October 15, 2025 • 43 mins
Small Business Pivots with Michael D. Morrison welcomes Tania P. Brown, a Job Exit Strategist from Lawrenceville, Georgia, who helps women over 40 build a confident path from corporate life to self-employment freedom.
In this inspiring episode, Tania shares her journey from growing up in Brooklyn, to military service, to financial services, and ultimately into entrepreneurship. She breaks down:
✅ Why financial strategy is the key to leaving your 9 to 5 without going broke
✅ The difference between what clients need and what they want when starting a business
✅ How toxic corporate experiences can follow you unless you heal before launching your business
✅ Practical boundaries and time-blocking tips that keep entrepreneurs focused and balanced
✅ Why hope, confidence, and clarity matter more than hype when planning your leap into business
If you’ve ever wondered how to quit your job, build a financial exit plan, and create a business that lights you up—this episode is for you.
Ranked in the top 10% of podcasts globally, Small Business Pivots brings you the raw stories and strategies from entrepreneurs who’ve been in your shoes.
Tania P. Brown: Founder & CEO of Tania P. Brown Services, Job Exit Strategist
Website: https://www.taniapbrown.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taniapellewbrown/
Blog: https://www.taniapbrown.com/blog
#SmallBusinessPivots #MichaelDMorrison #BOSS #BusinessLoans #BusinessCoaching #AtlantaBusiness #GeorgiaEntrepreneurs #WomenInBusiness #JobExitStrategist #SelfEmploymentFreedom #CorporateEscape #EntrepreneurJourney #BusinessGrowth #SmallBusinessPodcast #WomenOver40 #QuitYour9to5 #AtlantaPodcast #BusinessOwnershipSimplified #OklahomaCityPodcast
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Michael Morrison (00:00):
All right, welcome to another Small
Business, pivots, where we bringspecial guests from around the
world.
And if you've watched orlistened to our podcast before,
you know that no one canintroduce their name in business
like the business owner.
So I turn it over to youIntroduce yourself, tell us
where you're.
Tania Brown (00:22):
My name is Tanya P Brown.
I live in Lawrenceville,georgia, which is about 30
minutes north of Atlanta, so Iown my own business as a job
exit strategist and I know somepeople are like what the heck is
that?
I help people.
A lot of times.
Women who are ready to leavethe nine to five to become
(00:43):
self-employed create a financialstrategy so they don't go broke
, end up in a pile of debt orhave to go crumbling back to
their old job.
Michael Morrison (00:54):
That happens, wow, okay, so well, I know that
this is an alignment.
It's parallel to each otherbecause the first statement on
your website is ready to becomeyour own boss, and that's the
name of our company.
So let's introduce the showhere and we'll get to the real
(01:16):
stories and learn what you haveto share with our audience.
Welcome to Small BusinessPivots, a podcast produced for
small business owners.
I'm your host, michael Morrison, founder and CEO of BOSS, where
we make business ownershipsimplified for success.
Our business is helping yoursgrow.
(01:37):
Boss offers business loans withbusiness coaching support.
Loans with business coachingsupport Apply in minutes and get
approved and funded in aslittle as 24 to 48 hours at
businessownershipsimplifiedcom.
I know that the entrepreneurjourney is a little bit messy
(01:59):
for some, but before we get tothat, can you share and get us
caught up to, kind of maybe yourlife journey, getting into
adulthood?
Because a lot of us grew updifferently and because of that
some of us had trials andtribulations.
Maybe that led to some mindsetstuff.
Maybe we're stuck a little biton limited beliefs, and then
(02:20):
there's others that just cruisedright through life, had the
best life ever.
We don't like those people.
No, I'm just kidding, I can'trelate to those people how about
that?
But what was your childhoodlike?
So we can kind of get caught upto where you are today.
Tania Brown (02:35):
Okay, I grew up in Brooklyn, new York, and this is
not the gentrified Brooklyn of2025.
I am a child of the 70s, sothis is the rough Brooklyn.
We grew up poor to the pointwhere I remember rats crawling
between our mattress and boxsprings free cheese lines.
No, we were poor.
Poor and the only thing I knewabout money this is what I felt.
(02:59):
What I learned was that peoplewho had it were either corrupt
or just lucky.
So you fast forward and I joinedthe military.
And back in the day when Ijoined this is like around the
early 90s they gave out creditcards like kids get candy at
Halloween, and I racked it upand I don't know if I had a go
big or go home mentality, but Iran up debt to the point that
(03:21):
would be admirable if it wasn'ta good way.
So in the military, you don'tpay your debts.
They reach out to yourcommander, so my commander calls
me in.
To this day.
I feel so sorry for that poorman, because you can just
imagine me with the Brooklynattitude hey, we got these debts
.
I'm like yeah, notice, youdidn't pay them.
I'm like what's your point?
Michael Morrison (03:44):
You have to pay those.
Tania Brown (03:46):
You actually pay those.
So his punishment was I had tocreate a debt payoff plan and I
had to create a savings plan.
Nothing clicked.
I was mad that I had to do it,but grateful that I didn't get
punished.
Further Nothing clicked untilabout a year later.
A year later, I get a messagethat my grandmother had passed
(04:06):
away and my mother did not havethe money to go to her funeral
because of that plan that Icursed underneath my breath.
I had the money to pay formyself and my mother.
That is when the light bulbwent on that the choices and
decisions you make about moneyallows you to live out your
(04:26):
values.
That's what clicked.
And then, right after that, Istarted working at in banking,
and this is about 97.
Now I still made some crazymistakes.
I wish I could say the path wasrosy.
So still yes.
So that's pretty much kind ofhow I got into the financial
service industry initially.
Fantastic, so that's prettymuch kind of how I got into the
financial service industryinitially.
Michael Morrison (04:47):
Fantastic Well , you've already kind of
mentioned that, to me at leastthat you had some messiness in
your entrepreneur journey.
So let's go from the banking tothe entrepreneur.
What was kind of thattransition?
Why did you do it?
I know a lot of people, a lotof listeners that we have, are
still wanting to dive intoentrepreneurship, but there's
(05:10):
something keeping them back, andthat could be numerous things.
So what was kind of yourjourney that said I'm doing this
?
Tania Brown (05:18):
I was not the person that I jokingly say came
out the womb with an LLC intheir hand.
So entrepreneurship was not onmy radar.
But I had started working,started kind of rising up the
corporate ladder.
It was almost like a consultantrole where I would travel.
So I have kids and a family andI remember getting on an
(05:41):
airplane and, I kid you not, theflight crew was like hey, tanya
, how are the kids?
Something about that struck,because when the airline crew
knows your family on a firstname basis, you know you're
traveling too much and it justkind of reflected what I was
seeing.
So that was part one.
Part two is what I lovingly callthe performance review from
hell.
So I was on a consultingmeeting.
(06:03):
I was heading towards a consult.
Actually we were planning wason a consulting meeting.
I was heading towards a consult.
Actually we were planningrather a consulting meeting and
I was getting ready to close onmy house.
So I let my leadership know hey, I'm not going to make this
meeting.
I got to close on my house andthey were like fine, great, I
got punished for about sixmonths on performance reviews
because that was deemed as alack of team spirit.
(06:25):
I'm not even joking.
Wow, there really was no goingback from there because of the
work we did in our finances.
And I just want to mention as aside note when we got married,
we were a hot mess.
It took us years to get on thesame page and work with our
finances, but those decisionsmeant it wasn't an if I can quit
(06:46):
, it was a win.
But I was done, done.
So I thought I had been by thispoint in the financial service
industry, helping people buildwealth, helping small business.
I thought.
I thought how hard could it be?
I just we didn't make a planfinancially.
We did have a plan of somewhatfor business, but I thought once
(07:08):
I left, how hard could it be?
And became a business andstarted a business.
Michael Morrison (07:13):
Well, I appreciate you sharing that,
because so many of us, all wesee, are the the limelight, the
stages, the bright lights ofentrepreneurship, and we never
hear about the struggles andincluding myself, like I've told
you to this day being abusiness coach for two decades
(07:35):
plus to this day when I'minvolved in a new startup or
something we still havestruggles, we still have
challenges, and so I want thatto be an encouraging message for
those that want to start abusiness.
It's not easy at all, but itcan be simpler than people make
it out to be.
I know you had some strugglesand challenges that could
(08:03):
possibly help some othersprevent those from happening or
just be aware that they'recoming and how to overcome those
.
Can you share some of thosewith us?
Tania Brown (08:13):
Okay, a couple of things.
The first thing if you are in ahighly toxic work environment,
if you don't get healed fromthat, you will take all of that
into your business.
But I've, in all fairness, hadto own my part.
I did not have good boundaries.
(08:34):
So who do you think are theclients that found me?
The ones that had no boundariesand completely exploited my
lack of boundaries.
I took on projects that Ireally probably should not have,
but what I heard was you justtake anything, which is exactly
what I did.
So on paper I looked great, butI was miserable.
(08:55):
And here's the thing when youtake on clients, you shouldn't.
And they really like you.
They didn't recommend theirclients and you didn't have it's
a their clients.
Michael Morrison (09:05):
It's a compound effect.
Tania Brown (09:06):
It's a compound effect, so not really taking
some time to detox from my pastemployer, not really assessing
what I wanted my life to looklike.
I didn't really think if I dothis, this means I don't have
this time off.
If I take this, I'm not reallyworking in what I like.
I didn't really think if I dothis, this means I don't have
this time off.
If I take this, I'm not reallyworking in what I like.
(09:28):
I didn't really think about howeach client I took literally
shaped my business.
The writing projects I took allof those.
It shaped my business and ittook it in all these different
directions.
So I didn't have a cohesivemessage.
I didn't know how importantthat was and, oh my goodness,
(09:48):
I'm so embarrassed.
I also changed my website likesix times and I didn't realize I
was killing my SEO, killing it,changing it Like I would get a
new hair and brain idea.
Okay, change website.
How bad could it be?
It was.
So I'm basically justself-sabotaging myself.
Michael Morrison (10:10):
You know you brought up a good point, and I
don't remember if we talkedabout this in the past you and I
, cause we've talked before andsomething that just dawned on me
again is the lifestyle or thetypes of jobs, careers that we
have.
We kind of get stuck in those.
So what you're talking aboutthe toxicity in the corporate
(10:31):
world yet you're helping peoplein the corporate world.
I grew up in small business,service business related
industry, and that's who I coachnow, and so do you find any
parallels in that with?
Because you mentioned that youkept getting the wrong type of
clients and then they wouldrefer you to another bad client,
(10:52):
and so I'm wondering if there'ssome inspiration or insights
there that we can crack the codeopen for others to realize.
First of all, find yourdemographic, find those that you
like to work with, have thosedefined.
Can you share, maybe, how youfigured that out?
Tania Brown (11:10):
Lots of pain and trial and error.
Just talking to a lot of people, I realized it was also
two-sided.
So it was finding the peoplewho were good for me but finding
the people who actually wantedme.
There's some type of synergybetween you and that person and
just because you want to workwith that demographic doesn't
mean that demographic wants towork with you.
(11:30):
So it was.
It was just um.
The only way to do it is tojust keep going, like I wish
somebody would have said at thefirst year.
You're just validating andyou're just asking a ton of
questions.
I just asked enough clients andgot enough no's till I got to
the yeses that I liked.
Michael Morrison (11:49):
Yeah, that's good information, and we use
DISC.
So for those that haven't heardof that, it's Predictable
Behavior Traits and in the salesworld we know that people buy
from those they know like andtrust.
So, between what you justoffered and maybe someone
investigating, diving into whatDISC is.
Because people do buy fromthose they know like and trust
(12:10):
and so find kind of yourpredictable behaviors.
Because I know on thatassessment I'm not a high D at
all and so I'm probably notgoing to be able to help them.
So between what you said andDISC it can probably help people
real in who their ideal targetis, who they'd like to work with
.
Is that valid?
Tania Brown (12:31):
100%.
I am a really high D and I Likemy.
I edges out my D, but I amsuper high in both and my C is
like nonexistent.
Michael Morrison (12:43):
But opposites attract, and that's why you and
I are here.
Tania Brown (12:48):
Ironically, if I had to do a disc, I find I
attract a lot of Cs, so I feellike there must be something in
there that seems to be working.
But I have to adapt a littlebit of my style to that
explaining more understanding, alevel of detail.
My website has more words, butI learned my people read.
(13:08):
So at first I had the trend ofhave as little on your website
as possible and that wasn'tworking.
My people read every detail.
It's almost like they highlightsections and ask.
So understanding that personhelps you to even understand.
Where do you fall in terms ofyour website?
(13:29):
Where do you fall in terms ofyour words?
How direct or not direct do youneed to be?
It's all those things.
It's trial and error.
The only way is just to ask alot of questions, be open, be
humble to being wrong.
I was so wrong in my firstproduct or my first service.
Michael Morrison (13:48):
You make a lot of valid points, so I would say
the biggest thing out of thatis define who you want to work
with first, and that will saveyou a lot of problems with
websites and contents and allthat good stuff so moving.
Once you found your idealtarget, what happened next?
Tania Brown (14:07):
Oh, my first service flopped.
So it's, I mean, it worked, butit didn't.
So here is what I wish somebodywould have said to me it's not
about what someone needs, it'sabout what someone wants.
My service was what they needed, but it wasn't what they wanted
and I was too many steps ahead.
(14:29):
So after the first few I'm notgoing to say it flopped, but I
had to pivot really hard when Irealized what I was doing wasn't
working.
I finally got to what worked.
So, even taking yourself out ofit and because this was an
experience, I walked so servingwomen who are going from
corporate to self-employment.
(14:49):
Just because I walked, thatdidn't mean I knew everybody's
experience and it took me awhile to understand that and to
adapt to.
This is what these people, thisexperience is for this person,
this is what this person wantsto kind of lead with that and I
can incorporate the need in that.
Michael Morrison (15:12):
How did you find out what they wanted?
Because I know that's a greatpiece of advice, because most
people do offer what they thinkpeople need and but you said
it's it's the opposite.
So how did you find that outwhat they wanted?
Tania Brown (15:27):
I asked a ton of questions.
I'm a big believer that peopleare intelligent enough to know
what they want and just startasking.
Also, when I got into mysessions, I was really big at
taking down notes, not only forthe client meeting.
But where did we gravitate to?
Where was the majority of ourtime?
(15:48):
And the majority of the timewasn't where I thought it would
be.
That makes sense and vettingother services, but to me it's
simply asking the questions,being really in tuned when
you're in meetings as to wheredo people seem to shift their
attention and just stay there.
Michael Morrison (16:09):
That is interesting, and I never thought
we'd open this can of worms,but I'm fixing to open it.
So we are actually kind ofgoing through the same thing,
and here we are coaches, and sowe realize that most, most small
businesses want to grow.
They're usually almost want,always wanting more sales, but
(16:30):
their business is a hot mess.
They can't, they can't do moresales.
All they're going to do iscompound their problems with
more sales.
So most business owners wantmore sales, and we're like you
got to fix you in the businessfirst.
So how do you?
What have you found throughthat transition of okay, I
understand what you want, butyou can't have that until you
(16:53):
get this?
Did you figure anything out oflike here's what you need,
though, even though this is whatyou want, is that too loaded of
a question?
Tania Brown (17:03):
No, I had to tee them up, like it.
This is it's funny, cause I dida workshop a few weeks ago and
nobody had even spoken to aclient but everybody wanted to
know what business entity tohave.
So I had to tie what theywanted to what they needed.
(17:23):
So I'm like I'm so happy you'reinterested in figuring out your
business entity, but yourentity is going to go nowhere if
you don't even know how muchyou spend per month, like.
So I had to tie the language ofwhat they needed to what they
wanted and let them which theydid get to a place like okay.
(17:43):
So one was like you're tryingto tell me I'm focused on the
wrong stuff.
I said you're saying that.
Michael Morrison (17:49):
Yeah, right, yeah, marketing 101 for all of
us new business owners out thereto understand define your
target first and then offer whatthey want, not need, and then
tie it in together and explainthat so well.
So you continue down thisjourney.
(18:12):
I'm sure you've learned moresince those first obstacles.
Tania Brown (18:16):
So once I started to understand again what people
wanted and honestly it was justwhat was on the brain, so it's
just getting what was on thebrain off so you can get to what
they needed it wasunderstanding what they needed
from their perspective and howto package what they needed in a
way that was meaningful to them.
To be honest, my first fewservices were just overkill.
(18:37):
It was too much for what theyneeded.
And I realized what they neededwas the basics.
And there is a business coachout there and she I remember she
looked at my services.
She was like this is justridiculous.
And she made a comment thatstuck with me and she says make
it so simple.
You almost feel you're wrong.
Michael Morrison (18:58):
Almost feel what.
Tania Brown (18:59):
That you're wrong.
Michael Morrison (19:00):
Oh, that you're wrong, okay.
Tania Brown (19:01):
Yeah, and she just, and she kind of went on to say
do not assume that what seems sosimple and easy to you is
simple to other people.
Michael Morrison (19:12):
Keep it simple .
Tania Brown (19:14):
Almost two.
Whatever you think simple is,go two steps below, and that was
some just wisdom and thatserved me well.
Michael Morrison (19:23):
You're just full of nuggets today because we
get so surrounded in our ownenvironment that we just think,
oh, everybody should know that.
I mean, come on, so that's alsogood advice.
So tell us a little bit aboutwhat your services are, who you
help and what that process lookslike.
Tania Brown (19:43):
Yeah, it is such a simpler version.
So again, I serve women Itypically trend over the age of
40 who are in corporate rolesand when I say corporate, I have
a decent percentage of nursesand teachers.
So they work for large entities, typically highly skilled
managerial, some executives.
And, as one woman put it, Ilove how she said.
(20:06):
This woman said she's tired ofliving in the margins of her job
.
I heard someone say this onanother podcast.
I just thought that beautifullydescribed 99% of the people who
come to me and they want an exitstrategy and they feel hopeless
because in their minds there'sonly two options to
(20:27):
entrepreneurship you either gofor broke or you stay in
something you hate.
And I'm like there's a thirdoption.
So I want them to build theirown unique journey.
So the first step with me is weactually do a transition
assessment how, where do youfall on being prepared for your
transition?
And I actually walk through theprocess.
(20:48):
Actually, I've just gatheredthe information.
I'm able to do the assessmentFrom there.
We just zone in on what cankill you, because there's a
thousand things out there, butI'm like here are the things
that can kill you.
Where do you want to start?
And we start there, butnormally after we talk their
perspective shifts and that kindof goes back to kind of
(21:08):
starting with what they want,tying it to what they need,
because they begin to realizethese little things are really
important.
Michael Morrison (21:16):
Yeah, yeah.
So is there some financialdiscoveries along the way?
Apply in minutes and getapproved and funded in as little
(21:38):
as 24 to 48 hours atbusinessownershipsimplifiedcom.
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Now let's get back to ourspecial guest.
So is there some financialdiscoveries along the way, then,
that you help them with?
Tania Brown (21:59):
Oh yeah, discoveries along the way then
that you helped them with.
Oh yeah, Okay, it's funny.
When I started I did notrealize how important this was.
I just assumed if you're goingto quit your job and start a
business, you're going to take alook at your finances.
You're going to know how muchyou I don't know how much I
really thought you're going toat least know how much you spend
(22:20):
.
So in this five, how much Ireally thought you're going to
at least know how much you spend.
So in this five-step processthat I call ready, the first
thing is review your actualnumbers, not fantasy numbers,
not what you think.
I want them to go back at least30 days, ideally longer, and I
want them to know, to the pennywhat did you spend last month?
That by itself is eyeopening.
(22:41):
I hear a lot of times I had noidea I was spending this much or
I didn't really know my moneywas going in all these different
directions.
Yeah, it.
Michael Morrison (22:50):
It's amazing how perspective is wrong many
times, because I remember when Istarted my first business back
in the day, the dollar amount ofall my debt didn't really
impact me.
But when I started thinkinglike, oh, I could make $500 on
this job and $1,000 on that one,that sounded big and bold and
(23:12):
amazing.
But what I didn't realize was Ihad $8,000 to $10,000 worth of
debt every month that I wastrying to pay off.
But the monies of what I couldmake got so exciting I didn't
think about what it would taketo survive.
Tania Brown (23:28):
Yeah, and that happens a lot, and that number
is the basis of everything.
That number is going todetermine how much money you
need.
I deal a lot with solopreneurs,so that is critical to how much
money you're going to need tolive off of.
That's probably going to be howyou price to make sure you can
keep a roof over your head.
Michael Morrison (23:48):
So you do webinars and you're a speaker.
Who do you speak to and whatkind of webinars do you have so
people can learn more?
Tania Brown (23:57):
So I do something Escape your 9 to five plans.
So it's your nine to fiveescape plan, and in there I go
through these five steps.
That is critical to being ableto plan for a smooth and
successful transition.
And from there I break it downinto various points.
The ultimate goal for me is howdo I help you build a
(24:17):
foundation to have the best shotof success and what I like to
call the self-employed gap, likethat season, between steady
paychecks and consistentbusiness income.
So every webinar takes a pointfrom one of those five steps.
Michael Morrison (24:33):
What would you say that your services provide
someone emotionally?
Tania Brown (24:43):
services provide someone emotionally.
Hope is the number one thing Ihear, which brings me to tears
as I say it, because a lot oftimes they come in after
listening to what I like to callthe highlight reel of
entrepreneurship and they can't.
And I appreciate someone whostarted their business at 25,
who's never worked in acorporate job, telling people
just quit their jobs.
But if you have lived a littlebit, if you're in your forties,
(25:08):
the risk is real.
When you're like me, who hadthe mammogram from hell I
literally went from a mammogramto emergency surgery within days
telling me to just quit my job,forget healthcare instead of
business, is very different.
We need to manage the risk ofdoing it, especially when you're
older.
So telling them there's a thirdsolution you could do strategic
(25:30):
funding.
Hops, it doesn't have to be aleap, you don't have to have a
ton of cash, but understand it'sgoing to take time because you
basically are leveragingdifferent jobs to get you to
self-employment, almost like youstart off full-time, you do
this part-time and then we'rekind of going to tilt it to
where maybe it's part-time workand you're full-time
(25:50):
self-employed and then ease youout of that.
That is going to take time,that is a way.
And then every job you do isstrategic.
It is strategic in buildingskills, whether technical or
soft, to get you there.
But you can build this and youcan build this in a way that's
suitable to you.
So when I'm done, I hear I'mlike, is this possible?
And I'm like, yes, it's verypossible.
Michael Morrison (26:10):
That is strong advice that, even if someone's
not thinking or consideringabout starting a business,
that's applicable in everything.
I ran a marathon earlier thisyear and everybody says how do
you know if someone ran amarathon?
Well, we'll tell you.
Okay, you don't have to ask,we'll tell you.
It's an accomplishment thatless than one of 1%, I believe,
(26:39):
in the world even do.
But one thing I noticed thatkind of aligns with what you're
talking about is confidence, andso most people would say, well,
I could never run 26.2 miles.
And I'm like, well, youprobably couldn't without a plan
.
So clarity the plan equalsconfidence and hope that you can
, and that was one of the thingsthat I was like once I had a
(26:59):
plan and hope that you can.
And that was one of the thingsthat I was like once I had a
plan.
I had clarity of what I neededto do and I did it and it
happened.
And so one of your statementson here is your confident path
to self-employment freedom.
What is the freedom that peoplecan get from owning a business?
Tania Brown (27:18):
To do work that lights them up and work that
they feel is impactful.
To have time.
Okay, I know it's so funny.
I feel like I'm at this stage Iwasn't at before.
I baked cookies for my kidscoming home from school one day.
That would have been impossiblewith me traveling as a
consultant, and I know thatsounds old-fashioned, but it was
(27:40):
just nice to be able to dosomething for my kids that they
liked in a time frame.
I couldn't have done it before.
A friend who lost a parent andme being able to say I can
switch some meetings around, I'mgoing to come see you, being
able to be present mentallyagain, to have a choice in the
work you do you versus aperformance review to decide how
(28:05):
much to charge for something.
So it is a freedom to fully beyourself.
I'm a person of faith, so I'm areally big believer.
That is a way to step into thecalling that God has for you as
well.
So there's this peace in themidst of the chaos when you're
in all of this.
Michael Morrison (28:25):
Yeah, that's good.
So when you talk about freedom,I know that, and you mentioned
the word earlier, but we canalso, by not having boundaries,
our freedom can stress us out.
So what kind of boundarieswould you suggest someone should
set from the get-go, so thatyou're not being pulled in so
(28:46):
many different directions,taking on every single client?
What are those boundaries thatyou found to be worthwhile
sharing?
Tania Brown (28:55):
This may sound weird, but if you're coming from
a corporate environment, I tellpeople go get therapy while
you're still working and go gettherapy on their dimes that they
screwed you up.
Let them pay for it.
Michael Morrison (29:06):
That's great advice.
Tania Brown (29:07):
You're going gonna need a sounding board because
you have to be honest with yourrole in how everything happened
and I wasn't honest enough tosay that I was a part of my
detox job.
So I think the pretty step is alevel of self-awareness that I
said yes when I really shouldhave said no.
I stayed in the job when Iprobably should have left.
(29:29):
So some level of responsibility.
And then what's your triggers?
Definitely, like everybody else, to struggle like the
overachiever need to like thatachievement.
Dopamine hit is hard.
So recognizing my individualtriggers meant I didn't
duplicate it when I wasself-employed and then just
(29:49):
looking for how, what yourspecific triggers are.
I'm a big believer in community.
So I had people and I was likecall me out when I'm crazy, call
me out when I'm like.
Tanya, you said you wanted togo in this direction but you're
doing this because if bright,shiny object disease was a club,
I would be chairman of theboard.
And that unfortunate high Dmeans I'm racing before I'm
(30:14):
thinking.
So like if I'm like my friendsknow if I say I'm doing
something, if I'm saying I'mthinking about something, I
probably have already started it.
So those people that can slowyou down, but knowing your own
triggers, having boundariesaround when you stop working,
having even on the email, hey, Iwill get to you within 48 hours
(30:35):
.
Here are my work hours, makingit clear a hard lesson I learned
and I learned this inconsulting the heart of that
client is to onboard with the.
With the amount of what they'reasking for, the harder they are
to keep.
Not all money is good money.
Michael Morrison (30:50):
Yeah, that's more great advice, and so I've
got a couple questions out ofthat conversation.
So I always share with adultsthat we do personal development
with coaching, growth coachingand one of the things I find
fascinating is, as a kid if wecan all take ourselves back to
(31:11):
growing up in the household mostof us couldn't wait to get out
of the house because we knewbetter than our parents did.
We wanted that freedom.
We were tired of being home ata certain time or being told, no
, you can't do that.
And then we get out into theadulting world and we don't know
what to do because we have nostructure.
So the reason I bring that upis because, along with freedom
(31:33):
and boundaries, there's got tobe something about
accountability, because onceyou've got that freedom, for a
lot of people it's hard to beproductive productive.
(31:53):
So what advice would you giveto us of those that go from you
have these boundaries or don'thave boundaries in the corporate
world to, all of a sudden, theworld is my oyster, but how do I
keep motivated?
Tania Brown (32:03):
Okay, this may be a little bit too anal for some
people, but I'm a big believerin time blocking.
But I block my days Like I have.
My Fridays are my CEO days andI used to think that was just
stupid.
I'm being honest, like when afriend told me to block off a
day where I'm strictly in CEOmode and I'm thinking strictly,
(32:24):
I was like no, and I realized,not having those days, I've made
worse decisions.
So having like my Mondays whereI'm focused on any of the
writing, my Tuesdays throughThursdays I call those moving
the needles.
Those are my hardcore.
I am knee deep in the businessdays.
It helps me to focus.
So for me, a focused day helpsand then within there I have
(32:47):
hours.
I have learned the hard way.
I have to have blank space.
I used to think, no, I mean forus overachievers, you just work
until you fall down.
It just doesn't work.
In business you have to protectyour energy, knowing when I'm
at my high, knowing when I'm atmy low.
So I think I start.
(33:10):
I was floundering all over theplace and then I decided to pay
attention to when I naturallydid stuff.
When did I just you couldn'tmake me work on this to save my
life day.
I just didn't do it on that day, like, for whatever reason, I
am not writing on a Wednesday.
I don't know why I'm notwriting on a Wednesday.
I have no, it's not going tohappen.
(33:31):
But on a Monday I'm refreshed.
I have no idea.
But so I learned to work withmy natural rhythm for what I
focus on and what I naturally do.
And that took time, but Iactually did an inventory and
kind of eventually came up withit.
I am very strict at sticking tomy schedule when I don't
(33:52):
everything go off the rails.
Also, having days where I haveI love co-workers, there's
different words for it but I'llget on a Zoom call with a friend
and we just, you know, put iton mute and we work.
So having that really helpscommunity.
Michael Morrison (34:08):
Wow, I haven't heard of that one.
That's, that's, that's good.
So you, if you're a solopreneur, sometimes it can get very
lonely.
A lot of times it can getlonely, but that's, that's great
.
So, on the the freedom part,you're also saying that there's
gotta be structure.
Tania Brown (34:25):
Yeah yeah.
It's kind of the same when Itell a client about a budget.
A budget isn't restricted.
What a budget is is give youthe boundaries, to have the
freedom to do the things thatmatter most.
What having a schedule for your, your week year, however you
plan it is?
It gives you the freedom so youcan do the things that matters
most, rather than beingcluttered with just stuff.
Michael Morrison (34:49):
Yeah, so we're going to address the people
that haven't quite made the leap.
What are some industries orcareers that people leave the
corporate world for and they godo this?
What are some of those thingsyou see people doing to start
another business?
Because I know for a lot ofpeople in the corporate world
they're just always told whatthey can and can't do, and so a
(35:12):
lot of people they can't thinkabout what could I do on my own?
What are some of those thingsthat people are jumping out into
in the entrepreneur world,coming from corporate it's funny
.
Tania Brown (35:25):
You said I just had a conversation with someone,
with a client, about this and itgot to the point where she was
so beaten down that I literallytold her just tell me everything
you do in a day and everythingshe said.
I said someone gets paid forthat.
Someone gets paid for that.
If someone is hiring you to doa job, that literally means that
(35:49):
what you have can be monetized.
So everything from virtualassistants.
If you are helping other peoplesort out schedules, well,
business owners need that samehelp.
If you are helping provide aservice, someone else needs that
service.
So for every service that youare delivering to your employer,
(36:10):
you can outsource that to otherpeople.
So really there's.
I have seen.
I have seen stuff where Ithought there is no way.
I will never.
I will never say never.
At one point I was the chair ofa small business committee for
(36:31):
a local chamber of commerce andI saw businesses.
I would have bet my house wouldhave failed, and didn't?
You find the right audience andyou market.
Well, I am learning.
Just about anything can be abusiness.
Michael Morrison (36:45):
Well, and you mentioned a good point is don't
look at the money side of it.
You didn't say this, but I'msaying.
Point is don't look at themoney side of it.
You didn't say this, but I'msaying this Don't look at the
money side.
But what you did say was findyour passion, what are you good
at, and go make money from that.
In other words, I see so manypeople getting into
entrepreneurship and they'rethinking oh, I want to make five
(37:07):
million, 10 million.
You know they're looking at thedollar signs and I'm like now
start with what you love doingfirst, which is kind of what you
were saying, right?
Tania Brown (37:15):
Yeah, that keeps you because I love your opinion
on this.
What I have learned is thesecret success to business is
being around long enough for itto work, being consistent.
And that's it I mean when youthink about it.
If you stick long enough ofdoing something, saying
something consistently I meanwith few exceptions it's
(37:38):
probably going to work itselfout.
But you have to have somethingbigger than money to anchor you
into those sucky years, becauseyou are doing so much work
without seeing results and Iwish somebody would have said
that to me in our early years.
You're doing so much marketing,you're validating, you're
figuring out what doesn't work,and the dollars aren't following
the effort initially.
Michael Morrison (38:01):
But when I talk to to confirm what you just
said, to piggyback on that, Iknow so many business owners
that are very successful andmoney was never their target.
It was the freedom, the freedomof time, their choices.
If they want to make more money, they can.
(38:22):
If they just want to chill andpay the bills, they can.
They don't have to answer toanybody and I always back that
up with because I've been anentrepreneur for so long and I
plan on being one forever, Godwilling.
But the thing I love is I don'thave to ask what I call
(38:44):
permission to go watch my childat two o'clock in his school
play, Like that's the freedomwe're talking about, that
overrides money all day long.
Tania Brown (38:53):
Absolutely.
But it's funny because, on theother side, that's why the money
planning is so important.
So when I do mention planningto people, I understand.
For most corporate people, whenthey leave, the first few
months are a dead zone.
They are recovering fromtoxicity, they're recovering
from life.
I actually have them build thatinto their plan.
(39:13):
And then, as we're talkingabout the financial planning and
this new era, I'm like build inthe money for freedom.
I had worked for a startup andpart of the downfall of the
startup was they had gottenthemselves into a financial
position to where they couldn'tsay no and I knew when I started
a business I would never putmyself in that position.
(39:35):
So, creating the financialenvironment or creating the
finance either keeping yourexpenses low in the beginning,
but figuring out what low meansto you, that extra savings so
you can say no to the thingsthat take you off purpose, like
going to your kid's play or mebaking cookies, so you can do
(39:57):
those things that just matter.
Michael Morrison (39:58):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Well, I guarantee we've perkedsome ears today.
So what's the best way to get ahold of you and then follow you
, Because some people they justlike to follow more advice.
Tania Brown (40:12):
So the best way to get a hold of me is my website,
tanyapbrowncom.
You can follow me on LinkedIn.
So I do do videos and posts,just giving really quick tips.
I try to give just oneactionable tip, because I know
this can be so overwhelming,just to get you going and to
(40:33):
keep you motivated.
Michael Morrison (40:35):
Yeah, I see you're doing a blog as well, and
so are you open to connectionsfor our listeners that want to
reach out.
Tania Brown (40:43):
Absolutely.
If you go to my website you canbook a free consultation, where
sometimes I've listened topeople just cry.
Other times we get to exploreyour dreams and I always say I
am here to be a safe space forthose dreams and I'm here to
point you in the right direction.
The nice part about beingaround since the dinosaur age,
(41:05):
as my kids say, is if I'm notthe fit I know, I typically know
who is and can point you in theright direction.
Michael Morrison (41:11):
That's interesting because we're all
about hope, right, giving peoplehope, being a voice of hope.
And you mentioned that peoplecall and have cried on the phone
.
Yes, for those watching thevideo you can't see, but just to
my right we have a box oftissues.
For the same reason, peoplecome in here and they just got
to let go.
So if you're a business owneror someone considering doing
(41:33):
business and you're afraid toask for help, please, please,
ask for help.
That's all I can say.
Most of us, like yourself and I, we coach from a sense of
empathy and not judgment, and sothat's why we're here.
That's why we do what we do,right.
So I want to wrap up here withI always ask the same question,
(41:55):
and that is if you were in frontof a group of business owners
of all seasons of you know 10years, 20 years, but different
industries, what's somethingapplicable for all of them?
It could be a quote, a tip, abook or just something that you
would like to share.
Tania Brown (42:10):
Let's see, there's so much.
I know it One of the things Iwould always say.
Going back to the fact that I'ma person of faith, I always,
for most businesses, I find it'sa calling and this passion, and
I tell all of them that arefeeling low sometimes that your
(42:31):
business is an answer topeople's prayers.
Please do not let your fears orinsecurity prevent you from
answering that call.
Michael Morrison (42:39):
That's good stuff.
Well, tanya, you've been ablessing to many and a wealth of
information.
I appreciate you today sharingall of your insights and good
tips, and I encourage ourlisteners to go connect with you
on LinkedIn.
Go to your website, schedulethat free consultation and you
will be better off having donethat.
Thanks again.
Tania Brown (42:58):
Thank you.
Michael Morrison (43:00):
My pleasure.
Thank you for listening toSmall Business Pivots.
This podcast is created andproduced by my company, boss.
Our business is growing yours.
Boss, offers flexible businessloans with business coaching
support.
Apply in minutes and getapproved and funded in as little
as 24 to 48 hours atbusinessownershipsimplifiedcom.
(43:23):
If you're enjoying this podcast, don't forget to hit the
subscribe button and share it aswell.
If you need help growing yourbusiness, email me at michael at
michaeldmorrisoncom.
We'll see you next time onSmall Business Pivots.
All right, welcome to another Small
Business, pivots, where we bringspecial guests from around the
world.
And if you've watched orlistened to our podcast before,
you know that no one canintroduce their name in business
like the business owner.
So I turn it over to youIntroduce yourself, tell us
where you're.
Tania Brown (00:22):
My name is Tanya P Brown.
I live in Lawrenceville,georgia, which is about 30
minutes north of Atlanta, so Iown my own business as a job
exit strategist and I know somepeople are like what the heck is
that?
I help people.
A lot of times.
Women who are ready to leavethe nine to five to become
(00:43):
self-employed create a financialstrategy so they don't go broke
, end up in a pile of debt orhave to go crumbling back to
their old job.
Michael Morrison (00:54):
That happens, wow, okay, so well, I know that
this is an alignment.
It's parallel to each otherbecause the first statement on
your website is ready to becomeyour own boss, and that's the
name of our company.
So let's introduce the showhere and we'll get to the real
(01:16):
stories and learn what you haveto share with our audience.
Welcome to Small BusinessPivots, a podcast produced for
small business owners.
I'm your host, michael Morrison, founder and CEO of BOSS, where
we make business ownershipsimplified for success.
Our business is helping yoursgrow.
(01:37):
Boss offers business loans withbusiness coaching support.
Loans with business coachingsupport Apply in minutes and get
approved and funded in aslittle as 24 to 48 hours at
businessownershipsimplifiedcom.
I know that the entrepreneurjourney is a little bit messy
(01:59):
for some, but before we get tothat, can you share and get us
caught up to, kind of maybe yourlife journey, getting into
adulthood?
Because a lot of us grew updifferently and because of that
some of us had trials andtribulations.
Maybe that led to some mindsetstuff.
Maybe we're stuck a little biton limited beliefs, and then
(02:20):
there's others that just cruisedright through life, had the
best life ever.
We don't like those people.
No, I'm just kidding, I can'trelate to those people how about
that?
But what was your childhoodlike?
So we can kind of get caught upto where you are today.
Tania Brown (02:35):
Okay, I grew up in Brooklyn, new York, and this is
not the gentrified Brooklyn of2025.
I am a child of the 70s, sothis is the rough Brooklyn.
We grew up poor to the pointwhere I remember rats crawling
between our mattress and boxsprings free cheese lines.
No, we were poor.
Poor and the only thing I knewabout money this is what I felt.
(02:59):
What I learned was that peoplewho had it were either corrupt
or just lucky.
So you fast forward and I joinedthe military.
And back in the day when Ijoined this is like around the
early 90s they gave out creditcards like kids get candy at
Halloween, and I racked it upand I don't know if I had a go
big or go home mentality, but Iran up debt to the point that
(03:21):
would be admirable if it wasn'ta good way.
So in the military, you don'tpay your debts.
They reach out to yourcommander, so my commander calls
me in.
To this day.
I feel so sorry for that poorman, because you can just
imagine me with the Brooklynattitude hey, we got these debts
.
I'm like yeah, notice, youdidn't pay them.
I'm like what's your point?
Michael Morrison (03:44):
You have to pay those.
Tania Brown (03:46):
You actually pay those.
So his punishment was I had tocreate a debt payoff plan and I
had to create a savings plan.
Nothing clicked.
I was mad that I had to do it,but grateful that I didn't get
punished.
Further Nothing clicked untilabout a year later.
A year later, I get a messagethat my grandmother had passed
(04:06):
away and my mother did not havethe money to go to her funeral
because of that plan that Icursed underneath my breath.
I had the money to pay formyself and my mother.
That is when the light bulbwent on that the choices and
decisions you make about moneyallows you to live out your
(04:26):
values.
That's what clicked.
And then, right after that, Istarted working at in banking,
and this is about 97.
Now I still made some crazymistakes.
I wish I could say the path wasrosy.
So still yes.
So that's pretty much kind ofhow I got into the financial
service industry initially.
Fantastic, so that's prettymuch kind of how I got into the
financial service industryinitially.
Michael Morrison (04:47):
Fantastic Well , you've already kind of
mentioned that, to me at leastthat you had some messiness in
your entrepreneur journey.
So let's go from the banking tothe entrepreneur.
What was kind of thattransition?
Why did you do it?
I know a lot of people, a lotof listeners that we have, are
still wanting to dive intoentrepreneurship, but there's
(05:10):
something keeping them back, andthat could be numerous things.
So what was kind of yourjourney that said I'm doing this
?
Tania Brown (05:18):
I was not the person that I jokingly say came
out the womb with an LLC intheir hand.
So entrepreneurship was not onmy radar.
But I had started working,started kind of rising up the
corporate ladder.
It was almost like a consultantrole where I would travel.
So I have kids and a family andI remember getting on an
(05:41):
airplane and, I kid you not, theflight crew was like hey, tanya
, how are the kids?
Something about that struck,because when the airline crew
knows your family on a firstname basis, you know you're
traveling too much and it justkind of reflected what I was
seeing.
So that was part one.
Part two is what I lovingly callthe performance review from
hell.
So I was on a consultingmeeting.
(06:03):
I was heading towards a consult.
Actually we were planning wason a consulting meeting.
I was heading towards a consult.
Actually we were planningrather a consulting meeting and
I was getting ready to close onmy house.
So I let my leadership know hey, I'm not going to make this
meeting.
I got to close on my house andthey were like fine, great, I
got punished for about sixmonths on performance reviews
because that was deemed as alack of team spirit.
(06:25):
I'm not even joking.
Wow, there really was no goingback from there because of the
work we did in our finances.
And I just want to mention as aside note when we got married,
we were a hot mess.
It took us years to get on thesame page and work with our
finances, but those decisionsmeant it wasn't an if I can quit
(06:46):
, it was a win.
But I was done, done.
So I thought I had been by thispoint in the financial service
industry, helping people buildwealth, helping small business.
I thought.
I thought how hard could it be?
I just we didn't make a planfinancially.
We did have a plan of somewhatfor business, but I thought once
(07:08):
I left, how hard could it be?
And became a business andstarted a business.
Michael Morrison (07:13):
Well, I appreciate you sharing that,
because so many of us, all wesee, are the the limelight, the
stages, the bright lights ofentrepreneurship, and we never
hear about the struggles andincluding myself, like I've told
you to this day being abusiness coach for two decades
(07:35):
plus to this day when I'minvolved in a new startup or
something we still havestruggles, we still have
challenges, and so I want thatto be an encouraging message for
those that want to start abusiness.
It's not easy at all, but itcan be simpler than people make
it out to be.
I know you had some strugglesand challenges that could
(08:03):
possibly help some othersprevent those from happening or
just be aware that they'recoming and how to overcome those
.
Can you share some of thosewith us?
Tania Brown (08:13):
Okay, a couple of things.
The first thing if you are in ahighly toxic work environment,
if you don't get healed fromthat, you will take all of that
into your business.
But I've, in all fairness, hadto own my part.
I did not have good boundaries.
(08:34):
So who do you think are theclients that found me?
The ones that had no boundariesand completely exploited my
lack of boundaries.
I took on projects that Ireally probably should not have,
but what I heard was you justtake anything, which is exactly
what I did.
So on paper I looked great, butI was miserable.
(08:55):
And here's the thing when youtake on clients, you shouldn't.
And they really like you.
They didn't recommend theirclients and you didn't have it's
a their clients.
Michael Morrison (09:05):
It's a compound effect.
Tania Brown (09:06):
It's a compound effect, so not really taking
some time to detox from my pastemployer, not really assessing
what I wanted my life to looklike.
I didn't really think if I dothis, this means I don't have
this time off.
If I take this, I'm not reallyworking in what I like.
I didn't really think if I dothis, this means I don't have
this time off.
If I take this, I'm not reallyworking in what I like.
(09:28):
I didn't really think about howeach client I took literally
shaped my business.
The writing projects I took allof those.
It shaped my business and ittook it in all these different
directions.
So I didn't have a cohesivemessage.
I didn't know how importantthat was and, oh my goodness,
(09:48):
I'm so embarrassed.
I also changed my website likesix times and I didn't realize I
was killing my SEO, killing it,changing it Like I would get a
new hair and brain idea.
Okay, change website.
How bad could it be?
It was.
So I'm basically justself-sabotaging myself.
Michael Morrison (10:10):
You know you brought up a good point, and I
don't remember if we talkedabout this in the past you and I
, cause we've talked before andsomething that just dawned on me
again is the lifestyle or thetypes of jobs, careers that we
have.
We kind of get stuck in those.
So what you're talking aboutthe toxicity in the corporate
(10:31):
world yet you're helping peoplein the corporate world.
I grew up in small business,service business related
industry, and that's who I coachnow, and so do you find any
parallels in that with?
Because you mentioned that youkept getting the wrong type of
clients and then they wouldrefer you to another bad client,
(10:52):
and so I'm wondering if there'ssome inspiration or insights
there that we can crack the codeopen for others to realize.
First of all, find yourdemographic, find those that you
like to work with, have thosedefined.
Can you share, maybe, how youfigured that out?
Tania Brown (11:10):
Lots of pain and trial and error.
Just talking to a lot of people, I realized it was also
two-sided.
So it was finding the peoplewho were good for me but finding
the people who actually wantedme.
There's some type of synergybetween you and that person and
just because you want to workwith that demographic doesn't
mean that demographic wants towork with you.
(11:30):
So it was.
It was just um.
The only way to do it is tojust keep going, like I wish
somebody would have said at thefirst year.
You're just validating andyou're just asking a ton of
questions.
I just asked enough clients andgot enough no's till I got to
the yeses that I liked.
Michael Morrison (11:49):
Yeah, that's good information, and we use
DISC.
So for those that haven't heardof that, it's Predictable
Behavior Traits and in the salesworld we know that people buy
from those they know like andtrust.
So, between what you justoffered and maybe someone
investigating, diving into whatDISC is.
Because people do buy fromthose they know like and trust
(12:10):
and so find kind of yourpredictable behaviors.
Because I know on thatassessment I'm not a high D at
all and so I'm probably notgoing to be able to help them.
So between what you said andDISC it can probably help people
real in who their ideal targetis, who they'd like to work with
.
Is that valid?
Tania Brown (12:31):
100%.
I am a really high D and I Likemy.
I edges out my D, but I amsuper high in both and my C is
like nonexistent.
Michael Morrison (12:43):
But opposites attract, and that's why you and
I are here.
Tania Brown (12:48):
Ironically, if I had to do a disc, I find I
attract a lot of Cs, so I feellike there must be something in
there that seems to be working.
But I have to adapt a littlebit of my style to that
explaining more understanding, alevel of detail.
My website has more words, butI learned my people read.
(13:08):
So at first I had the trend ofhave as little on your website
as possible and that wasn'tworking.
My people read every detail.
It's almost like they highlightsections and ask.
So understanding that personhelps you to even understand.
Where do you fall in terms ofyour website?
(13:29):
Where do you fall in terms ofyour words?
How direct or not direct do youneed to be?
It's all those things.
It's trial and error.
The only way is just to ask alot of questions, be open, be
humble to being wrong.
I was so wrong in my firstproduct or my first service.
Michael Morrison (13:48):
You make a lot of valid points, so I would say
the biggest thing out of thatis define who you want to work
with first, and that will saveyou a lot of problems with
websites and contents and allthat good stuff so moving.
Once you found your idealtarget, what happened next?
Tania Brown (14:07):
Oh, my first service flopped.
So it's, I mean, it worked, butit didn't.
So here is what I wish somebodywould have said to me it's not
about what someone needs, it'sabout what someone wants.
My service was what they needed, but it wasn't what they wanted
and I was too many steps ahead.
(14:29):
So after the first few I'm notgoing to say it flopped, but I
had to pivot really hard when Irealized what I was doing wasn't
working.
I finally got to what worked.
So, even taking yourself out ofit and because this was an
experience, I walked so servingwomen who are going from
corporate to self-employment.
(14:49):
Just because I walked, thatdidn't mean I knew everybody's
experience and it took me awhile to understand that and to
adapt to.
This is what these people, thisexperience is for this person,
this is what this person wantsto kind of lead with that and I
can incorporate the need in that.
Michael Morrison (15:12):
How did you find out what they wanted?
Because I know that's a greatpiece of advice, because most
people do offer what they thinkpeople need and but you said
it's it's the opposite.
So how did you find that outwhat they wanted?
Tania Brown (15:27):
I asked a ton of questions.
I'm a big believer that peopleare intelligent enough to know
what they want and just startasking.
Also, when I got into mysessions, I was really big at
taking down notes, not only forthe client meeting.
But where did we gravitate to?
Where was the majority of ourtime?
(15:48):
And the majority of the timewasn't where I thought it would
be.
That makes sense and vettingother services, but to me it's
simply asking the questions,being really in tuned when
you're in meetings as to wheredo people seem to shift their
attention and just stay there.
Michael Morrison (16:09):
That is interesting, and I never thought
we'd open this can of worms,but I'm fixing to open it.
So we are actually kind ofgoing through the same thing,
and here we are coaches, and sowe realize that most, most small
businesses want to grow.
They're usually almost want,always wanting more sales, but
(16:30):
their business is a hot mess.
They can't, they can't do moresales.
All they're going to do iscompound their problems with
more sales.
So most business owners wantmore sales, and we're like you
got to fix you in the businessfirst.
So how do you?
What have you found throughthat transition of okay, I
understand what you want, butyou can't have that until you
(16:53):
get this?
Did you figure anything out oflike here's what you need,
though, even though this is whatyou want, is that too loaded of
a question?
Tania Brown (17:03):
No, I had to tee them up, like it.
This is it's funny, cause I dida workshop a few weeks ago and
nobody had even spoken to aclient but everybody wanted to
know what business entity tohave.
So I had to tie what theywanted to what they needed.
(17:23):
So I'm like I'm so happy you'reinterested in figuring out your
business entity, but yourentity is going to go nowhere if
you don't even know how muchyou spend per month, like.
So I had to tie the language ofwhat they needed to what they
wanted and let them which theydid get to a place like okay.
(17:43):
So one was like you're tryingto tell me I'm focused on the
wrong stuff.
I said you're saying that.
Michael Morrison (17:49):
Yeah, right, yeah, marketing 101 for all of
us new business owners out thereto understand define your
target first and then offer whatthey want, not need, and then
tie it in together and explainthat so well.
So you continue down thisjourney.
(18:12):
I'm sure you've learned moresince those first obstacles.
Tania Brown (18:16):
So once I started to understand again what people
wanted and honestly it was justwhat was on the brain, so it's
just getting what was on thebrain off so you can get to what
they needed it wasunderstanding what they needed
from their perspective and howto package what they needed in a
way that was meaningful to them.
To be honest, my first fewservices were just overkill.
(18:37):
It was too much for what theyneeded.
And I realized what they neededwas the basics.
And there is a business coachout there and she I remember she
looked at my services.
She was like this is justridiculous.
And she made a comment thatstuck with me and she says make
it so simple.
You almost feel you're wrong.
Michael Morrison (18:58):
Almost feel what.
Tania Brown (18:59):
That you're wrong.
Michael Morrison (19:00):
Oh, that you're wrong, okay.
Tania Brown (19:01):
Yeah, and she just, and she kind of went on to say
do not assume that what seems sosimple and easy to you is
simple to other people.
Michael Morrison (19:12):
Keep it simple .
Tania Brown (19:14):
Almost two.
Whatever you think simple is,go two steps below, and that was
some just wisdom and thatserved me well.
Michael Morrison (19:23):
You're just full of nuggets today because we
get so surrounded in our ownenvironment that we just think,
oh, everybody should know that.
I mean, come on, so that's alsogood advice.
So tell us a little bit aboutwhat your services are, who you
help and what that process lookslike.
Tania Brown (19:43):
Yeah, it is such a simpler version.
So again, I serve women Itypically trend over the age of
40 who are in corporate rolesand when I say corporate, I have
a decent percentage of nursesand teachers.
So they work for large entities, typically highly skilled
managerial, some executives.
And, as one woman put it, Ilove how she said.
(20:06):
This woman said she's tired ofliving in the margins of her job
.
I heard someone say this onanother podcast.
I just thought that beautifullydescribed 99% of the people who
come to me and they want an exitstrategy and they feel hopeless
because in their minds there'sonly two options to
(20:27):
entrepreneurship you either gofor broke or you stay in
something you hate.
And I'm like there's a thirdoption.
So I want them to build theirown unique journey.
So the first step with me is weactually do a transition
assessment how, where do youfall on being prepared for your
transition?
And I actually walk through theprocess.
(20:48):
Actually, I've just gatheredthe information.
I'm able to do the assessmentFrom there.
We just zone in on what cankill you, because there's a
thousand things out there, butI'm like here are the things
that can kill you.
Where do you want to start?
And we start there, butnormally after we talk their
perspective shifts and that kindof goes back to kind of
(21:08):
starting with what they want,tying it to what they need,
because they begin to realizethese little things are really
important.
Michael Morrison (21:16):
Yeah, yeah.
So is there some financialdiscoveries along the way?
Apply in minutes and getapproved and funded in as little
(21:38):
as 24 to 48 hours atbusinessownershipsimplifiedcom.
If you're enjoying this podcast, don't forget to hit the
subscribe button and share it aswell.
Now let's get back to ourspecial guest.
So is there some financialdiscoveries along the way, then,
that you help them with?
Tania Brown (21:59):
Oh yeah, discoveries along the way then
that you helped them with.
Oh yeah, Okay, it's funny.
When I started I did notrealize how important this was.
I just assumed if you're goingto quit your job and start a
business, you're going to take alook at your finances.
You're going to know how muchyou I don't know how much I
really thought you're going toat least know how much you spend
(22:20):
.
So in this five, how much Ireally thought you're going to
at least know how much you spend.
So in this five-step processthat I call ready, the first
thing is review your actualnumbers, not fantasy numbers,
not what you think.
I want them to go back at least30 days, ideally longer, and I
want them to know, to the pennywhat did you spend last month?
That by itself is eyeopening.
(22:41):
I hear a lot of times I had noidea I was spending this much or
I didn't really know my moneywas going in all these different
directions.
Yeah, it.
Michael Morrison (22:50):
It's amazing how perspective is wrong many
times, because I remember when Istarted my first business back
in the day, the dollar amount ofall my debt didn't really
impact me.
But when I started thinkinglike, oh, I could make $500 on
this job and $1,000 on that one,that sounded big and bold and
(23:12):
amazing.
But what I didn't realize was Ihad $8,000 to $10,000 worth of
debt every month that I wastrying to pay off.
But the monies of what I couldmake got so exciting I didn't
think about what it would taketo survive.
Tania Brown (23:28):
Yeah, and that happens a lot, and that number
is the basis of everything.
That number is going todetermine how much money you
need.
I deal a lot with solopreneurs,so that is critical to how much
money you're going to need tolive off of.
That's probably going to be howyou price to make sure you can
keep a roof over your head.
Michael Morrison (23:48):
So you do webinars and you're a speaker.
Who do you speak to and whatkind of webinars do you have so
people can learn more?
Tania Brown (23:57):
So I do something Escape your 9 to five plans.
So it's your nine to fiveescape plan, and in there I go
through these five steps.
That is critical to being ableto plan for a smooth and
successful transition.
And from there I break it downinto various points.
The ultimate goal for me is howdo I help you build a
(24:17):
foundation to have the best shotof success and what I like to
call the self-employed gap, likethat season, between steady
paychecks and consistentbusiness income.
So every webinar takes a pointfrom one of those five steps.
Michael Morrison (24:33):
What would you say that your services provide
someone emotionally?
Tania Brown (24:43):
services provide someone emotionally.
Hope is the number one thing Ihear, which brings me to tears
as I say it, because a lot oftimes they come in after
listening to what I like to callthe highlight reel of
entrepreneurship and they can't.
And I appreciate someone whostarted their business at 25,
who's never worked in acorporate job, telling people
just quit their jobs.
But if you have lived a littlebit, if you're in your forties,
(25:08):
the risk is real.
When you're like me, who hadthe mammogram from hell I
literally went from a mammogramto emergency surgery within days
telling me to just quit my job,forget healthcare instead of
business, is very different.
We need to manage the risk ofdoing it, especially when you're
older.
So telling them there's a thirdsolution you could do strategic
(25:30):
funding.
Hops, it doesn't have to be aleap, you don't have to have a
ton of cash, but understand it'sgoing to take time because you
basically are leveragingdifferent jobs to get you to
self-employment, almost like youstart off full-time, you do
this part-time and then we'rekind of going to tilt it to
where maybe it's part-time workand you're full-time
(25:50):
self-employed and then ease youout of that.
That is going to take time,that is a way.
And then every job you do isstrategic.
It is strategic in buildingskills, whether technical or
soft, to get you there.
But you can build this and youcan build this in a way that's
suitable to you.
So when I'm done, I hear I'mlike, is this possible?
And I'm like, yes, it's verypossible.
Michael Morrison (26:10):
That is strong advice that, even if someone's
not thinking or consideringabout starting a business,
that's applicable in everything.
I ran a marathon earlier thisyear and everybody says how do
you know if someone ran amarathon?
Well, we'll tell you.
Okay, you don't have to ask,we'll tell you.
It's an accomplishment thatless than one of 1%, I believe,
(26:39):
in the world even do.
But one thing I noticed thatkind of aligns with what you're
talking about is confidence, andso most people would say, well,
I could never run 26.2 miles.
And I'm like, well, youprobably couldn't without a plan
.
So clarity the plan equalsconfidence and hope that you can
, and that was one of the thingsthat I was like once I had a
(26:59):
plan and hope that you can.
And that was one of the thingsthat I was like once I had a
plan.
I had clarity of what I neededto do and I did it and it
happened.
And so one of your statementson here is your confident path
to self-employment freedom.
What is the freedom that peoplecan get from owning a business?
Tania Brown (27:18):
To do work that lights them up and work that
they feel is impactful.
To have time.
Okay, I know it's so funny.
I feel like I'm at this stage Iwasn't at before.
I baked cookies for my kidscoming home from school one day.
That would have been impossiblewith me traveling as a
consultant, and I know thatsounds old-fashioned, but it was
(27:40):
just nice to be able to dosomething for my kids that they
liked in a time frame.
I couldn't have done it before.
A friend who lost a parent andme being able to say I can
switch some meetings around, I'mgoing to come see you, being
able to be present mentallyagain, to have a choice in the
work you do you versus aperformance review to decide how
(28:05):
much to charge for something.
So it is a freedom to fully beyourself.
I'm a person of faith, so I'm areally big believer.
That is a way to step into thecalling that God has for you as
well.
So there's this peace in themidst of the chaos when you're
in all of this.
Michael Morrison (28:25):
Yeah, that's good.
So when you talk about freedom,I know that, and you mentioned
the word earlier, but we canalso, by not having boundaries,
our freedom can stress us out.
So what kind of boundarieswould you suggest someone should
set from the get-go, so thatyou're not being pulled in so
(28:46):
many different directions,taking on every single client?
What are those boundaries thatyou found to be worthwhile
sharing?
Tania Brown (28:55):
This may sound weird, but if you're coming from
a corporate environment, I tellpeople go get therapy while
you're still working and go gettherapy on their dimes that they
screwed you up.
Let them pay for it.
Michael Morrison (29:06):
That's great advice.
Tania Brown (29:07):
You're going gonna need a sounding board because
you have to be honest with yourrole in how everything happened
and I wasn't honest enough tosay that I was a part of my
detox job.
So I think the pretty step is alevel of self-awareness that I
said yes when I really shouldhave said no.
I stayed in the job when Iprobably should have left.
(29:29):
So some level of responsibility.
And then what's your triggers?
Definitely, like everybody else, to struggle like the
overachiever need to like thatachievement.
Dopamine hit is hard.
So recognizing my individualtriggers meant I didn't
duplicate it when I wasself-employed and then just
(29:49):
looking for how, what yourspecific triggers are.
I'm a big believer in community.
So I had people and I was likecall me out when I'm crazy, call
me out when I'm like.
Tanya, you said you wanted togo in this direction but you're
doing this because if bright,shiny object disease was a club,
I would be chairman of theboard.
And that unfortunate high Dmeans I'm racing before I'm
(30:14):
thinking.
So like if I'm like my friendsknow if I say I'm doing
something, if I'm saying I'mthinking about something, I
probably have already started it.
So those people that can slowyou down, but knowing your own
triggers, having boundariesaround when you stop working,
having even on the email, hey, Iwill get to you within 48 hours
(30:35):
.
Here are my work hours, makingit clear a hard lesson I learned
and I learned this inconsulting the heart of that
client is to onboard with the.
With the amount of what they'reasking for, the harder they are
to keep.
Not all money is good money.
Michael Morrison (30:50):
Yeah, that's more great advice, and so I've
got a couple questions out ofthat conversation.
So I always share with adultsthat we do personal development
with coaching, growth coachingand one of the things I find
fascinating is, as a kid if wecan all take ourselves back to
(31:11):
growing up in the household mostof us couldn't wait to get out
of the house because we knewbetter than our parents did.
We wanted that freedom.
We were tired of being home ata certain time or being told, no
, you can't do that.
And then we get out into theadulting world and we don't know
what to do because we have nostructure.
So the reason I bring that upis because, along with freedom
(31:33):
and boundaries, there's got tobe something about
accountability, because onceyou've got that freedom, for a
lot of people it's hard to beproductive productive.
(31:53):
So what advice would you giveto us of those that go from you
have these boundaries or don'thave boundaries in the corporate
world to, all of a sudden, theworld is my oyster, but how do I
keep motivated?
Tania Brown (32:03):
Okay, this may be a little bit too anal for some
people, but I'm a big believerin time blocking.
But I block my days Like I have.
My Fridays are my CEO days andI used to think that was just
stupid.
I'm being honest, like when afriend told me to block off a
day where I'm strictly in CEOmode and I'm thinking strictly,
(32:24):
I was like no, and I realized,not having those days, I've made
worse decisions.
So having like my Mondays whereI'm focused on any of the
writing, my Tuesdays throughThursdays I call those moving
the needles.
Those are my hardcore.
I am knee deep in the businessdays.
It helps me to focus.
So for me, a focused day helpsand then within there I have
(32:47):
hours.
I have learned the hard way.
I have to have blank space.
I used to think, no, I mean forus overachievers, you just work
until you fall down.
It just doesn't work.
In business you have to protectyour energy, knowing when I'm
at my high, knowing when I'm atmy low.
So I think I start.
(33:10):
I was floundering all over theplace and then I decided to pay
attention to when I naturallydid stuff.
When did I just you couldn'tmake me work on this to save my
life day.
I just didn't do it on that day, like, for whatever reason, I
am not writing on a Wednesday.
I don't know why I'm notwriting on a Wednesday.
I have no, it's not going tohappen.
(33:31):
But on a Monday I'm refreshed.
I have no idea.
But so I learned to work withmy natural rhythm for what I
focus on and what I naturally do.
And that took time, but Iactually did an inventory and
kind of eventually came up withit.
I am very strict at sticking tomy schedule when I don't
(33:52):
everything go off the rails.
Also, having days where I haveI love co-workers, there's
different words for it but I'llget on a Zoom call with a friend
and we just, you know, put iton mute and we work.
So having that really helpscommunity.
Michael Morrison (34:08):
Wow, I haven't heard of that one.
That's, that's, that's good.
So you, if you're a solopreneur, sometimes it can get very
lonely.
A lot of times it can getlonely, but that's, that's great
.
So, on the the freedom part,you're also saying that there's
gotta be structure.
Tania Brown (34:25):
Yeah yeah.
It's kind of the same when Itell a client about a budget.
A budget isn't restricted.
What a budget is is give youthe boundaries, to have the
freedom to do the things thatmatter most.
What having a schedule for your, your week year, however you
plan it is?
It gives you the freedom so youcan do the things that matters
most, rather than beingcluttered with just stuff.
Michael Morrison (34:49):
Yeah, so we're going to address the people
that haven't quite made the leap.
What are some industries orcareers that people leave the
corporate world for and they godo this?
What are some of those thingsyou see people doing to start
another business?
Because I know for a lot ofpeople in the corporate world
they're just always told whatthey can and can't do, and so a
(35:12):
lot of people they can't thinkabout what could I do on my own?
What are some of those thingsthat people are jumping out into
in the entrepreneur world,coming from corporate it's funny
.
Tania Brown (35:25):
You said I just had a conversation with someone,
with a client, about this and itgot to the point where she was
so beaten down that I literallytold her just tell me everything
you do in a day and everythingshe said.
I said someone gets paid forthat.
Someone gets paid for that.
If someone is hiring you to doa job, that literally means that
(35:49):
what you have can be monetized.
So everything from virtualassistants.
If you are helping other peoplesort out schedules, well,
business owners need that samehelp.
If you are helping provide aservice, someone else needs that
service.
So for every service that youare delivering to your employer,
(36:10):
you can outsource that to otherpeople.
So really there's.
I have seen.
I have seen stuff where Ithought there is no way.
I will never.
I will never say never.
At one point I was the chair ofa small business committee for
(36:31):
a local chamber of commerce andI saw businesses.
I would have bet my house wouldhave failed, and didn't?
You find the right audience andyou market.
Well, I am learning.
Just about anything can be abusiness.
Michael Morrison (36:45):
Well, and you mentioned a good point is don't
look at the money side of it.
You didn't say this, but I'msaying.
Point is don't look at themoney side of it.
You didn't say this, but I'msaying this Don't look at the
money side.
But what you did say was findyour passion, what are you good
at, and go make money from that.
In other words, I see so manypeople getting into
entrepreneurship and they'rethinking oh, I want to make five
(37:07):
million, 10 million.
You know they're looking at thedollar signs and I'm like now
start with what you love doingfirst, which is kind of what you
were saying, right?
Tania Brown (37:15):
Yeah, that keeps you because I love your opinion
on this.
What I have learned is thesecret success to business is
being around long enough for itto work, being consistent.
And that's it I mean when youthink about it.
If you stick long enough ofdoing something, saying
something consistently I meanwith few exceptions it's
(37:38):
probably going to work itselfout.
But you have to have somethingbigger than money to anchor you
into those sucky years, becauseyou are doing so much work
without seeing results and Iwish somebody would have said
that to me in our early years.
You're doing so much marketing,you're validating, you're
figuring out what doesn't work,and the dollars aren't following
the effort initially.
Michael Morrison (38:01):
But when I talk to to confirm what you just
said, to piggyback on that, Iknow so many business owners
that are very successful andmoney was never their target.
It was the freedom, the freedomof time, their choices.
If they want to make more money, they can.
(38:22):
If they just want to chill andpay the bills, they can.
They don't have to answer toanybody and I always back that
up with because I've been anentrepreneur for so long and I
plan on being one forever, Godwilling.
But the thing I love is I don'thave to ask what I call
(38:44):
permission to go watch my childat two o'clock in his school
play, Like that's the freedomwe're talking about, that
overrides money all day long.
Tania Brown (38:53):
Absolutely.
But it's funny because, on theother side, that's why the money
planning is so important.
So when I do mention planningto people, I understand.
For most corporate people, whenthey leave, the first few
months are a dead zone.
They are recovering fromtoxicity, they're recovering
from life.
I actually have them build thatinto their plan.
(39:13):
And then, as we're talkingabout the financial planning and
this new era, I'm like build inthe money for freedom.
I had worked for a startup andpart of the downfall of the
startup was they had gottenthemselves into a financial
position to where they couldn'tsay no and I knew when I started
a business I would never putmyself in that position.
(39:35):
So, creating the financialenvironment or creating the
finance either keeping yourexpenses low in the beginning,
but figuring out what low meansto you, that extra savings so
you can say no to the thingsthat take you off purpose, like
going to your kid's play or mebaking cookies, so you can do
(39:57):
those things that just matter.
Michael Morrison (39:58):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Well, I guarantee we've perkedsome ears today.
So what's the best way to get ahold of you and then follow you
, Because some people they justlike to follow more advice.
Tania Brown (40:12):
So the best way to get a hold of me is my website,
tanyapbrowncom.
You can follow me on LinkedIn.
So I do do videos and posts,just giving really quick tips.
I try to give just oneactionable tip, because I know
this can be so overwhelming,just to get you going and to
(40:33):
keep you motivated.
Michael Morrison (40:35):
Yeah, I see you're doing a blog as well, and
so are you open to connectionsfor our listeners that want to
reach out.
Tania Brown (40:43):
Absolutely.
If you go to my website you canbook a free consultation, where
sometimes I've listened topeople just cry.
Other times we get to exploreyour dreams and I always say I
am here to be a safe space forthose dreams and I'm here to
point you in the right direction.
The nice part about beingaround since the dinosaur age,
(41:05):
as my kids say, is if I'm notthe fit I know, I typically know
who is and can point you in theright direction.
Michael Morrison (41:11):
That's interesting because we're all
about hope, right, giving peoplehope, being a voice of hope.
And you mentioned that peoplecall and have cried on the phone
.
Yes, for those watching thevideo you can't see, but just to
my right we have a box oftissues.
For the same reason, peoplecome in here and they just got
to let go.
So if you're a business owneror someone considering doing
(41:33):
business and you're afraid toask for help, please, please,
ask for help.
That's all I can say.
Most of us, like yourself and I, we coach from a sense of
empathy and not judgment, and sothat's why we're here.
That's why we do what we do,right.
So I want to wrap up here withI always ask the same question,
(41:55):
and that is if you were in frontof a group of business owners
of all seasons of you know 10years, 20 years, but different
industries, what's somethingapplicable for all of them?
It could be a quote, a tip, abook or just something that you
would like to share.
Tania Brown (42:10):
Let's see, there's so much.
I know it One of the things Iwould always say.
Going back to the fact that I'ma person of faith, I always,
for most businesses, I find it'sa calling and this passion, and
I tell all of them that arefeeling low sometimes that your
(42:31):
business is an answer topeople's prayers.
Please do not let your fears orinsecurity prevent you from
answering that call.
Michael Morrison (42:39):
That's good stuff.
Well, tanya, you've been ablessing to many and a wealth of
information.
I appreciate you today sharingall of your insights and good
tips, and I encourage ourlisteners to go connect with you
on LinkedIn.
Go to your website, schedulethat free consultation and you
will be better off having donethat.
Thanks again.
Tania Brown (42:58):
Thank you.
Michael Morrison (43:00):
My pleasure.
Thank you for listening toSmall Business Pivots.
This podcast is created andproduced by my company, boss.
Our business is growing yours.
Boss, offers flexible businessloans with business coaching
support.
Apply in minutes and getapproved and funded in as little
as 24 to 48 hours atbusinessownershipsimplifiedcom.
(43:23):
If you're enjoying this podcast, don't forget to hit the
subscribe button and share it aswell.
If you need help growing yourbusiness, email me at michael at
michaeldmorrisoncom.
We'll see you next time onSmall Business Pivots.
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