Mom Owned and Operated
Candid conversations with and for moms about the real deal of raising a family, running a business, and remembering yourself.
Tired of the fluff and just want real talk about what it takes to succeed as a mompreneur? Then you've come to the right place.
Join your host, business growth strategist Rita Suzanne, as she dives into the nitty-gritty of building a business while raising a family. With over 10 years of experience helping women entrepreneurs thrive, Rita knows what it takes to make it all work.
In each episode, Rita sits down with inspiring mom business owners to uncover the strategies, mindsets, and tactics that are actually making a difference in their lives and businesses.
Tune in and discover the secrets to building a successful business without sacrificing your family or yourself.
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Mom Owned and Operated
Mastering Business with Accountability with Tanya Alvarez
In this episode of the Mom Owned and Operated podcast, Rita Suzanne and Tanya Alvarez discuss raising a family, running a business and remembering yourself.
Starting out at age 25, Tanya Alvarez self-funded her first New York ad agency, using credit cards, and achieved zero to 1 million in revenue in the first year. Along the way, she traveled to 42 countries, completing the Boston and NYC Marathons and a Half Ironman, all while battling a rare brittle bone condition.
Her name is Tanya Alvarez, a classic underdog story, and she’s on a mission to help you own your life, not just your business. Through OwnersUP, Tanya aims to empower you to win at work without losing at home, utilizing facilitated accountability sprints to scale your business sanely and enable you to live your ideal life now.
You can connect with Tanya on her website, on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook.
Send a text message! Email, if you want a reply though. ;)
P.S. You can find more interviews at momownedandoperated.com and learn about working with Rita at ritasuzanne.com/apply/
Hi, this is Mom Owned and Operated. I am Rita, Suzanne, and today I have my guest, Tanya Alvarez, with me. Tanya, I'm so excited to chat with you today. Please tell everyone all about you, your family and your business business at 25.
Tanya Alvarez:I did not have a trust fund or a rich uncle or anything, and all I had is credit cards and I was actually probably still paying off my college debt. And I grew to over 1 million within the first year, continued growing, it eventually sold it, invested in others and I built what I wish I had when I started my first business. And it came to me when I was training for the Boston Marathon and, even though I was a collegiate athlete, I still joined a team so I can have that training, so I can have other peers, because joining a marathon and doing it is a whole thing right. It's like overwhelming.
Tanya Alvarez:You get through some injuries, the support and the coach. I need a coach to course correct me, because there's some things where I didn't even see and I was like what the heck? Why don't entrepreneurs have this? So there's like lots of communities, but I mean like a group of like five people where you're sharing, you know your progress, where you're getting tips, where they know all about like what's going on in your life, and then they're course correcting you and that's that's where the Genesis happened. It was just basically that.
Rita Suzanne:Love it and you, you're a mom, so how many little ones do you have?
Tanya Alvarez:Yeah, I am a mom of two kids a two year old and a four year old and I had a 7% chance of having one. I'm really, really fortunate to have two. It was through IVF. I'm stoked I had them later in life. Right now I'm in that fun stage where they're full of joy and also demand much of your time Just understanding that beautiful rhythm to make life happen.
Rita Suzanne:Yeah, I went through five years of infertility too, so I feel like it's such a. It's so exciting when you finally get that positive pregnancy test and you know you're just. And I had to go through like all the treatments and stuff too. I didn't have to go through IVF, but all of the emotions that go with that, oh, it's so it's so much Nobody talks about it.
Tanya Alvarez:Now they're talking about it a bit more, but really there's like there's nothing you can do. That's like you can't run more, like you know you can't work harder. It's just like the only thing you could do is have a hope.
Tanya Alvarez:And every time it's like you get the test and it's like, nope, not pregnant. And you're just kind of like I know you don't have any embryos and you're just devastated, but you gotta you just gotta bring yourself back up and like, continue with hope and surround yourself with people who bring that out and tell you not to give up.
Rita Suzanne:Yeah, it's. It's really emotionally taxing, right, because you're just like so devastated and mad at yourself. Right, because it's all your fault, obviously, yeah you're like how can I do this better?
Tanya Alvarez:Why am I the only one? And then you realize later on when you do have a kid or you tell somebody your story, you're not the only one.
Rita Suzanne:Yeah, it does feel so lonely. I mean it did for me when this happened with me. My son is now my oldest is 15. So this was for me very long ago and so at that time it was not talked about as much and obviously we weren't in such a social. I guess people weren't as talkative about it as they are now, and so it did feel very lonely at the time, and so I'm glad that people are discussing it more and there are more resources and more tools and support for it. So, and also like congratulations to you, that's such a you know, such a big hoop to overcome, and so I remember reading in your bio that you said you struggled with bitter bone disease, like how?
Tanya Alvarez:Osteogenesis imperfecta, so it is. What that means is brittle bones. So the level could be. The spectrum is, if you're pregnant and the baby's in your womb they start breaking bones and then when you deliver them they might live one or two weeks. It's that level. To the next one, it could be like they're wheelchair bound and they've broken over 200 bones. And to my level, which is like maybe when I was right around my 20s, I had bones of like a 50 or 60 year old, right, so I've only broken two bones, but like everything else is like intact. I just have like, uh, almost like osteopenia, and all that for my age so that was something that.
Tanya Alvarez:That's one reason why we also went through the IVF route. We did genetic testing, so now my kids will not be passing on this disease, that's wonderful, that's wonderful. Brilliant. So I'm just waiting for science to like get my bones back, and then I'll do Ironman.
Rita Suzanne:Yeah, and for you to be an athlete with those you know, with that challenges, is amazing as well, because you know it's scary to. You know, just have that potential of a bone breaking or something while you're training Scary. So tell us a little bit about your business. What do you do now in your business?
Tanya Alvarez:So one of the big issues I've seen and it happens to me, it happens to so many is we're so damn close to our own business and so like, for example, you could be an expert in marketing, but marketing yourself, you're just all in your head overthinking it, not sure. You just need that sounding board and also you need that accountability. So what I mean by that is accountability. People are like well, I'm, you know, I get my stuff done. Actually, the overachievers that need the accountability the most right, and these are the ones that we kind of work with because we're like we can do so much that we need to actually have boundaries and accountability on boundaries and understanding what is actually the best use of our time right, Especially if you're a parent.
Tanya Alvarez:So, for the people we attract, our members are B2B service-based entrepreneurs that are anywhere from six figures to 3 million, that want to make an impact, want to have a great lifestyle but, most importantly, want to be present in their family, and I think that there's just so much conversation about just, you know, hustle work more and all that, and yeah, they don't have a family and if they do, they're barely around.
Tanya Alvarez:Let's be honest, like it's, and then they're like, oh well, my kids, I'm doing it all for my kids and I'm like, hey, kids just want your time and you really only have 18 summers with them and they're not all equal. You could probably speak more on that, because at 15, I don't know if my kids are going to want to hang out with me in the summertime Right, but right now they are demanding my time. They might demand my time until elementary and middle school gets a little different. So when you start thinking about time with your kids, it really gets you present on what type of life you want, right, what type of business, how do you make it all work? And so that's what we do.
Rita Suzanne:So how do you, how do you help people then with the accountability and like working less? Because I feel like, as moms, right, there is a need for this quote, unquote, balance right, which is not attainable. But I think that it's hard for some moms to kind of not work as much, right to prioritize their time in other ways. So how do you do that?
Tanya Alvarez:So what we do is we do an audit on their time and we can see how they can leverage it better. We also help them and this comes to everybody, naturally. If we are something's happening or, like I would quote, call it like firefighter mode, we're like solving problems and issues, we're in a reactive state. So we do what we're used to, like what we're good at, and sometimes, to move our business forward, we need to do some things that are uncomfortable and we need to prioritize that. And when you're running your own business, what ends up happening is you just justify it. You kind of move that oh, I don't need to do that now, I could do that later, and you kind of do the things that you're comfortable with.
Tanya Alvarez:So how we hold them accountable? First we figure out, okay, what are the goals that are actually going to move your business forward? All right, what's stopping you? Is it analysis, paralysis, is it a knowledge gap? Is it perfectionism, like what's there? Then we actually figure out why. Once we figure out like maybe it's perfectionism, then we break down that goal and then we hold them accountable to that. And then we also figure out how you can do this more efficiently, because sometimes there's like a control scenario, right. So I want to back up a little, because accountability works to get people moving.
Tanya Alvarez:So let's say I'm like, hey, rita, you're going to have to set up this, like I don't know, do YouTube. I think it's gonna be great. You're great on video and you're like you're game for it. You know how to go about it. And then next week you don't do it and you face the consequence agreed upon.
Tanya Alvarez:Like we have people sing a song in front of the group, right, and we do that because it's immediate. You kind of it's fun, you signed up for it and you feel that kind of like tension and sometimes your inner voice when you're procrastinating on something. You're like, oh my God, I'd rather just get this done, even if it's not perfect, so I don't have to freaking sing. But let's say, something else is stopping you. Well, if I keep on giving you consequences, it's not gonna work. I gotta figure out what is the root of why you're missing that. So we dive deep in that belief and then we shift it to get you back into action. And that's the most important thing because, let's be honest, like chat, gpt, youtube, google all the information is out there. Right Now it's actually implementing it and making sure it's implemented for you and your lifestyle, and that's.
Rita Suzanne:Yeah, I think that's an that's important too because, like you said, the accountability can be there, but sometimes people aren't going to actually show up and do the work right. Like you can have somebody an accountability partner to, you know go to the gym with, but that doesn't mean you're going to have a good workout.
Tanya Alvarez:Yeah, you're not going to give it your all.
Rita Suzanne:You're just going to show up just because you don't want that other person to say anything, right? So?
Tanya Alvarez:I will say that accountability is good, because then you wouldn't have a workout at all.
Rita Suzanne:Right, right. So I will say that accountability is good, because then you wouldn't have them work out at all. Right Right, just doing a little bit is better. Doing something is better than doing nothing, but it's not going to actually get you towards your goal, and I think that that's the good point of having someone like you, and what you're doing is actually moving them towards what they need to actually get to, versus just kind of, you know, being in an accountability group showing up and not actually doing the work or make an excuse for why they can't do the work.
Tanya Alvarez:Or one of the biggest one we found is doing fine figuring out the goals that are right for them. So when I've seen people I'm like, hey, what are your goals? And then I, and then we analyze those, like I can tell somebody else is their lead magnet. I'm like, oh, this is going to be great. And then they test in, it's great. But when it comes to mine, I'm just too damn close to my own business.
Rita Suzanne:Yeah, that's true. And I find that when I'm doing branding with people is that they are so close to their own brand that they and they think that they know it. But then when I start asking them more in-depth questions and they start thinking about it, they're like oh, wait a minute. Oh, wait a minute, you know. And then they get more in depth and then they realize that they didn't really know it as as well as they thought that they did. And same thing with marketing.
Rita Suzanne:And you know, and I think that a lot of people feel that way when it comes to their own business, right, like you're so close to your own business that it's hard for you to get a look at it from a non-biased perspective and and realize what the actual answer is. And that's why it's important to have outside people come in and help you, why people hire coaches, why people hire other others to come in and kind of help them. I think it's an important thing and you you can do it alone, but you're gonna it's gonna take you probably a lot longer to get there yeah, even like, in a sense of like everything I've ever done.
Tanya Alvarez:I've always formed a group around me, even with IVF so we've had a group of other women who are going through it. We're all sharing information. We were all there to be positive, give empathy, move them forward, Because then if I was surrounded with people who were not doing what I was doing, they would be like, oh, it's so tough and oh, you know, maybe you should stop. That's a lot of hormones. And then it's just, it's a different game. And then you want people who are. I feel like it has to be a balance of you have an outsider coach to create the structure and you have peers that are aligned with what you're doing, Because all peers are not equal, right, there's some where it's like, oh my God, this again. They're complaining like wow, like this is not the best use of my time.
Rita Suzanne:Yeah, yeah, you definitely want to be surrounded by people who are supportive. So tell us, like so, how exactly does it work? Do you guys meet, like once a week? Is there like a group? Like, what exactly do you guys, are you guys doing? I'm so fascinated by it. What I'm so fascinated by it, what I'm so fascinated by, I've been in, you know, I've been in masterminds and accountability groups. Is it similar to that or is it more in depth than that? Because I felt like when I looked at your stuff, it was like more systems based and there was more stuff in there. Am I wrong?
Tanya Alvarez:yes, I feel like masterminds are great because you're meeting together and then there's kind of like some sort of accountability. But there's all these ideas and, to be true, like entrepreneurs, don't need more ideas.
Rita Suzanne:No, we need to actually focus.
Tanya Alvarez:So then you go to these masterminds, you get all excited and you're like, oh shoot, where do I have time? Or you put in time. That's not the best use of like your business. It might have been great for them, but not great for yourself. And then the accountability groups. I think that it's hard to have an accountability structure. I think it works. I'm really the ones that annoy me is when they say accountability group and then what it is is like you're in this big community, you post what you're doing, there's no follow-up, there's nothing, that's it. No one's being like, hey, rita, or maybe if they did like and say you stopped, then after a while it just kind of goes right, it all goes away, yeah, but we do have a more system so yeah, but it is more systemized where there's not so much.
Tanya Alvarez:We are big and it's sometimes the things that are very common sense aren't things that we do because we're just so overwhelmed with time, right, so we need to build that habit. So one of the things is actually reviewing every month what you accomplished. And, for example, we had one member who started doing the reviews and she noticed that she tried out a new tactic on LinkedIn. It was generating her a hundred thousand dollars. She usually just does like referrals and she was like, wow, if I didn't do that review, I would have totally forgotten that we got a client off of that. Wow, and it's these small little things, because your day is just so quick as an entrepreneur that you forget what really does. So we actually set time to do what did you learn, what did you achieve? And we go through a whole system at it. Then we decide, okay, what in the next 90 days do you want to accomplish? We don't go for a year, 90 days, because things change. Ai comes in and you're just like, oh, there's a whole new thing. And then we break it down on what the goals you got to get done, and then we also help people figure out how can they actually get their time back, that's one of our big things. And how to go on vacation and unplug, yeah, um.
Tanya Alvarez:So, for example, when I started my first business, I was like I was 25. I had no clue what I was doing. But I was like like, shoot, I'm a marketing person and everybody wants to talk to me, and every time I'm on vacation, I'm like on my phone figuring things out, doing fires. I was like I'm never going to have freaking, have a vacation. And I wanted to travel around the world. So I was like, okay, I'm just going to book a flight to like. I did Peru and I hiked Machu Picchu and there was no internet. So I had to figure out how to have my team in place so that and the systems in place so it can run without me. And then they were empowered. I was like, whoa, I still have a business. This is awesome. And then I kept traveling more and more. But it helped me understand and removed myself. So I had the capabilities to invest in more companies, build more businesses.
Tanya Alvarez:But that was the start of it, right, and that's what we do with entrepreneurs. We help them figure out like, how can we get you to take two weeks off? You're like two weeks off. No, my business, I'm like you could do this. And then we set up a system in a sprint to get them to do that and get them get their weekends back. And one of our entrepreneurs, when he came to us, he's like I just, I just need accountability. I'm working 80 hours, I'm at capacity. I really don't even want to take on clients. I have two toddlers. And then we're like, okay, so we got his time back. Now he's doing 30 hours, he's with his family, and then he ended up growing his business something he didn't even think he was going to do, he just wanted his time back.
Rita Suzanne:Yeah, yeah, which is great, because I remember um, I didn't. I started my business in 2014. I didn't take my first actual vacation until eight years into my business. Wow yeah, because I would work. I would work all the time, even through the weekends, all of that stuff, because I was so determined to make my business work. And, you know, I gave up everything, moved across the country, all this stuff, you know, because I wanted to be at home with my sons, and you know, and so like to your point earlier about working, working, working, working and then spending quality time with your kids. I was at home with my kids but I wasn't able to spend really quality time with them because I was so busy working and in hindsight, I really wish that I could have done things a little bit differently. I'm grateful that I was able to be there with them, but I really wish that it was different, you know, but you know it's always hindsight.
Tanya Alvarez:And sometimes it's a little different. I think, like when I think about my mom, who's a single mom and she raised four of us, I was like wow, but she also had a village around her and I think nowadays it's kind of like women are working and there are not that many villages and it's like it's a bit harder. So you got to do what you got to do and figure it out, but there are ways around it and I think that probably back then there wasn't as many tools like there's so many systems now, right, and like more supporting people talking about it. So I think that might've been the big difference.
Rita Suzanne:Yeah Well, I'm a single mom of four and it's a lot, it's hard, and I don't have a huge village myself, so it is tough how?
Tanya Alvarez:long have you been a single mom? Huh, how long have you?
Rita Suzanne:been a single mom. So I got divorced in 2020. And that's when I became a single mom of four, because it's a long story, but I have my two sons and then I have my two nieces Because my sister passed, and so all that stuff happened so rapidly in 2020, like within weeks and so I found out that my husband had cheated on me and then my sister passed and then I took custody of my nieces and divorced him, and so I've been single ever since then, and so it's been such a roller coaster for me. And you know, I started this podcast like a year after, because I had isolated myself so much after all of that stuff happened and, like I was telling you before we started, my main goal with the podcast was really and in general with marketing, is to build relationships, because I had isolated so bad that it was like this is my, this is my socializing right, this is my way to socialize, because I had isolated and oftentimes I think, as an entrepreneur, when we are working all the time, communicating with others on podcasts or in our social groups is our only time to socialize. We don't really communicate, you know, like we don't go out, we don't do other things like we should.
Rita Suzanne:A good way for me to connect with other people and kind of figure out at the time I was trying to figure out how other moms were able to do the things that I was not able to do, which was take care of themselves. I was not able to work my business, raise my kids and take care of myself because I was so overwhelmed at you know, at the prospect of doing all of the things. And so I think businesses like yours and groups like yours where they're able to help somebody you know to actually focus on the things that they need to focus on and and find that time that they actually need to live the life that they want, right. Because I think that, ultimately, we start businesses to do two things for time freedom and financial freedom. That's why we want a business, and if we cannot get those two things, why are we doing this?
Rita Suzanne:And people don't realize it though, right right, and people don't realize it though, right Right, because we end up getting the financial freedom, but at the cost of our time freedom, and so businesses like yours are the ones that are helping entrepreneurs get things that they really want to do, which is so, so great, because many of us will just continue to work, work, work, work, work, especially when we have kids.
Tanya Alvarez:Right, because it's for our kids. We're doing this for our kids. Yeah, you got to feed them and take care of them and do everything.
Tanya Alvarez:So, yeah, what I found the biggest thing is time constraints. So we work, work, work, because we think that's actually the best use of our time. But if we actually put a constraint on like, let's say, I'm only going to work five hours then you start becoming resourceful and as a single mom single moms are so resourceful, at least that's how I felt with my mom and once you start becoming resourceful, you start being like okay, I can delegate this. This is not the best piece of my time, this generates it and this, and you let go of this. I need to control everything Right, and that's where you get your time back.
Rita Suzanne:Yeah, I think that a lot of especially women entrepreneurs are afraid to hire and delegate because of that control factor. Hire and delegate because of that control factor. And so I'm always telling them, like, once you start hiring and letting go of that, you know, just create your systems and your processes and your, you know, and then you'll, it'll be fine. And it does take that, that commitment upfront to train that person and get them. You know, get them going, but it'll be worth it in the long run. And get them, you know, get them going, but it'll be worth it in the long run, but it's just that yeah.
Tanya Alvarez:I have an exercise I have people do and it's like write down all the tasks that you do and then write tasks that you want to do that you don't have time to do or you're doing inconsistently, yeah, and then do red like admin stuff, do like highlighted red or I don't't know. Put an x next to it, yellow, um, highlighted yellow if it's like a systems or an automation process, and then, uh, green for like marketing and sales. Yeah, when you start realizing is like most of your day is in the red area and would you hire a chef to clean dishes for fifty dollars an hour? No, but people are doing that all day long and they're like, wait, I can't afford it. Or I can't afford somebody to agree.
Tanya Alvarez:I'm like, no, you can find somebody for five dollars an hour, four to five dollars on upwork out there, who's their expertise, who want to do it, and it's like a big change for their life. And then they're like, well, how do I trust somebody? Go, just like you trust other people. You have a conversation and you filter and there's like a vibe. You kind of know it right and I know for them like I'm teaching people new stuff, my VAs and I'm also not only teaching them stuff, but I'm like helping them make a difference in their own life.
Rita Suzanne:Yeah, and you know, like you can. You just give them little stuff at first and see how they do. You don't have to give them the whole thing initially, right? You just give them something small, see how they do and then just add on things instead of just. That's how you earn, that's how they earn trust, right, and that's how you know if they're good at what they're supposed to be doing. Okay, so the way that I like to wrap this up is to talk about how you are taking care of yourself, right? Self-care is super important for us, especially as moms, because we often lose a little piece of ourselves when we become a mom. Because we often lose a little piece of ourselves when we become a mom Not, not really. We have a. We gain a different identity, right? So how are you.
Tanya Alvarez:You do kind of feel like you I don't know. The first years I was like, wow, I have not prioritized myself. Like you just get lost. Like a shower is a luxury Right. And you're like how did I get to this point where I'm not even showering.
Rita Suzanne:First of all, I can't even take a pee by myself. So solo bathroom trips are no longer a thing.
Tanya Alvarez:Yeah, so it's all these things that you just realized. But, um, I made sure that working out was a non-negotiable for me and I realized that it's not just my fitness, it's more about because I work out, I'm able to de-stress, have more patience for my kids and more patience for my clients, and just, I come across differently because it's nonstop Like as moms. It's like it's what is that called? Um, uh, when you're, we have all these things in our head and we're constantly like thinking about oh, did they get this jacket? Did they have? We have to buy this, and and men don't have it as much, but women are always kind of like thinking about it.
Rita Suzanne:There's a whole article in the.
Tanya Alvarez:New York times about it, I believe I can't remember the name of it, but whatever that is, it's like we have all of this and it's just like more and more and more and we're like, wow, how the heck are we going to carry this all and then do everything? So my thing is fitness release, and then I also journal because I'm and I do it. I'm all about reframing things because sometimes you're you push things off because you're like, oh, that's kind of a luxury when it's not. So, when youame a workout, as I'm a better person to everybody and I'm taking care of myself, you'll get that done. Another one is journaling. I journal because I want to remember all those little moments with my kids that I think I'm going to remember. Let's be honest, the second kid I thought, oh yeah, and they're only 22 months apart. I wouldn't remember that. When you were on stage, I was like, whoa, I can't believe I forgot all this and like it comes back. But it's not like, oh, I just know exactly what to do.
Rita Suzanne:So those are the two things that a lot of times we don't prioritize ourself and I got away from journaling but I still prioritize going to the gym a lot. But I needed that accountability. Like my best friend makes me go to the gym every single day and now I don't think about it. But in that moment, when I was saying that I was struggling, he was like no, you're going like every day. So I, and it got me back into the habit of taking care of better care of myself, and so for that I'm super grateful. Um, so where?
Tanya Alvarez:I'm journaling, use the app day one. So even if you're like day one, it's called, it's an app. I think I saw my uh on my apple and the cool thing is you can bring your pictures, locations and then you can do um audio to text, oh okay. So it's kind of like you having a conversation with a friend oh, what'd you do? And you can kind of see and it shows like hey, a year ago, or these are all the entries on this day and it's really cool to see how things have changed.
Rita Suzanne:Oh, that's a great tip. I love that idea. So where can everyone find you online? Where are you at?
Tanya Alvarez:Yeah, I'm on LinkedIn, tanya Alvarez. You can also find me on Instagram, tanya C Alvarez, and you can reach out to me by email, tanya at OwnersUp. And if you haven't got a VA or you're trying to figure out how to get 20 hours back a week, send me a direct message saying hey, I was on. I heard you on Rita's podcast and I'll send you that the whole PDF that tells you from how to know which ones to delegate all the way to hiring and managing that person.
Rita Suzanne:Love it. Thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure. Yeah, thank you for having me.
