Streamlining Business and Life with Tammy Johnston

In this episode of the Mom Owned and Operated podcast, Rita Suzanne and Tammy Johnston discuss raising a family, running a business and remembering yourself.

Tammy Johnston is THE Hold Your Hand and Kick Your Ass Business Coach. She has been working with small businesses for over 20 years to help them build sustainable and successful businesses. Tammy believes that business done right, honestly, ethically, and morally, has the power to make the world a better place for our customers, our families, and our communities.

She doesn’t promise a magic bullet (because there is no such thing), but she does teach all the basic, foundational skills you need to first survive and then thrive. She only deals in real, practical, put it to use training and advice that has been tested in battle.

You can connect with Tammy on her website and Instagram.

Chapters

• 0:27 Business Coach Discusses Building Foundations
• 11:23 Managing Motherhood and Business Balances
• 23:57 Digital Tools, Self-Care, and Balance
• 28:31 Connecting With KSA Business Online

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:28

Hi, this is Mom Owned and Operated. I'm Rita, suzanne, and today I have my guest Tammy with me. Tammy, I'm so excited to chat with you about all the things. Please tell everyone, all about you, your business and your family.

Speaker 2: 0:43

So I am Tammy Johnston. I am the hold your hand and kick your ass business coach. I've been working with small businesses for over 20 years and I specialize in working with new businesses as early in their journey as possible, like idea stage. Up to two years is where I can have the most positive impact and I work to teach them the basic foundational skills they need to survive the first two years and then actually go on to thrive and everything is real life. Battle tested. It's none of this. Okay. If the sun, the moon and the stars all line up perfectly, this will work. No, this is the stuff that works in the trenches I love that.

Speaker 1: 1:25

And your mom? I'm a mom. How old are your?

Speaker 2: 1:29

are your children. My daughter is actually 21 now and it's quite interesting because I started my business because I was fired from a job I absolutely hated, which is one of the best things that could have ever happened, because it would have taken me like at least a few more years to finally get fed up enough on my own to do it, and so I started my business. Got pregnant, do it, and so I started my business, got pregnant, had to build my daughter and a business at the same time, took 30 hours of mat leave and have been going strong since. So I've been through. Okay, how do we work in between nursing and diapers and naps and pizza mom and picking up and dropping off and everything in between Pizza mom and picking up and dropping off and everything in between?

Speaker 1: 2:12

Wow. So when a mom comes to you, or a woman or whomever right.

Speaker 2: 2:27

Do you work with parents specifically or do you have a specific target that you usually work with? My target are, like I said, I love working with the new business owners, like like my perfect ones together, what I call the praying for the pink slip crowd. They're somebody that they know they want to start a business and they're just hope, they're hoping and praying to get that pink slip so they can get a buyout, so they've got some time and some money to go forward and that are willing to do the work. So I work with everybody from, like medical professionals, restaurants, breweries, trades, people, coaches, retail, like everything it's are they willing to do the work?

Speaker 1: 3:00

But I do have a lot of parents that do come to me, so usually when they come to you, do they have an idea in mind, or are they asking you to help them, kind of like, figure it out?

Speaker 2: 3:14

They usually have an idea. They might need a little bit of help fine tuning and figuring it out, but they usually do come with the idea because we need to have some place to start.

Speaker 1: 3:24

Right, right. Well, I'm just wondering if they, if they're asking you to kind of like flesh it out for them, like are you doing some research to figure out? Is this going to be a profitable idea? Like, where, how are you helping them? Because I usually like people, you know, I like to work with clients who've been in business for a little bit longer than you. I like them when they're like they've already decided what they want to do.

Speaker 2: 3:50

Well, and most people do, and that is absolutely wonderful. But and I've worked with like everybody from like the idea stage up to okay I've been successful in business for 35 plus years and everything in between and I love all of them. But the reason why I put my focus on the newbies is because going unfortunately, within the first two years, 90% of new businesses fail, and that breaks my heart because it's very rarely because there's a problem with the product or the service or that the owner isn't working hard enough. It's the fact that they are completely lacking some, if not most, of the basic business skills. They're technicians, they're technically very good at their product or service and they think that's it, that's all I need, and then they start and life and reality kicks the crud out of them and they don't make it. I'm going that's not necessary. Like I'm going, we can teach you all like the eight basic pieces that you need so that you can survive, and then we can get you growing. But if you don't survive the first two years, nothing else matters.

Speaker 1: 4:54

Yeah, I love that you say that, because I say that as well. I always say that people come in assuming, when they start their business, that they only have to do the thing that they're offering, and then they get a reality check when they have to be a bookkeeper, they have to be a salesperson and they have to be marketing and they have to do all of the things or they have to hire experts to do that. And typically when people are first starting, they're kind of bootstrapping, especially like in our space, right, like as entrepreneurs, so they're not able to hire out typically, um, right away, um, so they are having to do all of the things, and I think that that's maybe what you're saying is like it becomes like a reality check for them. They're like oh, this is not what I signed up for.

Speaker 2: 5:45

yeah, or when they do hire a lot of them. I'm finding um, because one of the things is advisory team that I teach about is okay, because most people get their business advice from their broke ass friends and family that have never set foot in the arena. Or they'll hire somebody that they get along with and that's a nice person or whatever, but doesn't have the skills and the capabilities that they need. Or even when the business starts to take off and they say I need help, I need help, they hire a body and they typically hire another person just like them and they go. This is wonderful, like when we're getting together and brainstorming but I hate doing the bookkeeping and the administration stuff and so do they, so it's not getting done, and then everybody gets frustrated so it's like no, we need to build a proper foundation and then you can build it.

Speaker 2: 6:31

Everybody wants the skyscraper, but if you've ever been to like a large city where they're building the skyscrapers, you don't see anything that they'll build it for four years and for the first three years you see nothing but hole. Because they're building, they're digging down deep, they're building the foundation, they're putting all that in and you're going. How is this taking so long Nothing's happening. And then in the last year it goes whoosh. But if they just do the building part, the first storm they have or anything everything comes tumbling down. You build the foundation first, you build it strong.

Speaker 1: 7:05

I love that. So you mentioned the eight pieces that they need, the eight foundational pieces. What are those?

Speaker 2: 7:13

So mindset, that's a big one how entrepreneurs think and how employees think very, very different. And I've had people so I've been teaching small business class for about 19 years now and I've had a few people that after they've spent that time with me, they're going. You know what? Now that I really understand what's involved, this is not for me and I'm going perfect, this was the best investment you've ever made, because it isn't for everybody. But you have to have your mindset and then you have to like what are your habits Like? How are you actually going?

Speaker 2: 7:45

When you're an employee, you have somebody else telling you what to do and when to do it and how to do it and all that stuff, which is annoying, but in some ways it's wonderful because you don't have to worry about it. Somebody's gonna tell you what to do. So setting up your habits that you can do it. Marketing like no marketing, no sales, no, nothing. Like you can have the best product or service in the world but if nobody knows about it, nobody's coming in. What's the point? Advisory team like you you said who do you have on your team? It doesn't necessarily mean people that you're, you're paying and stuff, especially to begin with, but are you getting good support and advice? Are you having people around you that know what they're doing, that can ask you questions, can help you see opportunities and see those things that could hurt you financially, emotionally, mentally all of these things so that you can navigate around those things that could hurt you financially, emotionally, mentally all of these things? So that you can navigate around those things.

Speaker 2: 8:34

Financials the number one thing that I find that people avoid, or the first thing that they abdicate they don't typically delegate it, they abdicate it are their financials. They don't understand what's going on. They're missing all the beautiful stories that their numbers can tell them so that they can help more people make more money, survive, be profitable. So I'm like I make all of my clients, I want them to be their own bookkeeper for the first six months to a year so that they can learn these things, so they get intimate, so they can get away from the fact that they're scared of them. Because if you can count, add, subtract, multiply, divide, you have all the skills you need. You just have to be involved.

Speaker 2: 9:17

I agree, like how are you putting together your systems? Because there's a lot of people that are really good at what they do, but everything is in their head and I call them my professional plate spinners because they're running around and they're spinning all the plates and then they're wondering why they're exhausted and then the plates start crashing down. No systems, no business, no systems. You have a job that owns you and then we have cash flow and profit. You need to know that there's a difference and that both are absolutely necessary, and how to build up both. And those are the eight pieces. You have those. Your chances of success are not guaranteed, but they definitely greatly improve. You're missing any of those, your chances of failure are pretty much a given.

Speaker 1: 10:01

I love that. Your first thing that you mentioned is mindset, because when I started I started 10 years ago and I met my coach and she said one of the and I've talked about this before one of the first things she said to me is you have a mindset problem, right? I, of course, 10 years ago, had no idea what that even meant and I was just coming out of corporate so I really didn't even know what that meant. And but, like you said, they incorporate. You are taught to be a certain way. You're taught to do certain things right. One of the things that I was taught to do was to follow what everybody else was doing, listen to what everyone else is doing, keep my email open all the time and be responsive to whatever they're telling me to do. Right, I'm not really being proactive, you're just very reactive when you're working in a corporate environment. At least you know and I was in management I still was taught to be a you know, reactive worker. But the first thing she said was yeah, you have a mindset problem and had me doing all of these activities which are now kind of like foundational mindset things to me, that I'm just like so grateful that I was taught because I didn't realize how important it is.

Speaker 1: 11:24

Personal issues. Start a business, right, if you have any like, if you have any things that you need to work through. Start a business because you're going to have to get through those things if you want to be successful in business, right, and you're just going to have to, because you cannot run a business and have those things kind of burdening you while you're trying to do it. Yeah, so that that was a huge lesson for me. So do you think that it is more challenging for a mom to run her own business?

Speaker 2: 12:09

Yes and no.

Speaker 2: 12:11

Yes and no, like, that's a that's a very difficult question, because why yes? Is it more challenging? Because we're, we're, we're doing more things, especially like and I always say cause, like you said, I started my business, basically got pregnant like pretty much right away. I don't know how women repeat that process, like my hat's off to them. I was like, no, things were very different when my daughter was a baby versus when she was a toddler, versus now. I just have to drop her off at the university.

Speaker 2: 12:40

On occasion, when she was little, I had to be a lot more strict with myself because I only had tiny little pockets to work in and it was. It was actually wonderful, because I couldn't waste any time, I couldn't be doing busy work because I've only got this, this window, that I have to be. So I learned, ok, what is important to be doing, that I have to be. So I learned okay what is important to be doing and then how to be getting it done right. Um, and so that's why it's also a bonus being a mom, because, like I said, it's a good thing we have moms, because moms keep the world running.

Speaker 2: 13:14

If we were left, as much as I love my husband and their dads are definitely getting so much better. Children would not survive if left in the care of most men, because most men their brains are like rooms and they go into the room and they close the door and nothing's outside. Moms have to work on the open floor concept because we have to. Okay, the kids are doing, we're cooking, we're doing all of this stuff and we have to keep everything running, which are incredibly valuable skills to have when you are running a business. The self-management, the time management, the other management, getting your kids to do the things that they need to do is wonderful. Training for management and business and employees and especially managing customers and clients like those are incredible skills. So there's pros and cons yeah, I find it.

Speaker 1: 14:10

It's really challenging, especially like for some of my clients to do it and, like you said, it just really depends on which stage of life they're they're in, because I know when I started my kids were a lot younger. Now they're all teenagers and it's. I want to say it's easier, it's different, right, it's different Because there's there are four of them, so sometimes it feels like a lot.

Speaker 2: 14:37

Yeah, you put your hands very full.

Speaker 1: 14:39

You don't want to be driven everywhere, right, right, I'm just like, uh, you have to, you know, um, make their own rides and transportation and things like that is typically our, our issue, that we're that we're struggling with, especially because nobody's driving just yet. So, even though I have a 16 year old, she's just not ready to to drive. So, yeah, I.

Speaker 2: 15:02

I just do find, though, that moms will struggle with that, and then the constant interruptions and trying to stay focused on learning to manage those interruptions, cause that's a big one, that that that that I had and have had to work with a lot of parents. It's like, no, we don't neglect them, but we have to train them. They're like boundaries. Okay, one of the things that I found with my daughter because, like you said, I worked from home and like I took literally 30 hours of mat leave, like I worked up until noon the day I had her, she was seeing clients with me. Before she was two days old I missed teaching one class because that is literally the day I gave birth. She was with me. The following week she came to class with me. So all of those things. And then as she got, as she got a little bit older and stuff we would have, like she learned how to kind of tell the time. And I'm going okay, you pick out a movie and the, where the TV, the family room was like basically next door to my office, I said'll set you up with your, with your toys and stuff. If you quietly and play with your, play with your toys and watch your movie. When the movie is done we will go to the park or we will, we will do something. And as long as I kept my end of the bargain right, it was, it was fine.

Speaker 2: 16:11

So having to learn to to deal with those things, and then some days like she was a lot needier than others and I'm going okay, we have to. We just have to adjust and find ways of doing things and making her not. One of the things I had to really work on is making her not resent my business, to make her feel it was taking away from her. I made her a part of it. So she played my assistant because I worked from home for most of the time. I had an office for a short little while and would never do that again but teacher to answer the door and how to interact with my clients. And she, like she, was such a big girl about this and she would love when I would do events and she'd come out and talk with people and and get to show off. So she, she felt involved, not neglected by it.

Speaker 1: 16:56

I love that. I love too, though, that you were actually going to places and taking her with you, because it felt like maybe it was only acceptable to involve your kids. After COVID, right, Like it was almost like oh, my kids are here. Like that you need to tell them be quiet, I'm working. But after COVID, everybody was like oh, I'm working, my kids are home. Like don't? It almost became commonplace.

Speaker 2: 17:28

Well, it's definitely gotten off a lot better, like my daughter was born in 2003. And so if I, like, I had clients that went through my pregnancy and stuff with me, and so I we go and see them afterwards and I've got, okay, the diaper bag and the purse and I've got my, my, my laptop, and then I've got the baby carrier and stuff, and I come and show up and say, oh, can I hold the baby? Oh, here you go. And so she went like she was fine and she, she, she, she loved it and my clients were all about it. But, yes, it's definitely been a big, a big change.

Speaker 2: 18:01

But one of the many reasons why I started my business because when I was fired I was already interviewing for other positions. Like one more week I would have been in another position, better pay, better titer, all of that stuff. But my husband and I we were talking about starting our family and I'm going. I don't want to get my child up at five o'clock in the morning so I can drop her off at daycare, get to, get to a job that I can't stand, be there all day, miss the first words, miss the first steps, all of that. Pick her up, maybe be able to spend, like what, half an hour, an hour with her before she's down, like I'm going, that's not the life that I want before she's down, like I'm going, that's not the life that I want.

Speaker 2: 18:42

So I'm going, I want to and that's going to be any job that I have where, if I set up my business, I can work around that and make it work for my family, and I did. It was really challenging for the first two years for like everything, because, especially because my daughter nursed more in the middle of the night than she did during the day, I don't know how I survived. But once I hit that two year mark and the business just took off, things were so much better and she loved that. Like I said, I could go and volunteer for the field trips or be pizza mom or any of that stuff, because I've had the flexibility to work with that.

Speaker 1: 19:22

Yeah, I think I feel like that's why a lot of us start our businesses right. Like my kids were definitely the motivator for me.

Speaker 2: 19:29

I had a business I'd actually you're freezing up Brita, Are you there? Yeah, I'm there. You just froze up there for a moment.

Speaker 1: 19:59

Goodness, I'll have to make a note so that I can edit that. So I forgot what I was saying. I think what I was saying is that-.

Speaker 2: 20:08

Your kids were a motivator for starting your business.

Speaker 1: 20:10

Yeah, they were. I had started. I had a couple of businesses that were short-lived prior to me having kids, but once I had my sons and I wanted to be home with them for that time freedom of time and financial freedom. To be honest with you, try to break some of these generational uh curses that I've got going on, you know, and like create an actual legacy for my kids versus just like surviving.

Speaker 1: 20:40

I just felt like they motivated me to just not stop, just to continue to like it was like I had to push, no matter what my family would say, because my family has said to me more times than I will tell you to go get a regular job, and especially because you know how things fluctuate with with entrepreneurship. So anytime there was a downtime, it was oh, you should just go get a regular job. I'm like no, I'm going to make this happen, this is going to work Right. And I'm like determined because I I'm going to make this happen, this is going to work Right. And I'm like determined because I wanted to be home with my sons and um, and then when I got my nieces as well, so I was like even then, now I have four kids, so now I'm like I have to make this work regardless of what anybody says. So I feel like you like you know, sometimes we, they like, push us in there and then sometimes they like make us stay in there well, I was looking, I'm looking at this way.

Speaker 2: 21:39

I wanted, I wanted to show my daughter that she can build a life that she wants and that she has control. And yeah, I had people, my mom in particular, cause she, she worked in the same hospital and worked her way up for like 42 years before she retired and she would have a hard time when I would change jobs, let alone when I started my business. Like I thought she was going to have an all out coronary. She was so worried. But now, like she, she really likes it. Cause I'm going, I've got the flexibility and I like this. Like there's so many people that believe oh, when you have a job, it's so secure, I'm going.

Speaker 2: 22:18

How many people have been laid off and downsized and right sized and all of this stuff, I'm going. Or there's a cap on how much money they can make and it doesn't matter how hard they're working or what sacrifices. This is it. I'm going. I eat what I kill, I hard. They're working, you're. What sacrifices? This is it I'm going. I eat what I kill. I want to eat better. I get better at the, at the, at the hunting, and I love the challenge. I always tell my clients I'm going. If you're bored, you're doing it wrong, because there's always things you can learn and improve and and this is the most exciting, wonderful game out there- Mm-hmm.

Speaker 1: 22:49

I love that. Okay, so, as we're going to wrap up really fast, tell everyone these this is something I mentioned that I want to talk about is what tools or softwares it could be an app, it could be literally anything. What are you using to create a little bit more like efficiency, freedom, flexibility in your business and life?

Speaker 2: 23:11

So last year I signed up for Zoho suite Z-O-H-O, and I'm really really liking that because it coordinates so many different pieces. Like it looks after my email campaigns, it looks after doing my social media posting, I can look after booking my clients and all that through there. Like it's got so many different pieces that I'm just going through and learning all of them and I love how it's coordinated. And I was going okay, I was paying this for my social media posting, I was paying this for calendar, I was paying this for this and this for this, and I just put it all in one where it's all perfectly coordinated and it's actually cheaper. And I haven't even touched all of the things that it can do. I'm kind of I'm learning this part and then we'll add in the next one. So I'm really liking that. That's been a wonderful tool. So what?

Speaker 1: 24:01

does it do? It doesn't schedule your stuff out, or is it like looking at your expenses Like I'm well it's no, it's got all the.

Speaker 2: 24:08

It's got all the different pieces, pieces like it's got different little widgets in it, so like there's one for it's called bookings, which is what I use to replace my calendly. So I have it. Okay, you can do all of that. And then it talks with my, with my google calendar, and then I've got, like you said, for my, my emails and my uh newsletters and stuff like that. That's all coordinated. Um, nice, it's keep, it's got um books so I can do all myters and stuff like that. That's all coordinated. Nice, it's got books so I can do all my accounting and stuff in there, rather than QuickBooks or something like that. So, like I said, it's a suite of OK, what do I want it to do? And it's got my CRM in there, all of it and it's all coordinated. And I just I'm I started using it almost a year ago and I really like it.

Speaker 1: 24:53

So it has the CRM, so it has the sales funnels that would lead to the email funnels. All that stuff kind of like connects together. I love that. I'm gonna have to check it out. I've heard of it but I have not looked into it yet so and I didn't really know what it did.

Speaker 2: 25:13

So that's why I've heard a little bit about it for years. But I'm a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and they were at one of our conventions, so I started talking and then we had a proper meeting and they actually showed me what it could do. I'm going okay. Yeah, this is a no brainer, because I've looked at all sorts of different ones and I was looking for a new CRM and a new CRM and for what I was looking at, just a CRM. I can have all of this for less than what I was looking for the one CRM and it, like I said it, coordinates together very, very well, so I really like it.

Speaker 1: 25:41

I love that. Okay, I'm gonna check it out. And then, what are you listening to or reading?

Speaker 2: 25:48

Well, actually I do both. So I listen to audiobooks every day when I go to the gym and I have my library, which I absolutely love because I'm all for okay, let's learn and go through and there's pros and cons to both. So, like you said, I listen to audiobooks and I read. So one of my favorite audiobooks I always listen to the Success Principles by Jack Canfield. I'm really hoping he puts out a 20th anniversary edition next year because I've got the 10th and I've been reading it since it first came out. So that's one of my favorite audio books. And another book that I absolutely love the Infinite Game by Simon Sinek. I absolutely love it.

Speaker 1: 26:32

Okay, perfect. So I never end a podcast without talking about self-care, because that was the reason why I started this podcast was because I was felt like I was failing at doing so many things, and so I wanted to talk to other mom business owners and talk about how they were able to do all the things, and so self-care was one of the things I had fallen off of. So what are you doing for yourself, tammy?

Speaker 2: 27:02

so two of the biggest things is making sure, like I, I don't particularly love going to the gym, but but I love the results that I get and the fact that okay, nobody's talking to me, I can go do my thing there's. Being physically active is absolutely wonderful and, like you said, I always listen to my audio books and stuff through it. So I find that that's a really, really big one. And then I do try to get outside for a walk during the day or the evening or whatever, when it's, when it's nice out, because I find that just, oh, just being out in the fresh air and away from my, my office, my desk, because I love what I do, I love my clients and stuff.

Speaker 2: 27:41

But a productive day for me is a lot of time on my butt right in front of a computer and then you just it sucks out your, your, your posture and you get up after a little while you're're going. Oh, is my butt there? Yep, I can feel it. So getting up on a regular basis and, like I said, trying to get outside, those are some ones that are huge for keeping me going.

Speaker 1: 28:04

Yeah, the sun is. It's so important to get outside, and that's something that I need to do more of to get outside, and that's something that I need to do more of. Hopefully, now this weather has calmed and it's gonna not be 95 degrees and yeah, mine is usually.

Speaker 2: 28:18

It's usually either earlier in the morning here or later in the evening, because it gets pretty darn warm here and I'm a pasty white chick that goes up in flames yeah, I I don't like know I don't want sunburn or anything like that.

Speaker 1: 28:32

So where are you at online Like? What social media platform are you hanging out on typically?

Speaker 2: 28:39

So best place to find me on social media is Instagram, and that's KSA dot business.

Speaker 1: 28:47

Okay, and then your website, of course.

Speaker 2: 28:50

KSAbusinessca, because I'm a pasty white Canadian.

Speaker 1: 28:54

So Okay, and I will put all of the links and stuff for you in the show notes and then if anybody wants to connect with you, they can just reach out. Anything else. I can't think of anything. But thank you so much You've been. It's been such a pleasure chatting with you. Well, thank you for having me, rita. I lost the.