Go From Toxic to Happy Relationship

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tara Blair Ball, a certified relationship coach and author based in Lakeland, TN, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I'm a relationship expert, and I try to reach as many people as possible to empower them and their relationships to go from toxic to happy. To do that, I'm a content creator, primarily on Tiktok and Instagram, a blogger, an author of three books, a co-host for the podcast, Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse, and a certified Relationship Coach who works with individuals and couples.

Tell us about yourself

I've always been a writer, and for many years, I taught English and Latin both at the University and K 12 levels. But then my first marriage started falling apart. Unbeknownst to me, my first husband was secretly abusing drugs. My codependency and other dysfunctional behaviors skyrocketed because I knew something was wrong, but not what. I spent years trying to fix that relationship: going to couples therapy, individual therapy, and couples retreats, reading books, listening to podcasts, doing workbooks... yet that marriage fell apart less than a year after I discovered the drugs because I finally had to come to the realization that even if I was putting in 100% of the work, I was still only 50% of that relationship, and I had to let it go because it was extremely toxic. Then I started a path of a lot of self-development and self-work, including becoming a certified relationship coach. I started helping others and loved it because it meant I could help other people make the changes they needed for themselves. I started coaching in person after I left, stopped teaching professionally, and later started posting regularly on social media to reach and help more and more people. I love helping people learn how to have healthy relationships, and that's my greatest passion.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My first book deal was definitely a major accomplishment. Rockridge Press reached out to me after seeing my content on Instagram and asked if I was interested in writing a book for them. I'd always wanted to write a book because I knew it would not only help with establishing my own credibility but be another way to help the people who identified with my content and coaching services.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

I love owning my own business because I can choose whatever I want to do on any given day, but if you're even the least bit neurodivergent, that can also be super overwhelming. No one but me is setting my schedule. I also have to do the boring stuff, like creating captions, researching hashtags, answering e-mails, keeping up with accounts, etc. I have an assistant today that helps me with a lot, but everything I do isn't always going to be fun, but if I want to keep being successful, I do have to keep at it, day in and day out. But the benefits have always outweighed the cons.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Be consistent. I'm not the most talented, wise, brilliant, etc. content creator, relationship expert, etc. out there, but I AM consistent, and that consistency has paid off. I have over 270k followers on Tiktok and 83k followers on IG. I have smaller platforms on Facebook and YouTube, but I'm working on building those too, and I know I will because I keep at it.
Diversify. Coaching can be a very up-and-down field. Some months, I'm totally booked. In other months, it's crickets. This is why it's important for everyone not to depend on just one source of income, especially as a solopreneur. This is why I got into blogging, book writing, and creating content, so those slower months for coaching don't make much of an impact anymore.
Always be open to new endeavors. I recently joined my friend's podcast, Breaking Free From Narcissistic Abuse, as a co-host. It's been the most fun I've had in a while, and we're doing some really good work to help people recover and reclaim. YouTube is also a new platform for me, and I'm expanding on that. There are so many opportunities out there to share our message and knowledge if you're open to them.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.tararelationshipcoach.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tara.relationshipcoach/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tara.relationshipcoach/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tarablairball
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-blair-ball/

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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