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Michele Bailey on the impact of gratitude in business

“Gratitude. I didn’t know that it was my brand until others pointed it out to me,” Michele Bailey shares.
Distinctive Women Magazine
Distinctive Women Magazine

"Gratitude. I didn’t know that it was my brand until others pointed it out to me," Michele Bailey shares.

Oakville’s Michele Bailey, the President and CEO of The Blazing Group established in 1994, has been recognized over the years for her unique and successful approach to not only business marketing but also for her unprecedented commitment to the people she works with. 

The award-winning agency is focused on delivering brand solutions that drive business results. Bailey’s methods for helping corporations and small businesses succeed are some of the critical elements of Bailey’s celebrated persona.

Michele has received local and international recognition as a recipient of the TIAW World of Difference 100 Award (2012) and Oakville’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2010). Most recently, Michele was awarded the BMO Expansion & Growth in Small Business Award (2017) and the WBE Leader Award (2020).

Bailey is a trailblazer as the first Canadian woman in business to receive the Women Presidents Organization (WPO) Mary Lehman MacLachlan Economic Empowerment Award in 2013. To be considered, the candidate must first be a multimillion-dollar business owned by a woman.

As an active community member, Bailey initiated or supported fundraising activities for charitable organizations in healthcare, underprivileged youth, orphaned children, and various women’s business organizations.

Michele has served as a Board Member for the Oakville Hospital Foundation, Liberty for Youth, and currently sits on the board of the Women Presidents Organization as its international representative. The success of her business is one of the requirements to join—only 2% of women in business qualify.

A champion for enterprising women, Michele was the driving force that brought the first WPO chapter to Canada. The Blazing Group was the first Canadian company to be certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and a member of WEConnect International

Five years ago, Bailey trademarked and launched My Big Idea®, a mentoring and wellness program to help companies engage, appreciate and retain their top talent while empowering them to drive corporate growth. 

We conduct workshops for: 

  • Reflection, personal growth, professional growth, health & wellness, relationship, finance & wealth
  • Help to build a support network
  • Refuelling - what to do to be the best version of self
  • Gratitude goal - enhance

Three years ago, a New York City Blazing Group location opened.

"We were hard-hit by COVID. Businesses weren’t paying for marketing. I spent a lot of time trying to keep the lights on. I sacrificed by not laying off any employees through the pandemic. Most agencies laid off a significant percentage of staff to stay afloat," explains Bailey. 

"I have spent 27 years as an entrepreneur. In an industry with a typical 18-month turnover for employees, most of mine have been with me from the beginning."

"I believe that we succeed for several reasons. For starters, how I like to describe loyalty; sticky people stay. My employees have shown gratitude for keeping them employed during this difficult time."

"We have grown mostly through referral; because we get the job done. We help companies brand from within, creating brand ambassadors."

Recognition of Bailey's style and methods of embracing the principles of gratitude as a business model caught the attention of Forbes. In August 2019, they approached Michele and asked her to write a book.

Her book titled The Currency of Gratitude details Bailey’s concept of prioritizing gratitude in one’s professional life as a storyteller and through real business examples. These principles enable businesses to attract clients as well as raise employee productivity.

Forbes
Forbes

Ready to release in 2020, Bailey placed a hold on the book to add another chapter on a matter she felt significant enough to consider, which she titled Gratitude in Time of Crisis. Eight days after launch, The Currency of Gratitude became a #1 Amazon best-seller. 

As a sole contributor, Bailey shares fundamental truths and creates a deeper thinking, vital to her own beliefs that make a successful application to business, such as:

  • If you invest, it comes back to you
  • Identify three things that you’re most grateful for every day
  • Share with others so that it becomes a multiplier

Michele reveals, "The book was released April 2021, and well received as indicated by the long and detailed reviews. A year later, I found myself on the cover of Forbes Books for sharing my gratitude message."

What’s next?

Michele Bailey confidently added, “Growing The Blazing Group. I look forward to corporations embracing My Big IdeaⓇ. There will be a lot of discussion around the changes that the move from working at home and the return to the office make for office dynamics and self.

"Corporations have asked me to speak. There is a lot of rebuilding necessary. As a storyteller, I’ll be addressing workplace integration. I need to give people hope, to show them a path to move forward. To get them thinking in a vein of gratitude with questions like, 'It wasn’t all bad; what were some of the good things that came out of it?'"