How to scale back to align your business with your life: Lessons from Tatiana O’Hara

Akua: Welcome back to another episode of the independent business podcast. And one thing I appreciate about today’s guest is her radical honesty, Tatiana O’Hara, who is a leadership and teams operation consultant pulls back the curtain in her business and shows us what her entrepreneurial journey has really looked like for her.

Tatiana shares with us the fun way she got started as a business owner, how she navigates from having a team to now being a solopreneur and the importance of doing what you love it. Just. So I’m going to talk to you today about how you can be a successful business owner, and how you can be a successful business owner despite what others may think of you.

Every independent business owner needs to listen to this episode because it is a reminder to believe in yourself and don’t be afraid to go after what you truly want. Now let’s get into the episode. Hey everyone, this is your host Akua Kanadu and you’re listening to the independent business podcast.

More people than ever are working for themselves and building profitable businesses in the process. So on this show, I get to sit down with some of the most influential authors, entrepreneurs. Hello.

Hello, Tatiana. How are you? I’m so good. How are you? Very good. I’m excited to have you here. We have been chatting just about all the things for the past, like, I don’t even know, 10 minutes. And we’re like, we need to finally record, which I feel like that always leads to the best type of conversation. So thank you for being here.

Absolutely. Thank 

Tatiana: you for having me. 

Akua: Yes. And so honestly, we don’t really have an agenda of what we’re gonna talk about. We’re just gonna be, we’re just gonna be chatting. And one thing I’m really interested about you is that you’ve been in the game for 10 years of business owner and you teach a lot on, you know, just leadership, building teams, all that stuff.

But I really want to hear, because you’ve had four businesses throughout your entrepreneurial journey, one of them even being, snacks, a vending machine. I just,

I can see the flicker of like fear in your eyes of like, oh gosh, I’m being put back into the space. 

Tatiana: It was a short lived business for good reason. But 

Akua: I’m so curious to know that like four businesses, like just walk us through some of your entrepreneurial journey. 

Tatiana: So first let me say like, I grew up around entrepreneurship, so I’ve always had that, you know, that bug, I guess.

So I think like if you really want to go back to the early days, I used to make and sell paper fans when I was six years old for 75 cents, um, in my neighborhood. And then I would decorate them for you for like an additional cost. So I feel like I learned very early on that, I could make my own money doing things that I enjoyed.

And so I just kind of took that and ran with it. So in high school I started learning how to do cake decorating. I took those classes at Michael’s that people take. I think I took like four or five of them and I started telling cupcakes in between classes and I was making. A good living off of that. I think I was making like 250 a week, 300 a week and like in high school.

Yeah, a lot of money. And then I went on to work for a bakery. I started making baby shower cakes and birthday cakes and stuff. And I realized that while I loved it, I think when I tried to put money behind it, it took away like The passion and the desire to do it because it is very labor intensive. Then in college, I, um, on the opposite end of the spectrum, I started at a health and fitness organization on campus where I would host nutrition classes, um, like workouts on like our big campus green area.

And that’s what led to the vending machine. And so it was called fit stop. And it was a dual climate vending machine that I had gotten that, you know, I could put Healthy snacks at the top and then like cold, like healthy beverages at the bottom. And I had gotten my student refund, you know, remember those days when you get a refund?

Girl, when that money 

Akua: came in, I was acting so rich, like I had no sense. Mom was like, you need to buy books, pay your tuition. 

Tatiana: Well, I was, I decided my refund was 2, 000. I decided I’m going to take that money and I’m going to buy a vending machine because Why not? I mean, you’re right, like very enneagram three of me.

But I ended up finding the vending machine on, I think Craigslist, something very sketch. And it was a beautiful machine, like very state of the art, very new. It took, you know, Apple Pay, all the things. And. And I reach out to the guy and in his listing, he said that he was a trader and he was looking to trade his vending machine for a dune buggy.

And so I respond to the listing. I was like, Hey, I don’t have a dune buggy, but I have 2, 000. So can I buy it? He sells it to me. I put it in, you know, a local gym. Made a couple thousand bucks over a couple, you know, months or whatever. And I ended up selling it because it was just way too much work. So those are like the first two.

And then when I was working as a district manager for ALDI, um, that’s kind of where I learned everything I know about leadership and people operations and just, and processes. While I was there, I was starting to plan my exit cause I knew I wanted to leave eventually. And I wanted to start flipping houses, but didn’t have the money to get started with that.

So I was like, well, what’s like a lower lift? Like what, what can I do? That doesn’t cost as much money to get started. And that’s when my father and I started our auto brokerage. It’s called first generation motors. And he actually still runs it to this day, but that’s the business that I used to help me quit my job in 2019.

So we were buying and selling used cars and that led me to, you know, finally getting my bearings and starting my consulting company where I support small business owners and corporations and helping them, you know, really refine their leadership and their people operations. 

Akua: Oh my gosh, you truly are an entrepreneur at heart.

I know. 

Tatiana: It’s like, there’s no connection. No, no connection between those dots whatsoever. 

Akua: You were like from paper planes to vending machines, to automobiles, to consultant. 

Tatiana: When you say it that way. 

Akua: But I love that though, because one thing that I will say is that you have a very unique gift. I have realized, um, where you have no problem.

Just leaving something and starting something new. Um, and I think that’s one of the things that I want to highlight because in business, as business owners, I don’t care how long you’ve been in this business. It is really hard to start over no matter what, no matter how long you’ve been. So I’m really curious for you.

Is that something that just has been very natural for you or did you, or is it something that you’re like, Hey, I’ve just never gotten very comfortable with it. I just had to do it. 

Tatiana: Yeah, that’s a, that’s a good question. I think it’s more so I have an ability to, like, believe in myself very quickly around the ideas that I have and the things that I want to do.

And so even now, like, I have been very settled into this consulting company for the past almost five years now. And I don’t see myself making any crazy pivots to selling. I don’t know, shoes or something like that. Um, I don’t see myself making any pivots, but like when I have an idea and I see the potential and I see like how it could benefit people or help people, I find like the, the evidence that it’ll work.

And I just, I run full force in that direction. I do definitely think it’s, it’s a gift of mine. And also again, kind of going back to like my upbringing, like just growing up around entrepreneurship. Like, I witnessed people, specifically my dad, like take risks all the time and watched how it paid off. And so I just got really comfortable with risk early on in life, I think.

Akua: Yeah. I love that. I think again, entrepreneurship is nothing but a big risk. And I think sometimes we obviously know why and we take the leap, um, no matter what. It’s always risky. And sometimes I feel like as business owners, we just get too comfortable, right? To where like, we forget what that feeling was to take that risk, to take the leap.

And so I love that with you in your journey, if something just wasn’t working or something that you just wasn’t passionate about, you were confident and believed in yourself enough to be able to just like move forward with it. And I just actually just heard this podcast today and right before I was listening and.

What I love about that is because when we want to try something new, we get very nervous about what other people around us are going to be thinking and stuff like that. Like you don’t really care. You just go do it. And I think, and the reason why I just thought of that was because the main thing that she always asked herself was, do I like myself enough, right?

Do I like myself enough to not care what other people think of me in order to just do whatever it is that I want to do. And I love that because when you hear your story, you’re just like. If people don’t know, they’re like, well, this girl got a lot going on. Like, you know what I mean? And that’s just not the case.

You’re like, no, I believe in myself and I like myself enough to be able to do what it is that I’ve been called to do. And so I just love that. And so I’m really curious, even now that you’ve been in the game now for five years, yeah, where do you find yourself right now in entrepreneurship? Now that you have kind of found something that has really stuck and has really worked for you, because you are very talented at what you do in terms of systems, teams, operations.

How are you navigating in that area of, of entrepreneurship and your consulting business? 

Tatiana: Yeah, well first I just want to go back to something you said too. I actually do care a lot about what other people think 

Akua: Yeah, it is. 

Tatiana: It is something that I’ve probably been working on actively for like several years But I do think at the end of the day Eventually, I realized that I care more about what I think than what others think, but it’s often neck and neck.

Um, a lot of times when I’m making a decision, I think about what I want to do, but I’m immediately after thinking, Hmm, what’s the public perception going to be? Like, how are people going to perceive me? What are they going to think of me? Um, but then I have to remember that they don’t pay my bills, you know?

Like, they, they really don’t and they never will. So I have to, I gotta put me first, you know, I gotta put me first.

So where I’m at right now, I’m actually in the midst of a lot of change. So I would say if you asked me two years ago, I was very much focused on working with the small business owner who runs some sort of agency or Um, service provider based business and helping them to either build their team for the first time or maybe helping them to refine the team that they currently have.

And within the last year, I’ve really opened myself up to wanting to work with corporations as well. And so, um, I think I’m in the midst of two different changes. One is finding my footing on the B2B side of things and like getting a consistent pipeline, right. And like really narrowing in on who I want to work with, but then two, it’s like balancing the two because I fully understand that like the brand that I’ve built on the B2C side of my business is what’s going to like feed the B2B side.

But I find myself every day, like. Should I focus on like, Ooh, should I prioritize this launch that I want to have or do I prioritize reaching out to 50 companies today? And I, sometimes I feel a little stuck. Like I feel like I’m not making progress as quickly as I could because I’m like doing this balancing act.

But yeah, that’s like the, the really big thing for me right now. So I’m not changing my business. I’m just kind of broadening. The scope of who I serve. 

Akua: Exactly. And I think I really do want to talk about that because that is something that I have struggled with a lot as an entrepreneur. And a lot of people don’t really know this, but I have built my business working with a lot of retainer clients, working with a lot of corporations more than working with small business owners.

So I’ve had companies from like. Which I guess this was like nonprofit. I’ve worked with nonprofit. I’ve worked with investment firms. I’ve worked with, you know, a company’s like HoneyBook doing work like that. And then I would have, and that was my bread and butter compared to more so working with small business owners.

And I was trying to figure out that balance as well. Like obviously flipped, but I think even to now with me being here full time with HoneyBook and then, right. So still that, that balance. And so what are you currently doing? Right now to really there’s a lot of other business owners as well Who are also broadening and have realized too like hey, I want to work with more.

Um corporations, right? Still serve small business owners, but also open the door and open the scope to provide a different source of income. I’ve also noticed you, I love your content so much is because we as human beings, we’re very multifaceted and you show all of that. Like, I think you just said recently, like on Threads, you’re like, Hey, I just got my first brand partnership deal.

I was like, Oh my gosh, that’s so cool. Cause I know that’s not like the main scope of what you do. And so. I just asked you a multitude of things within that, but let’s break it down first of like, what are you doing right now to even really navigate that balance? Because I think there’s a lot of a business owners that are really trying to figure that out.

Um, Hey, I do this, I serve this, but I also want to break out into something else and like, not sure how. 

Tatiana: Yeah. Well, I’m glad you asked all of those questions at once because The content piece is like that third thing that I’m doing. So it really is the three things that I’m juggling, not just the two that I mentioned.

So I am also actively wanting to build more of like my personal brand and creating lifestyle content around what it’s like being a wife and a mom and juggling all these things that I’m trying to do and training for my first marathon and all of those things. And so right now it’s, A little messy, you know, I’ll, I’ll be honest there.

So I have been on the B2C side of things. I’ve been really prioritizing my email list because I realized that it is very low lift for me, writing email copy comes very natural. I’m very conversational with my list and they love that. And so instead of like promoting my. Coaching and consulting services on my Instagram.

Like, Hey, book a intensive, Hey, do some, you know, one on one coaching with me. I’m just primarily working that through my email list. And that’s been helpful because I can sit down at once, batch a couple of emails, schedule them out, and then just kind of like watch that system work. I recently offered.

These like free team audits to the people on my email list, which helped me to get reconnected with them and just like get them used to like seeing my face more frequently. And for me to also learn about like what they’re currently struggling with. And so, you know, great things came from that. And then on the B2B side of things, I have two strategies currently.

Because again, they’re low lifts. I should also mention like my son is at home with me. He’s a year and a half. And so my time is severely limited. So I have to be like efficient. So right now with like my B2B strategy, I primarily focus on either attending or speaking at an event every month. And from there, I meet people, I get business cards, I set up consultations and, and coffee chats and that kind of thing and kind of work this like warm leads list.

But what I want to start doing is having like a cold outreach strategy. I do not have that right now. I don’t post content on LinkedIn. I’m not just like, You know, blasting out cold emails, but I do need to create some sort of strategy around that. And then as far as content goes, the easiest way for me to do it is to just document me doing all of those things I just mentioned.

So, you know, day in the life with me or documenting me going on a run or documenting me, you know, taking care of my son throughout the day. And it feels a lighter of a lift because I’m not making this list of Content that I’m going to make like 10 ways you can do this. Like I’m literally just showing you what I’m already doing.

Very long winded. Hopefully that makes sense. 

Akua: No, but I love that because everything that you’re doing builds upon each other and also are feeding into the areas of your business. And I think I love highlighting that, especially as a storytelling strategist of like, you are literally just bringing people into the journey with you, which y’all know, I say this all the time, bringing people in.

Like, I know that you’re running a marathon because I’ve been seeing you kill it and like, which has been so fun to see. See your progress of like when you first started to now, and it doesn’t make me forget you. Like I know now when I want somebody to help me with building a team, you know how to be a better leader and stuff like that.

You are the first person that comes to mind. Mm-Hmm. . Right. And I think, I love that. It’s just that, that relatability piece because I think that just solidifies again of like what it is that you offer because systems and all those different types of things. That’s important in your life right now in this season.

Like you are a mom, you have all these different, uh, ventures that you’re leaning into in your business. And so I think again, it just really bringing people inside and just that pulling, uh, the curtain, like pulling the curtain back to show what’s really, really happening, I think helps so much with you building your business, but also to love how you said that you just looked at things that were going to be low lift for you.

And I think that’s so important as business owners of like, I decided to focus on my email list because that was something that I liked. And there was something that I knew that I could easily just do to keep things going. And then you were like, okay, here in, um, I know I like to speak. I know I love to do that.

So this is where I’m going to conferences and speaking and networking, right? Like I think it just highlights again, to the point of business owners of really leaning into your gifts. And because that’s really going to take you far, honestly, especially right now, when time is limited, what are the tasks that are going to generate revenue in your business?

And so I’m really curious in terms of your email list. Are you seeing where like, Hey, this is all I can offer. You’re not posting on social media as right. You’re posting every day behind the scenes content. But are you seeing where like, you’re getting bookings from your email list as well? 

Tatiana: Yeah, I mean, I had Uh, six or seven consultations last week with different, um, either past clients or just people that are on my list that open my emails.

I had one this morning and she’s potentially moving forward with like one on one coaching. And if I’m being honest, I think from the very beginning, like from. When I really started getting consistent with content, my email list has always just been different somewhere between email lists and Instagram stories.

Those are the two communities that I feel like the most connected to. And like, I love creating reels as much as the next person, not that much. So it’s like, instead of forcing myself to do something that I don’t really love, that doesn’t feel like. Super natural or intuitive to me in this time. Like I’ll just lean into the thing where I can show up my best because people see that, like I can see through content that is just to get a quick sale, you know, but like I can do some really good storytelling in my email list.

I have a folder in my. Email or I save every time someone responds to my email, people respond to my emails all the time. Like, Oh my gosh, thank you. This was so good. Like I can totally relate to what you’re going through right now. And I just think that’s the type of thing that makes people feel connected to you and more comfortable.

buying from you. 

Akua: Oh, I love that. And I love that you’re seeing the results from that. And again, of like, you don’t have a lot of time, but my thing is, is that where you’re focusing your time is paying off in your business. And I love that because I think, again, when we think all the time as business owners, that we have to be doing everything.

I don’t have a lot of time, you know, lean into your gifts. And spend time in areas that you enjoy and really ask yourself, like, am I showing up as my best self in this area? And I think that pays off more than anything. And so, you know, especially with you being a wife and a mom, like, how has that, because I know, like, I’ve obviously seen some of your journey of like, before you were married to now you’re married and now you have a child and like, how has entrepreneurship, like, how do you view entrepreneurship now through all of these major life transitions?

Transcribed 

Tatiana: Oh, that’s a loaded question. So I think before I was definitely in my, okay, this is going to be a long answer. I think before I was definitely in my like girl boss era, you know, like I was willing to get up at 6 a. m., be in my office, work till the sun went down, um, you know, more money, more money, more money, 20k months, 30k months, 40k month, 50, 60, 70, like how much more can we make?

Um, hire all the people, build, build the big team, um, host the retreats, have big launches. Like I was so into it and it was beautiful. It served me in that season, but I think two things. One, I think it helped me lay a lot of the foundation that now supports. Our lifestyle, but then too, I think. I’m glad that I went through that to show me like what I could do or what I was capable of if that makes sense.

Akua: Yeah. 

Tatiana: And so now, you know, after getting married, after having my, um, son, it’s not that I’m not in my girl boss era anymore. I just look at work life balance a little bit different now. And I went through a really hard time last year. Like I feel like last year I fell off or I gave up in a lot of sense, but I didn’t.

Right. Um, But I think I was struggling with this balance of like, how do I be this mom wife and also be The girl boss and I felt like I couldn’t do that And so I started to reject this idea like oh, maybe I don’t want to have a multi million dollar company anymore Like maybe i’m just good with like what’s gonna, you know provide for us right now Like that’s all I really need.

I don’t really want to build a big business and so now like With my son getting older and us just really finding our stride as a family, I’m realizing that I do still want that. I do still want a big business. I do still want to be like a household name for team development and operations. And so now I’m in this chapter of figuring out what does it look like to do that?

While not compromising my sanity, while not compromising my ability to show up as a wife and a mom. And so that’s kind of like, I guess the unique journey that I’m on, but I do feel like a lot of the people that I was around, and it’s not a bad thing, but I do feel like a lot of people that I was around, as they started to build their families, they did kind of realize that they didn’t want to.

As big of a thing as they thought they did, but I, it’s like, I’m waking up realizing that that’s actually not true for me at all. Like I, I still want it all, you know? So yeah, that’s, that’s kind of the journey I’m on now. And I think the three different aspects that I’m focusing on, it’s a lot, but I, I know that these are almost going to become the pillars that build the big company that, that I’m looking to have.

Akua: Does that make sense? Yes, 1000%. I think I love that so, so much because I think a lot of the times when, and obviously I’m not a parent, I am an aunt, I have four, I have four amazing nieces and nephews, and I’m very involved with them where I just am like, I I don’t know how they do it. However, it’s been really cool because I’m like, when you are just going, going, going, um, and it’s something I’m even just learning in my own season.

When you’re just going, going, going, you think you want one thing, but when you actually take that time to really slow down and really check in with yourself, you realize that what you, uh, wanted is may not, may not actually be what you wanted. So you’re like, you need, you’re like, I knew I wanted the big name.

You knew I wanted the big company. Then you got married, life transit, right? Life is happening quickly. And you’re like, okay, well maybe not. But then as soon as like, you have that time to really check in with yourself, you’re like, no, wait, like. I do want that. And I love of like, I’m still going to attain this.

Now things are just looking different and they look amazing in a way that you just never thought that you could imagine. Right. And I, that’s exciting. And I think there’s just so many other business owners who are parents and they feel like it has to be one or the other and it doesn’t need to be like, it can be Whatever you want it to be.

So there’s no shame if you’re like, I want more, there’s no shame in that. And if you’re like, Hey, I just want to pull back a little bit and this is okay. There’s no shame in that either. And so I love that you are talking about that because I think that’s not what’s talked about enough in business and life of just like how these transitions can really shape our view and the way that we actually run our business.

And so for you, how, cause I know like, is this connected and let me know if it’s not, cause I remember like, Is it what in 2020 or maybe shortly after like you let your whole team go. And so. Was that connected to that? Or was that like a completely different situation? 

Tatiana: No, I mean, I would say it was connected.

So, what happened was, I had my son in January of 2023, and then I took 10 weeks of maternity leave, and I came back in like, early April. And when I came back, or not even when I came back, before I came back, like while I was out, I was starting to have those feelings of like, Oh, I don’t, I don’t think I want this anymore.

Like, I think I do want to, you know, dial it back. And so, I mean, it was twofold. It was that, but then it was also just like, I had been gone for a while and like coming back to work. I won’t say I had postpartum depression, but I did have really bad postpartum anxiety and it felt very just debilitating at times and I wasn’t able to really show up the way that I wanted.

And I think even though I have, I had an incredible team and I built incredible systems within my business, our revenue wasn’t what it was while I was out. As what it would be if I was still showing up. And so I started to realize that in a, in a sense, like, if I’m not showing up a hundred percent, our revenue is not going to be what I want it to be, you know, so it was that, but then it was also just feeling like, I just want to lay low for a little while, you know?

Um, and so when I got back in April, I, I had to let my team go. And that was like a really, it was a hard decision to come to because I It’s people’s livelihoods, obviously, but then also, like, I just absolutely adored the people that I work with, and I loved hearing them say that this was the best job they ever had, and the best culture, and the best this, and the best that, and maybe there was a little bit of ego in there, you know, I’m not gonna lie, like, a part of me didn’t want To like say bye to something that I had built with my own two hands that like people truly loved, but doing that, I think was the catalyst for me to fall into this, like, I don’t know, bad place of feeling like empty a little bit.

And that’s kind of what woke me up to realize that I do still want. My business to grow as much as I thought I did, you know, I think it was a necessary step in my journey though, because now being solo again, like it’s helped me to get more in tune with what I really want the next chapter to look like without the pressure of.

Obviously overhead, but really without the pressure of people looking to me for direction. That’s something that can feel really, I’m going to be honest, exhausting when you’re in that season of not fully knowing what you want, but like the team is still there. They’re still getting work done. Like they need direction.

And it’s like, you feel like you don’t have that direction to give. So, yeah, I mean, it was definitely like a part, a part of the journey and I miss them so much and, you know, I still keep in contact with them from time to time, but. It was just one of those things that was necessary for me to continue to evolve as a business owner.

I definitely learned a lot. A lot of lessons that I’ll kind of, you know, take with me. So 

Akua: yeah, absolutely. And I just want to like highlight and just say this to you is that it takes a, like, that is just the epitome of true leadership. Cause it’s not an easy decision to make. And it’s very humbling. And it’s like, Hey, like I’m putting my own ego aside right now.

So then I can, Um, do what I need to do and really just rebuild, right? Like really take that time for you and step away and just get right with yourself so that you can show up in a way that’s going to be best for everybody else. And again, like really removing that ego and of like, Hey, this really sucks and this really stings, but this is just what I have to do right now.

And so, and. That’s just, that’s not an easy thing to do where literally you let go something that you absolutely love to make room for something that’s new, but then let that be what it is that’s like, okay, I just let this team go. But that made me realize like this, that is actually what I want to do.

That is true leadership. I truly, truly think that. And like, that is. Respect. Honestly, that’s just what it is. I’m like, respect, girl, because 

Tatiana: I appreciate that because you know what to like, I think what made it even harder. It’s like, obviously, I have all these thoughts going in my head about like missing my team and what’s my business going to become and But I’m also a team and operations coach.

So for the team girl to be letting her team go, it’s like, Ooh, yikes. Like what’s, what’s going on over there? Like that’s not a good look. And so, as I was mentioning earlier, like I do unfortunately care a lot about what other people think. And so that was a huge thing for me in full transparency. Like I had conversations with my husband, maybe six months prior about feeling like I needed to let them go.

And I didn’t. And a big part of it was, what are people going to think? And when I just think about like, how many things could have been different had I just like, had the guts to just do what I knew needed to be done at that time, you know? Um, but of course it’s, it’s neither here nor there. It was, it was a learning lesson.

But yeah, I think that was like the extra layer is like, it’s almost like the girl who’s known for Launches not launching anymore. Like what are you doing? You know, like you’re not practicing what you preach that was a fear of mine that people would say like How can she help me? She doesn’t even have her own team, you know, but that’s just not true.

Akua: That’s not true because your experiences that you have, that is literally what it is that helps you be able to serve other people. I think we don’t talk about this enough that it’s really not easy to lead a team. I mean, I tried one person. I have one person right now and she’s still like, Hey Akua, I need this.

I’m like, ah, damn, I haven’t heard. She hasn’t heard from me.

Tatiana: Listen, that’s the hardest part. It’s like you hire people to get more support in your business, but you low key hire a bunch of bosses who be telling you what to do. I 

Akua: know. And I’m like, it’s, you know what I mean? Where it just, it truly, it really does bring out a lot in you where I realized even myself, I’m like, Oh, cool.

Like I really have some things on a personal note, on a business level. To that. I really need to work on it so I can show up as my best self in my business. And I think we don’t talk about that enough, that it’s really not easy to really figure out multitude of personalities and everybody’s work styles and how can you make people feel seen and valued?

And you know what I mean? But then you gotta get things done on time. You know what I mean? There’s a, there’s so many layers to it that just aren’t talked about. And so to me, that’s like, okay, she has experience of like. Letting people go, like, that’s not an easy thing to like, if something’s not working for you, like you have to be able to have those hard conversations.

And so I think everything that you’ve walked through, these are skills that many of us as business owners need and don’t necessarily know how to do. And you were that perfect person for that. So even like now, as you’re stepping into, like now you’re in your solo area era right now. So where exactly are you picking up?

You know what I mean? Like, what does that look like for you right now that you’ve gone from a team to now being solo to now I’m assuming going back to now building. What is that? What does that look like? 

Tatiana: Well, I will say, you know, back then I was running my coaching program, Grindaholics Anonymous. That’s kind of like what my brand’s foundation was really built on.

And that was 80 percent of my workload. And so at its peak, I may have had 35, 40 people in it at a time. We try to keep it relatively small. And so a lot of. The hiring that I had done was around that program, you know, like because the program had built my business up so big, like I needed operation support.

I needed marketing support. I needed tech support. And so I made the decision to close my, um, program while I was on leave. Was it while I was on leave? I think it was while I was on leave. And so I came back and then that’s when we announced that it was closing and we revamped the program and turn some of the curriculum more independent and turned it into Grindaholics RX.

So now it’s like a library of individual products that you can purchase. And so after, Like deciding to close the program. It was almost like there wasn’t a whole lot of work for the team to do. Um, and so once they were, you know, once I had offboarded everyone, I really started to just dig into like the business and I realized how much.

Of our day to day operation just wasn’t necessary anymore, you know? And so now with me running a primarily one to one coaching and digital product based business, like a lot of the support that I need right now is very minimal. Um, and so I am starting to think about building a team again. Um, I definitely will do it a lot different this time around.

Um, not that there’s anything wrong with what I did before. It just served me in that season. And, and, What I need in this season is a little different. Um, so yeah, I’m, I’m definitely taking my time. I don’t see myself having more than one or two people at this point. Definitely someone to support me on the corporate side of things from a sales and procurement aspect, but then also like fulfillment.

So I like a junior consultant of some sort, and then maybe just a general assistant to help me kind of across all different areas. Uh, aspects of the business, but yeah, definitely will be running it a little leaner this time around. 

Akua: Yeah. But I, I just love like you’re hearing your whole journey from the very beginning to paper planes to now, because I think it’s just, it just speaks to the true nature of entrepreneurship and how it looks, can look so different for everybody and you can have seasons where you have a team and you can have seasons where you’re like, Hey, it’s just going to be me.

And that is okay. There is no wrong way to run your business. And I think to your point, I think we do think that way, that there is a wrong way to run it because we do care what people think about us, right? Like, especially if we’ve niched in a certain area, we’re like, Oh my gosh, if I, if I now do something that’s against that, everybody’s going to think less of me and that’s just not true.

And I think that’s something like from a mindset perspective that we just really need to work on because entrepreneurship is so important. Entrepreneurship is truly what you make it. You call the shots. Like, right. Like, I think that’s what we forget is that we left our, you know, full time or whatever your journey looks like to do our own thing.

And then it’s so easy to like, all of a sudden be wanting to do what everybody else is doing just by seeing like comparison and all that. It’s just, it truly, and it sneaks in, it comes in when you least expect it. And so I think again, like just that reminder is as entrepreneurs that. This is truly your own thing and what you have built and what you’re doing is more than enough.

And as long as that works for you and your life, because again, mind the business that pays you, you know, and I think that’s just such a, such a good reminder that if I am happy, if my family is happy, that, you know, my relationships are good and stuff like that, then that’s truly all that matters. And I think that like how you’ve built your business and just your journey is just an amazing, amazing testament of that.

And so. As you think of everything, what is, what is one thing that you would say to, to business owners, uh, today? 

Tatiana: I think today, like just thinking about like everything that is going on in the world and in our industries and thinking about the people who maybe have been in business for a couple of years, like through all of this, I think I would just like, Say to take some time and sit down and like, just revisit what it is that you want.

Um, because I think sometimes like we say what we want, we say it out loud, we bring other people in, right? Whether it’s team members, coaches, whatever. And we start building towards this vision and you’re building, you’re building, you’re building, you’re building, you’re chipping away. Like let’s pretend you’re like digging a hole, right?

You’re like digging to get to the gold. And then it’s like, you get so far down in this hole that like, you know, Maybe you don’t realize that the vision has changed like your desires have changed But now you feel like you’re so close that you just have to keep digging and digging and digging and digging and then all this Time passes and you’re like, well, I can’t stop now.

I’m too far gone I’m too deep, but it’s like you can climb out and Dig a different hole. Like you can start over. Um, and that’s not to say that everyone listening to this wants to start over. It might be a simple shift in the way that you run your business or a simple shift in the way that you manage your team.

Or maybe it is something completely different, but like you don’t have to stick to what you said six years ago. Like it can change. And I think Right now I’m in the, the, the thick of it, of the, the thick of like trying to build this thing that I now want. But I would much rather spend my time doing this than being stuck running the old version of my business that I no longer feel any attachment to whatsoever.

Akua: Yes. Oh my gosh. I love that. I think it’s just like, it is okay to pivot and it’s okay to start over. And it’s, you know, I just think that it’s never too late and I think that’s just such, such a great reminder. And this conversation has just been amazing, Tatiana. Truly, I have loved every single thing of it.

I just really appreciate your transparency of like, hey, I’m still figuring this out to just like everybody else and you’ve been in the game for 10 years, you know what I mean? And I think that again is the beauty of entrepreneurship is that like, we don’t have all the answers, but what we do know is the skills that we have.

And we’re going to leverage with what we have in that season to build what it is that we want. And so every question that we love to end every episode with is, what do you think is the biggest differentiator between the businesses that succeed and the ones that fail? 

Tatiana: Oh, you already know my mind. I know.

I already know. I think the businesses that succeed are the ones who learn how to properly leverage all the resources around them. Number one being people, the business owners who learn how to get really clear on, on the vision and the goals and what the execution looks like and bring people into that.

I think the business owners that are afraid of. People of hiring, right, are the ones who don’t necessarily fail, but they’re not going to go as far and I think, you know, depending on your lifestyle and your goals, you might not be someone who even wants to have a team, but for those of us that maybe have thought about it, but we’re afraid or we’ve thought about it, but we’ve heard horror stories or we thought about it, but we’re, you know, we don’t want to, you know, You know, share our profit with anyone.

What, what is it that they say? Like, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with people. And I just think that’s so, so true. And so figuring out what version of having a team, what version of being a leader feels best for me and applying that some people are going to have a team of 37 people.

Some people are going to make a million dollars with one person by their side, you know, and you get to like. Write the book on what that looks like for you, but don’t be afraid to explore it. Don’t close that door for yourself out of fear because like you just don’t even know what could be waiting on the other side of it.

Akua: Oh my gosh. I love that. That is just so, so good. And I think so many business owners need to hear that. And thank you. Thank you so much for this conversation. Where can people find you? How can we support you? 

Tatiana: Yes, absolutely. So you can find me on Instagram at underscore Tatiana O’Hara. My website is Tatiana O’Hara.

co where you can learn more about me and everything that I do on there. You can also book a call with me. So if you want to chat and you know, go through any of the issues or team issues that you’re having, but then also just send me a DM on Instagram cause I love to stay connected. 

Akua: Yes. Oh my gosh. Well, thank you.

Thank you so much, Tatiana. And for everybody listening until next time. Bye. Thank you. That ends our episode of the independent business podcast. Everything we’ve discussed today can be found at podcast. honeybook. com. Head to our website to access for show notes, relevant links, and all of the resources that you need to level up.

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