Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with TyAnn Osborn, Founder of Osborn Consulting Group LLC, located in Austin, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Osborn Consulting Group LLC is a leadership development company that works with organizations of all sizes to provide training, speaking, and coaching in strengths-based performance, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness. Our transformational strengths-based training and coaching empower leaders and employees to discover the value of their unique abilities to become more engaged, build stronger relationships, and authentically show up in their daily lives. Clients include companies such as Dow, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Dell, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, PayPal, EA Sports, AbbVie, Cardinal Health, Bank of America, Indeed, Synchrony, EY, HPE, and the University of Texas, among many others.
Tell us about yourself
I was one of the very first Gallup-certified Strengths® coaches in the world and have directly impacted over 12,000 people across the globe by using a strengths-based approach to help enable effectiveness, increase productivity, and win at life. I began this company over ten years ago after a career in Fortune 500 companies (consulting, Dell and PepsiCo) to fully focus on helping others discover their strengths and become more engaged in their own lives. Research shows that when we know our strengths, we are three times as likely to report having a higher quality of life and six times as likely to be engaged in our work. Those are changes I believe we can all get behind! My ultimate motivation is seeing the light come back into people's eyes when they discover what is right with them - that they have worth and that the world needs what only they can give.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner has been growing this firm over ten years from a local provider to a global service provider of world-class solutions. We have expanded our capacity to include other tremendously talented strengths coaches to provide excellent training and coaching to organizations of all sizes across the country and globe when needed.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things is not getting in your own way and being the bottleneck to growth. I constantly have to remember the highest and best use of my time and then delegate the rest to my extremely capable team.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
First, just get going. Don't spend years perfecting your website, business card, or logo before you get in the game. The world needs what you have to offer right now. Start adding value, and you can develop those other things as you go. You can even use your LinkedIn profile as a make-shift website landing page until you get a basic page up and running.
Second, understand your niche. If you don't have any Fortune 500 experience, I wouldn't recommend starting as your target market. Go where you have the experience to begin your journey if you have been a stay-at-home parent, network with others in similar situations, or connect with other parent groups. Be the solution to current pain points, and people will want what it is you have to offer.
Third, make sure that you are spending your time wisely. Divide your week into business development, operations, and actual work. Business development is anything that is driving potential clients in your direction. You have to spend time on this every week. Operations include anything administrative in nature or the backend functions of having a business, such as invoicing, expenses, shipping, paperwork, etc. And finally, time for actually doing the work! In our case, that is delivering training, having a coaching session, speaking at an event, or creating content for these things. Make sure you have the right time allocation for these three activities. Don't let the operations take over while neglecting business development or actually doing work (revenue generation). I color code these activities on my calendar so I could see how I am spending my time at a glance.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
You don't have to do everything yourself, even if it feels like it early on! There are tremendous resources if you are just willing to ask, network, or put yourself out there. Get involved with a mastermind or similar group. Listen to podcasts by entrepreneurs and other successful people. ABL - always be learning.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.tyannosborn.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TyAnnOsborn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyannosborn/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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