How to Make the Leap from Employee to Entrepreneur with Tami Jaffe

Kathi: Hi everyone, this is Kathi, and I am back on the Organized and Energized podcast, which you know because you're here. Thanks for tuning in. Today is going to be an exceptional talk with Tami Jaffe, because she's the breakout growth expert, and she's going to talk about how do you break out of your shell? How do you maybe jump from corporate to entrepreneur? How do you jump from entrepreneur to better entrepreneur? We're going to go into that a bunch, and I'm just so excited that Tami's here. Thanks for joining me and taking your time to be on the podcast, Tami.

Tami: Thank you, Kathi. It's great to be here with you.

Kathi: Absolutely. So let's talk a little bit about your backstory. I like people to know where we all came from, what we're doing, why we're doing it. So what happened with you, Tami, and how did you become the breakout expert?

Tami: Thanks for asking. Yes, I came from a corporate background. I spent 20-plus years, I won't age myself too much, in corporate in leadership, and had worked my way up and got to a point in my career that I realized I didn't really have control over my career anymore, and someone else was pulling the strings, and I wanted to take back control. I also wanted to have a bigger impact on the world and a bigger impact on people. I had always called myself a mentor manager, and I heard about this thing in coaching and started working with a coach and an energy healer, and was like, I want to be able to do these things for my clients. I want to work with people and help them make those big transitions. So I call myself a recovering CPA. I started off in finance and got out of that. I worked my way through different areas in corporate, and I ended my corporate career as the head of real estate technology for the third largest real estate investment company in the world. Through all that I got to learn a lot and appreciate the skill sets that I was able to learn and develop and hone, and was able to take those things and start my leadership and career coaching business. And then I got to a point that people started coming to me saying, hey, how did you make that transition from being a VP in corporate to starting your own business? And I finally had one of my coaches say, Tami, you just need to teach these people how to go do that. So a few years ago, I transitioned into more of a business coach, helping people make that transition from employees to entrepreneurs. Because there are a lot of business coaches out there, but there's not a lot of people who specifically teach you, because it's very different being an employee than being an entrepreneur.

Kathi: Yeah.

Tami: And there's all these things that people struggle with when they're getting started.

Kathi: Yeah. I find that when I work with clients that have come straight from corporate, the very first thing is they don't necessarily know how to set up their office, because they moved in and the office was set up for them, and they didn't think about, oh, a lateral file cabinet. Yeah, maybe I should have that. Or a good chair. So there is a big leap. And I love what you're doing, and I think there's a big demand for it. It's very timely, because what did they say? 60 percent of women in America that are in corporate are going to flee and go start their own gig.

Tami: Yes.

Kathi: Isn't that the statistic? Something like that right now.

Tami: Yeah, it's a big percentage. We saw the last year with the resignations and everyone leaving, and now a lot of people are starting their own business. They say that there's about 80 percent of people either looking for a job or looking to quit at any given time, and it's a huge percentage. And so it's important to be able to know: what do you do when you get started? Where do you even start? I love how you talked about how you see it from the organization standpoint, and just even how do you set up your office. Little details, little things that people don't think about that have always just been given to them. I think another area that's so challenging is the accountability and getting things done.

Kathi: Yes.

Tami: Because when you're an employee, you're given your deadlines. You're given the responsibilities and the things that you have to do, and someone else is there watching over to make sure you get it done. And so when you go into your own business and the only one you have to disappoint is yourself, a lot of people will let things that could take a month take two months, three months, a year sometimes, because there's not that accountability to help them get there.

When you go into your own business, the only one you have to disappoint is yourself.

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Kathi: And there's no weekly meeting.

Tami: Yes.

Kathi: You've got to show up at the weekly meeting ready to go. If you don't have a meeting with yourself, it's like, okay, I don't have anyone to answer to. It sounds like you had hit the glass ceiling, too, with your career, and then you're looking around going, well, what next?

Tami: Yes, I did. Long story short, I was going through a reorganization at my company, and they had told me I was going to get an expanded role, and I was really excited about it. During the time that we were figuring out this reorg, it was a large company, so it took months, I was pregnant. And I finally went in and told them that I was pregnant. And after that, everything went silent on the reorg. And I was like, what is happening? And finally, a few weeks later, they called me in and they're like, we hate to tell you, but you're not getting the expanded role we talked about. And not only that, but we're taking all your current direct reports away, and we're moving you under another manager who really knows nothing about what you do, but we still expect you to oversee all of those things that you already do. And that was my moment of, wait, how did this happen? And what struck me even more is when I went back to talk to the managers to just find out why this was happening, because I had a great relationship with them. And they're like, Tami, this isn't what we think you deserve, but it was out of our control. So I thought, if I didn't have control and my management didn't have control, who was pulling the strings?

Kathi: Yeah. Who had control?

Tami: So people above them and the senior executives in the company were deciding exactly what was going to happen, because I was now at risk of being out for a few months, and things like that, and other circumstances that come into play.

Kathi: Wow.

Tami: And so it was just one of those moments where it's like, okay, this is the politics, the things that happen. I wanted to be able to help people make those better decisions so that when they have circumstances like this, or something else that happens, those wake-up calls that we get, you have the opportunity to step back and say, okay, what do I do from here? Where do I go from here? There are other options for you.

If I didn't have control and my management didn't have control, who was pulling the strings?

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Kathi: Yeah, absolutely. So what would you suggest if someone's in that situation? Which I am sorry about for you, because I mean, it's probably the best thing that ever happened to you, but that's just crazy. What would you recommend to someone who's ready to jump and ready to make the leap? What would be their first step to take, in your mind?

Tami: Yeah, great question. The very first step, I always say, when you're making any decision, and I wrote about this in my book. My book is called You Already Made the Decision, You're Just Not Happy with It.

Kathi: Love the title, by the way.

Tami: Thank you. So it's a guide on how to make better decisions. And in there, I talk about the formula for making lasting changes in your life, and it all starts with clarity. Getting clarity on exactly what it is you want to do. Getting clarity on how you can make that happen. Getting clarity on who can help you with it. Answering some of those big questions is where it all starts. And so you have to start taking a look, because I hear people all the time, they're like, yeah, I want to start a business. Yeah, I want to start a business. And some of them even have an idea of what they want to do, but they'll talk about it for years, and they don't actually take a lot of steps forward. Part of that's because they don't know what steps to take. And other times they're just spinning with the ideas.

Kathi: Mm-hmm.

Tami: And so that clarity is where it all starts, and getting an understanding of where to start, who to ask, what questions you need to get answered. And that clarity bubble will start to grow.

Clarity is where it all starts.

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Kathi: Yeah. So it sounds like you went cold turkey. You're just like, forget about it, I'm going to go off and have my baby. And you just quit. Is that correct?

Tami: I didn't quit right that moment. I probably would have, but I knew my emotions were a little too high and needed to let that settle, but I also wanted to get through my maternity leave. And so I just stepped back and really started thinking about what do I want to do next. I actually made a career transition before I actually left. I took another position in the company in a different area, and things got better. But I also was starting to build what I wanted to do next. I started going through my coaching certification and started my business on the side. So I started that side hustle and was trying to figure out how to make that work, and the time management with two little girls at home. And that's how it started. And it wasn't until I set some specific goals. One of the goals I set was I was shooting for a certain number for my bonus the next year. If I get this number, then I'm going to turn in my resignation and leave. And the number I hit was exactly that number, which was far stretched from anything I had ever gotten. And so the importance of setting very specific goals and measurable goals when you're thinking about doing anything is so important, because it was a huge sign. And I'm like, I can't. I've been saying for six months, if I get this number, I'm going to leave. So that was one of the goals that I set, as well as making sure that I had clients in place, being able to continue to build my business from there, and knowing what I needed to do next.

Kathi: Yeah. Awesome. So you had a good plan. So do you have a favorite organizing hack to keep yourself in line and in action with what you do with your business?

Tami: Oh, such a great question. I think one of my favorite organizing hacks is using a project management tool with my team. We use Asana, and we keep track of all of our tasks and who's doing what, and making sure that we're meeting deadlines. So that's probably my favorite thing to stay organized, because with launches and different things going on, and I have multiple programs, we all have to make sure we're on the same page.

Kathi: Yeah, absolutely. Asana is a great tool for sure. So tell me about a time. Okay, so you launched, you did it, you hit your numbers. How long ago did you start, Tami, with this business?

Tami: So I started coaching about five years ago.

Kathi: Okay.

Tami: And started specifically helping people going from employees to entrepreneurs about three years ago.

Kathi: Okay. So have you ever been to a point where you're like, I'm exhausted, I don't know what I can do to grow? Have you been there? And if you did, how do you pull yourself out of it? Because we all go through these peaks and valleys of our business.

Tami: Yeah, absolutely. That's entrepreneurship. We call it the roller coaster. Those can happen in a day. They can happen over weeks. And yeah, absolutely, there's definitely been times where a launch doesn't go the way I expect, or something happens. To give you a specific example, the beginning of this year, at the end of February, I hit my head and got a concussion.

Kathi: Oh.

Tami: The month of March was a complete blur, and I started going to the neurologist and two hours of therapy four days a week. Unplanned things like that, that just make things go differently than what you expect. And so I'm a big problem solver. I'm always looking at, okay, how can we do this differently? How can we make this better? What do we need to do next? So I'm very resilient in a lot of ways, which I think helps me in my business and making sure that I'm getting back on track. But to me it's always stopping and taking that step back, almost to look around and say, okay, what happened? What worked really well? What didn't work well? What do we need to adjust the next time? And how do we move forward from there?

Kathi: That's such a common theme. Stop. Stop doing. It goes on and on with all of my podcasts. It's all about stop doing stuff and just be for a minute, and step back and analyze and take time to just look at things realistically, without just being go, go, go. So that's really good advice for sure. Love it.

Tami: Yeah, it's something that we don't always do. We don't always reflect. It's like, okay, what's the next thing, and how do we do the next thing? Another thing I like to ask myself when I'm in those times of overwhelm, when you feel like you have to do so much, I just stop and ask, how can I make this easier? How can I make this process easier? I was doing a workshop recently, and I had a million other things going on. It was something I threw in at the last minute, but it was something I wanted to do for people. And I was like, how can I make this the easiest way possible without throwing together a heavy sales page and multiple emails? And we did it, and it worked out great.

I just stop and ask, how can I make this easier?

Kathi: Awesome. Awesome. Yeah, it's all about systems, isn't it? Pre-planning your systems.

Tami: Yes.

Kathi: Before you get there. You talked a little bit about being an energy worker. So talk to me about that aspect of what you do with your clients.

Tami: Yes. So energy work is something I learned because I wanted to do it for myself and my family. I guess the best way to describe it: the very first client I worked with, we were in the middle of an intensive, we were in Paris, and we were going through some things that she was struggling with. And I just stopped and was like, you know what? You need energy work. So we did some energy work. Energy work is about shifting your patterns, shifting the patterns of things that have happened in your life so that you can open up and have a new pattern, a new destiny. Because so many times we end up doing the same cycle over and over and over again. And releasing things, releasing things so we can open up, so that we can find our voice, so that we can move forward. There's so many things that it can help with. But as I was working with this person doing her intensive, she specifically was on that roller coaster as an entrepreneur. She was up and down and up and down, and she was at one of those down points. And we worked on just releasing it, figuring out where that pattern was coming from for her. And it related back to a lot of things, as most things do, with childhood and past lives and different areas of your life. And so we worked on releasing that, and within a few weeks she was able to bring tens of thousands of dollars into her business and get some additional clients when she hadn't had new clients in months. And so that's how I use energy work. When I see people with blocks, when I see people struggling with what their next steps are, when they're fighting those fears but they're not really sure where they're coming from, helping them release some of those things.

Kathi: Yeah. Or even knowing what their fears are. That's fantastic. So I know that you have something for the listeners out there that they can download, read or consume. What is it that you're offering, Tami?

Tami: Yeah, you can go download the Corporate to Cash Jumpstart Kit, and it's at thejumpstartkit.com. It's your guide on how to go from employees to entrepreneurs without all the headaches. So in the guide, you're going to find your best way to identify who your ideal clients are, what your programs are, how to get clients. The biggest thing, how to go out and get your first clients. Because a lot of times when we put that entrepreneur hat on, it's like every social media aspect out there now is like, oh, listen, I'm going to target them.

Kathi: Yeah.

Tami: You get targeted with all of these ads telling you, I've got the one thing that you need to do to make millions in your business, and all these different strategies. And the problem is that they're all great, and they all have a purpose at some point in your business, but they're not all great for startups. And so knowing what to do when you're getting started, putting those foundations in place first, and what strategies you should be using first, that will get you the best results and get you clients fast.

Kathi: Yeah, that's fantastic. Make sure to download that. When you were talking social media, it wasn't the people coming at you. I was thinking, okay, I remember when I first started, I had to be on all the social media platforms.

Tami: Yes.

Kathi: And that will just exhaust you to begin with. I mean, it's not even humanly possible to be on all the social media. It's not.

Tami: Yeah. And knowing where your clients are, so you know where to go. But those are the people who are targeting you: I'm going to teach you how to do Instagram Reels, or how to do YouTube, or LinkedIn. And that's what you're getting bombarded with, all those shiny objects.

Kathi: Yeah.

Tami: And you're right, you can't do them all. You have to start at the right place. And that just depends on your business, who you're working with, and how it's going to impact them. Start with the one and master the one, then you can move to the next.

Start with the one and master the one, then you can move to the next.

Kathi: Yeah. So if you had to do this all over again, would you do it the same way, do you think, or would you do it a little bit differently, as far as emerging from corporate to entrepreneurial?

Tami: I love that question. So I would do it differently. I mean, there's definitely things I have learned. If I had known these things up front, which is now what I teach my clients, you can do things a lot faster. You can save a lot of time. You can save a lot of money. A couple of specific examples: I spent way too much time in my first probably two years behind the screen. What I mean by that is I was trying to build funnels, and I was trying to create freebies and all of these things that you do need, but that you don't necessarily need right out of the gate. And so I was delaying working with a lot of clients, because I was spending so much time behind the screen, behind the scenes, trying to build things that, if I had waited, would have come so much faster, because I would have learned so much more from my clients.

Kathi: You probably would have done it better, easier, faster, quicker. I like the behind-the-screen idea. Yeah, it's true. I mean, we spend a lot of time behind the screen as entrepreneurs, for sure. So is there anything that we should have talked about that I didn't touch on, that you'd like to really have a conversation around, Tami?

Tami: Oh, we talked on so many areas. But I think I'd just like to say to your listeners, I always tell people, get inspired by what you do and go out and find the people who can help you do it. Because you've got to love not only what you're doing, but how you're doing it and the process around it, or you're not going to stick to it.

Kathi: Yeah. Absolutely. And find people to help. There's always people out there who want to help.

Tami: Absolutely.

Kathi: I know you're here to help. For anybody out there who's looking to make that leap, Tami's your girl. So check out, at bare minimum, download her free guide, and that will help you on your path. But thank you so much for your time, Tami. It's been a real pleasure to meet you and get to know you a little bit more.

Tami: Yeah, Kathi, it's been great talking to you, and I just love your audience. So if anyone needs anything, just feel free to reach out.

Kathi: Awesome. Thank you so much. Bye.