Podcast Summary: Becoming a She-E-O

Podcast: Your Next Move
Host: Inc. Magazine
Episode: Becoming a She-E-O
Date: September 16, 2025
Guest: Mary Seats, Founder of The Bakery Cowork, Atlanta

Episode Overview

This episode explores the entrepreneurial journey of Mary Seats, founder of The Bakery Cowork—a women-focused coworking and event space in Atlanta that ranked #628 on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list. Mary shares honest insights on building community, scaling businesses, overcoming setbacks, and her vision to empower female founders. Through personal anecdotes and practical advice, Mary breaks down her approach to growth, leadership, and reshaping the coworking landscape for women.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Mary Seats’ Entrepreneurial Journey & Motivation

[01:06]

• Mary has a marketing background and previously scaled a marketing agency to $16M in revenue and a clothing company to $4M.
• Experienced a major setback: “I grew a clothing company... partnered with investors and was fired from my company. And so it left me on an airbed above my retail store.” (Mary Seats, 01:48)
• Shifted focus to digital courses, agency work, and eventually created The Bakery to foster an authentic community for women entrepreneurs:

  “I created the bakery as a place where women can go and get the secret ingredient to their recipe by meeting that next person.” (Mary Seats, 01:06)

2. Building Community Through Vulnerability and Shared Needs

[01:33] – [04:53]

• Mary emphasizes that building real community starts with identifying your current needs and being transparent:

  “If you were to sit down and write down three things that you need, go and build a community of those people that need those same things.” (Mary Seats, 01:38)

• Her own vulnerability—a successful founder who never learned to cook—drew in a new tribe:

  “Being that transparent and being that vulnerable, I'm gonna attract other people to me... we can start practicing spaghetti, then move on to fried chicken.” (Mary Seats, 03:42)

• Growth in the community comes from shared progress:

  “That mom that joined the community is now able to say, wow, I was able to do this and it now empowers the other people... to keep going.” (Mary Seats, 04:53)

3. Personal Brand vs. Business Brand

[05:19] – [07:01]

• Mary runs both personal and business accounts, each serving different purposes:

  “If you own any business... you should have your personal brand." (Mary Seats, 05:32)

• Personal brand is about inspiration and authenticity; the business page focuses on the mission and impact.

  “People should be able to learn and be inspired by you and your companies through your personal page. But on the business page, they should just be inspired and impacted by the business of where they want to spend their money.” (Mary Seats, 05:58)

4. Team-Building Philosophy and Company Culture

[07:04] – [09:23]

• Strong emphasis on having passion-driven team members.

  “The model that we've built in our business is believe or leave... Getting on my plane, you have to believe that I'm gonna fly you to the destination you want to be at.” (Mary Seats, 07:10)

• Hires individuals who “love, love, love their role.”
• The Bakery boasts zero debt, 28 dedicated staff, and first-year profitability:

  “I’ve built my team around people that actually love... their role, and now they love their role and... where I’m gonna take this company.” (Mary Seats, 08:54)

5. Overcoming Growth Challenges & Unique Business Model

[09:23] – [12:16]

• Bootstrapped The Bakery with no debt and is now raising capital—emphasizing a proven track record to investors.
• Developed a diversified revenue model with six distinct income streams (coworking, events, photography, memberships, cafe, done-for-you services).

  “If one revenue model is not performing, there are five other revenue models that are performing.” (Mary Seats, 09:33)

• Example: For high-profile clients lacking planners, Bakery offers full-service event execution.

6. Leadership and Prioritization: The Two Cs

[13:24] – [14:47]

• Mary focuses her leadership on “cash flow and customer experience”:

  “Do not bother me if it does not affect the two Cs... cash flow and customer experience.” (Mary Seats, 13:24)

• Grows the business through exceptional customer experiences over paid advertising:

  “We've grown the Bakery with no paid marketing... by our customers telling everyone on Facebook and on social media how amazing our space is...” (Mary Seats, 14:00)

7. Scaling and Franchise Strategy

[15:06] – [17:03]

• Meticulously systematized every process via SOPs and KPIs to ensure replicability for expansion.
• Plans to open multiple corporate locations, followed by franchising; a digital app for virtual coworking and services is in development:

  “There’s literally a SOP and a training guide for everything in The Bakery... so it is a copy and paste.” (Mary Seats, 15:43) “I think that... what women get when they actually go into a coworking space... can also happen on an app... That's what I'm excited to build.” (Mary Seats, 16:12)

8. Mary’s Advice to Fellow Entrepreneurs

[17:14] – [19:10]

• “A slow rise to the top is better than a fast fall to the bottom.”
• Highlights importance of learning lessons before scaling fast:

  “When we think about companies like Disney... Apple... Amazon—slow grind, slow rise to the top. That's what's creating legacy companies.” (Mary Seats, 17:14)

• Encourages proactive investment in personal growth:

  “While some people are praying for it, other people are paying for it... paying for mentorship... for masterminds... their way to the next level.” (Mary Seats, 18:27)

9. Vision for the Future

[19:21] – [21:59]

• Five-year plan: significant expansion, partnership or exit, scaling real estate footprint nationally.
• Dreams of an educational programming model featuring celebrity-led workshops and "done-for-you" founder services:

  “I want people to be able to take a class from Taraji P. Henson... Or Beyoncé's stage presence... programming would attract women from all over the world.” (Mary Seats, 20:10 – 20:28) “Here at The Bakery, we have it all for you... you just show up to the photo shoot. You have the models, you have the photographer, everything there.” (Mary Seats, 21:27–21:43)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I was like, this is a space where women need to go and need to thrive and they need this information.” (Mary Seats, 09:33)
• “I want to make sure that there is a love for their role prior to coming to my company.” (Mary Seats, 08:07)
• “Do not bother me if it does not affect the two Cs—cash flow and customer experience.” (Mary Seats, 13:24)
• “Some people are praying for it and other people are paying for it.” (Mary Seats, 18:27)
• “A slow rise to the top is better than a fast fall to the bottom.” (Mary Seats, 17:14)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:06 – Mary describes her background and motivation for building The Bakery
• 03:42 – On building community through personal stories and vulnerability
• 05:19 – Personal brand vs. business brand and how each contributes to growth
• 07:10 – Team-building philosophy: “believe or leave”
• 09:33 – Overcoming major growth challenges, financial model and investor approach
• 13:24 – Mary’s leadership focus: the "two Cs"
• 15:06 – Franchise strategy and the vital role of SOPs and KPIs
• 17:14 – Mary’s advice: sustainability over speed, investment over waiting
• 19:21 – Five-year company vision: education, expansion, and full-service support

Tone and Final Thoughts

Mary’s conversation is honest, energetic, and empowering—rooted equally in business savvy and personal authenticity. She emphasizes resilience, leadership by example, and the power of women supporting each other. Her blend of strategic rigor and genuine vulnerability models a new kind of “She-E-O” energy, making this episode both instructional and deeply inspiring for entrepreneurs at any stage.