Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tahitia Timmons, Founder of Conscious By Us, located in Cherry Hill, NJ, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Conscious By Us is a primarily virtual consulting business focusing on health equity and wellness as core to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) journeys. Primarily my clients are businesses in the healthcare space and want to conceptualize their DEI journey through a health equity and wellness framework and organizations that prioritize employee health, concepts of health equity, and social justice over performative DEI measures.
Tell us about yourself
I am a registered nurse with an MSN in nursing education and technology. A project providing foundational pain education to reduce bias first got me interested in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work. Later I started exploring the impact of DEI on healthcare topics and education, especially our unspoken biases as care seekers and care providers. I began to recognize that health and wellness were the elephants in the room. Discussions around how non-inclusive practices and lack of diversity impacted employee performance, engagement, and health were everywhere, but not how healthcare and wellness could help combat employee stress. It seemed an incomplete offering, so I wanted to change that. I wanted to discuss how integrating healthcare and wellness can support the DEI journey.
I think a big part of what motivates me is knowing firsthand how health has impacted my view of workplaces and the energy I bring. The other part is those who will follow. Generation Z is much more reflective and ALSO very engaged with how they operate health-wise in the world. The best strategy to engage them would be to meet them where they are and be prepared to address the current disparities we know exist.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Honestly, I feel like my biggest accomplishment was just starting and booking that first client. I felt like being able to say ok, this is real, and proving that I could accomplish that was huge for me.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
To be a Black, queer, autistic, cis-gendered woman who also runs a household as a single mother while dealing with daily mobility challenges was probably my hurdle. I had many self-doubts and questioned whether anyone cared about what I had to say.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Have a plan - one that is detailed but does not send you down a path of self-doubt - you won't have all the answers, but they will evolve.
- Create a network of people in your industry that are not just connections but collaborators.
- Don't be afraid to say no. No to those who don't get the vision/dream, no to clients who are not aligned with your principles (money is nice-but a clear conscience is better), and no to the voice in your head that often can tear us down.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.consciousbyus.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consciousbyus/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tahitia-timmons/
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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