09:12]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On the necessity of self-trust:
“I wasn't confident in what I was doing, but I was confident in myself to figure it out.”
— Leslie Presnall [03:56] -
On the myth of instant confidence:
“It's not waiting for the confidence, but just showing up while you just still feel really unready.”
— Leslie Presnall [09:50] -
On building your ‘go-to’ identity:
“The local go to identity gets built by you doing that every single day.”
— Leslie Presnall [09:56]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:21 — Introduction to the confidence paradox
- 01:40 — Defining self-confidence versus confidence
- 02:20–04:50 — Personal stories of fear, failure, and persistence
- 05:08 — Advice for beginner entrepreneurs on skill-building
- 07:23 — The kindergarten-to-calculus analogy
- 08:35 — Encouragement to embrace discomfort and failure
- 09:50 — Summary: Becoming the local go-to is an identity you build daily
Summary
Leslie Presnall’s episode is both motivational and practical, guiding local business owners to rethink what it takes to become a community leader. She dispels the myth that confidence precedes visibility or success, showing that it’s self-confidence — the perseverance and faith in your ability to grow through discomfort — that truly matters. Listeners are exhorted to embrace being beginners, allow themselves to be bad at new things, and to build their reputation through action and resilience, not by waiting until they feel ready.
The take-home message:
Don’t wait for confidence; let your self-confidence carry you as you figure it out, fail forward, and keep showing up. That’s how you become the local go-to.