Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tara Lesher, Founder of Tara Lesher Education, located in Tampa, FL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am a photographer, digital artist, graphic designer, and photoshop educator at Tara Lesher Education. My customers are both professional and hobbyist artists of all ages.
Tell us about yourself
I decided quickly after graduating college with an elementary & special education degree that while I had a passion for teaching and working with children, I needed more out of my career creatively. It took me the better part of my 20s, but I found a way to make a successful career while combining all the things I love. The bulk of my work is in teaching people of all ages photography & photoshop, both through online courses as well as in-person classes and workshops. While I also license out my art for publications & products that are sold all over the world, including places like Walmart & Target, which is pretty fun, my motivation lies in getting to see my students grow as artists and build thriving businesses for themselves.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
To date, my biggest accomplishment again has been in seeing my students growth and watching their amazing journeys. I began mentoring only by the urge of very kind and passionate social media followers. I was so hesitant to record my first tutorial. Now, I'm over 500 tutorials in, and seeing all of the amazing artists grow along with me is what gives me the motivation to keep going, growing, and improving myself along with them.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
For me, the hardest part of being a business owner was learning how to delegate. I've always wanted to have control over every aspect, but once you grow to a certain level, inevitably, you cannot do it alone. I've been very fortunate in working with amazing people who understand who I am and how I like to handle certain aspects of the business so that I can free myself up to be the creative mind behind the scenes. My advice is that once you get to a certain point of growth, and you can afford to hire employees to handle the areas that you'd like to focus less on, like website maintenance, advertising, customer service, etc., you should pass those on so that you can get back to focusing on what made you passionate about starting a business, to begin with.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Have confidence in yourself! Don't undercut your prices. Give the absolute best of yourself to your customers, and you will likely see that level of respect in return. Don't forget... you are worth every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears that you put into your work and business.
- Take business courses. You will save yourself so much time and frustration if you prepare yourself and build the skills you need to run a business by taking just a few core courses and understanding the back end of things. (There are so many resources out there, many even free!).
- Never stop learning and growing. Always strive to improve upon your skills and products.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
For those interested in artistic fields but too afraid that they won't be able to make a career of it, there are so many positions (and great salaries) available for various kinds of artists and graphic designers these days. If it's something that you are truly passionate about, you should have no worries about finding your place and the work that you love.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.taralesher.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TaraLesherPhotography
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taralesheredu/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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