Rebel Wesley

I attribute my success to everything we've talked about - just figuring it out. I've never been afraid or ashamed of getting into this business where I'm knocking heads literally with the good old boys in the beer business. Being an athlete and being competitive has been huge. I know who I am, and I was never afraid. They can raise hell and lose their minds on me, and I'm like, are you done? Because we got business to do. That's not gonna stop me. You can cuss at me, but that just makes me stronger. I can cuss right back with you, let's go knock heads, but that's still not going to stop me from trying to do my job. They don't always see me coming, but when they see me, boy do they see me. People will say, I love Rebel, man, she's something else. I hold people to a high standard, and they might not like it, and they're not gonna like me very much, but by God, we're going to get it done. I don't like to lose. I don't want to be at the bottom. When we have our company calls every couple of weeks talking about distribution and where we are, I don't want to be at the bottom. So guess what? I'm bringing y'all to the top with me.

Don't be afraid to go toe-to-toe with whoever. Don't let a proverbial glass ceiling stop you, especially for those of us that may or may not have ever gone in that direction before. If you can dream it, go do it. I think back to when I was young and wanted to play on my dad's basketball team in early 70s Kentucky. I practiced with them, but when my dad went to put me in the game, the referees stopped the game and said, Charlie, she can't play, she's a girl. I didn't get to play until middle school. But I think back to that and think, how different your life could be if you let one little no stop you from doing something that you're passionate about and driven to do. If you love it and you want to do it, just find a way. That's really what it is. Don't let one setback keep you from pursuing what you're passionate about.

The biggest challenges in my field are navigating a male-prevalent culture in parts of the beverage and distribution industry and competing for distributor attention and prime shelf placement. At the same time, there are growing opportunities as advertisers increasingly target women and more space opens for female leaders to reshape industry norms.

It's all about the people to me. I can teach you any skill, but it's about that intangible - who are you, what drives you, what makes you click, and who do you want to be when you grow up. You can walk in a room and be a garbage guy or a garbage gal, but when you walk in the room, I want people to go, man, who is that person? They're a leader. You can lead in any role you have, you can be a leader. It's all about how you carry yourself and what you want. I attribute that to sports and playing sports. I'd rather have anybody that gives you all they got, whether they're the best one on the bench or the one that can shoot the lights out. I want the one that's got the heart and the soul. I can teach you how to shoot, I can teach you how to pass, I can teach you how to sell, but I can't teach you the get up and want to go. I also feel strongly about not being a victim. I can't stand the word fair - that word cripples so many people, and I don't do victim well. Being outside in nature is also important to me. There's no greater place that I feel God around me than in nature. Those of us that get so caught up and forget to get out and see it, to literally smell the roses and see a sunset or a beautiful starry night - those are just reminders of what we do have and what we should be grateful for.