Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tania Vasallo, Founder and CEO of The Courage To Be Happy, located in Santa Fe, NM, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am the founder of The Courage To Be Happy, a global community of high-achieving women entrepreneurs working to become financially empowered and independent. I am the host of The Courage To Be Podcast, launching in January 2023.
I also gather women every year into my signature live event, Increase Your Income and Impact, which helps women expand their businesses and mindsets.
Tell us about yourself
I consider myself a multi-passionate woman. I started my career as an art director in NYC, working for multi-million dollar companies like Starbucks, AT&T, Nabisco, and Samsung, just to name a few.
I also became a certified life coach two decades ago and have been acquiring all kinds of certifications and degrees in the self-development world with mentors like Louise Hay, Jack Canfield, Landmark Education, etc.
When I started my business, I had a toddler, so I could only work 20 hours per week, and by my 4th year in business, I had reached a 6 figure revenue. Other colleagues and clients started to ask me how I was doing it, what systems I was putting in place, and if I could teach them. I started to teach other women how they could take their passions and monetize them too.
One of the things I learned is that no matter how many strategies we implement along the way, if we have not dealt with our money mindset and learn to heal our relationship with money, it's very hard to grow. Since this realization, I've been on a mission to teach women how to make more money so that they can feel financially confident and independent, and free.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
At first, I was going to say surpass my corporate salary by working only 20 hours per week and doing work I love, but it goes beyond that. It’s the thousands of dollars that we’ve raised for my favorite nonprofits during my events, it’s the giving back, and it's the impact that I've had on thousands of women's lives, their families, and their communities. It becomes a ripple effect that keeps on going!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Uncertainty and trusting yourself to be resourceful and make things happen.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find your teacher. Get support, find a coach, a mentor, a teacher that's a couple of steps ahead of you, that you align with, and that has already achieved what you're looking for. You can do it on your own, but it will take you a lot longer to get there. As the saying goes, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."
- Hire your team. As soon as you can, hire a virtual assistant, a copywriter, a designer, or whoever you need on your team. Stop trying to do it all on your own, you will be wasting a ton of time and not leveraging yourself. If it's not in your budget to hire someone yet, start small, 5 hours per month, then 10 hours per month, or do an exchange of some sort. This will save you from burning out.
- Focus on your marketing. You need to get visible. You can have the best product or services, but if you don't share this with anyone, then you are the best-kept secret. You need to let every person you come in contact with know what you are doing and what your products and services are.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.thecouragetobehappy.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/360699614535030
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecouragetobehappy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tania-vasallo-2aa3852a/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIdFS-YRh7DAzOQYq9frRFA
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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