Let's be real for a second. Most corporate training is boring. It’s a lot of PowerPoint slides and HR-friendly jargon that doesn't actually change how anyone behaves. But when you look at Mean Business, you’re seeing something that hits a bit differently. It’s a firm built on a very specific, slightly uncomfortable premise: that the way women are taught to navigate professional life is often fundamentally flawed.
Founded by Heidi Miller, Mean Business isn't about being "mean" in the Regina George sense. Not at all. It’s actually about the reclamation of power and the dismantling of the "nice girl" syndrome that keeps so many talented people stuck in middle management.
I’ve spent years watching firms try to "fix" women. They tell them to lean in. They tell them to speak up. But Mean Business focuses on the mechanics of communication and the psychological hurdles that come with high-stakes negotiation. It's about the grit.
The Problem with "Nice"
Most people think being liked is the same as being respected. It isn't.
Heidi Miller has been vocal about this for years. Her firm tackles the reality that many women are socialized to be communal and accommodating. While those are great traits for a dinner party, they can be a death sentence in a boardroom where resources are finite and everyone is fighting for a piece of the pie.
Mean Business looks at the "likeability trap." This isn't just a theory; it’s backed by decades of research, like the famous Howard/Heidi study from Harvard Business School. You remember that one? They gave students a case study about a successful venture capitalist. To half the class, the VC was named Howard. To the other half, she was Heidi.
The result? Students thought Howard was a great leader. They thought Heidi was selfish and "not the type of person you'd want to work for."
That's the wall Mean Business helps people climb over.
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How Mean Business Actually Works
They don't just do speeches. They do "Communication Combat."
That sounds intense because it is. When the firm goes into a company, they aren't looking to make everyone feel warm and fuzzy. They’re looking for the leaks in your authority. They look at how you stand, how you hold eye contact, and—most importantly—how you handle a direct challenge.
If someone interrupts you in a meeting, what do you do? Do you stop talking? Do you say "sorry" before you keep going?
Mean Business teaches you to hold the floor. No apologies. No shrinking.
The Art of the Hard Conversation
A lot of their work centers on the "tough" stuff. Firing someone. Negotiating a raise when the budget is tight. Pitching to a room full of people who don't think you belong there.
Miller’s approach is about physical presence as much as it is about words. It’s about "The Stance." It’s about lowering the pitch of your voice to project authority. These are tactical, almost surgical changes to behavior that yield immediate results. It's kinda fascinating how quickly a person's perceived power changes when they just stop tilting their head to the side when they speak.
Why This Isn't Just for Women
While the firm has a clear focus on female leadership, the principles are universal. High-stakes communication is a skill. Most of us are never taught it. We're taught to be polite. We're taught to wait our turn.
But in the real world of business, nobody gives you a turn. You take it.
Mean Business has worked with massive clients—think Fortune 500 companies, law firms, and tech giants. These organizations bring them in because they realize their "diversity and inclusion" initiatives are failing if they aren't actually giving women the tools to compete at the highest levels.
Real World Impact and Critiques
Not everyone loves this approach. Honestly, some people find it too aggressive. There’s a school of thought that says we shouldn't have to change ourselves to fit into a "broken" corporate culture. They argue that the culture should change to value "soft" skills more.
That’s a nice idea. Truly. But Mean Business operates in the world as it exists today, not as we wish it would be.
If you have a mortgage to pay and a career to build, you can't wait thirty years for the patriarchy to dismantle itself. You need to win the meeting on Tuesday. That’s the niche Miller and her team fill. They provide a bridge between the idealistic and the pragmatic.
Beyond the Boardroom
What’s interesting is how these "Mean Business" tactics bleed into everyday life.
It’s about boundaries. When you learn how to say "No" without an explanation at work, you start doing it at the grocery store. You start doing it with your family. You stop being a "people pleaser" and start being a person with a clear set of priorities.
The firm’s philosophy suggests that "mean" is just a word people use for women who have clear boundaries and a sense of their own value. If a man did the same thing, he’d just be called "decisive" or "firm."
Actionable Steps for Your Career
If you can’t hire a high-level consulting firm like Mean Business tomorrow, you can still steal their playbook. Here is how you start shifting your presence immediately.
Stop using qualifiers. Phrases like "I just think," "I feel like," or "Does that make sense?" are authority killers. They signal that you are seeking permission or validation. Just state your point. Let it hang in the air. The silence that follows a strong statement is your friend.
Next, watch your body language in mirrors or on Zoom calls. Are you nodding constantly while others speak? Stop. Constant nodding makes you look like a bobblehead seeking approval. Keep your head still. Listen intently, but don't perform "listening" through excessive movement.
Record yourself. It’s painful, I know. But listen to your voice. Do you have "up-talk" where every sentence ends like a question? Work on bringing your inflection down at the end of a sentence. It sounds more authoritative.
Finally, practice the "Pause." When someone asks you a difficult question, don't rush to fill the silence. Count to three. It shows you are thinking and that you aren't rattled. It puts the pressure back on the person who asked the question.
The Reality of Professional Power
Success isn't a meritocracy. We wish it were. We want to believe that if we work hard and do a good job, we will be rewarded.
But visibility and authority are often more important than raw output. Mean Business understands this better than almost anyone else in the consulting space. They teach the "dark arts" of corporate survival that nobody mentions in business school.
It’s about owning the room before you even open your mouth. It’s about realizing that "nice" is a currency that has very little value in a high-pressure environment. Respect, however, is a currency that can be traded for anything.
If you want to move up, you have to be willing to be the "bad guy" in someone else's story. You have to be okay with not being liked by everyone. Once you let go of the need for universal approval, you become dangerous in the best way possible.
To truly implement these shifts, start small. Pick one meeting this week where you will not apologize for anything. Not for being late, not for having an opinion, not for taking up space. See how it feels. Notice how people react. You might find that the world doesn't end when you stop being "nice"—it actually starts opening up.