Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tessa White, Founder of The Job Doctor, located in Alpine, UT, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My business focuses on helping individuals get the job, get the pay, and navigate a successful career. I also help companies understand how to re-engage their people and bend the curve on employee loyalty.

Tell us about yourself

I was at the height of my career as the head of human resources for the fastest-growing solar company in the nation. After 20+ years in the corporate world and 60-hour work weeks, I made the decision to leave the corner office behind and move to the other side of the equation: the individual. After seeing thousands of people's careers rise and fall, I could see the patterns and where people made their career journey more difficult. From this, the idea of the job as a Doctor was born.

I opened up my doors mid-pandemic and had clients from day one. At the same time, I started a TikTok account---or, to be more exact, my daughter posted a few videos for me. Three days later, I had 10,000 followers, and I realized there was a need for the information I could share. It's really the messages from people that fuel me forward. I now have over 1 million followers on my social platforms, and my email box is full of thank you notes from people who have helped my advice. It fuels me forward every day. It really is helping "the one" that makes me come alive.

What I would have given for similar help as a single mother trying to navigate the workforce in my early 30s.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My business is one big experiment after another, and for me, the greatest accomplishment is eliminating fear from my actions. When I hit 50, it suddenly disappeared. I quit playing it safe, and I wasn't afraid of failure or looking stupid anymore. I posted videos, and instead of deleting them if I was criticized, I shrugged my shoulders and moved forward. I knew nothing about social media, so I experimented. I didn't know how to monetize followers, so I tried new ideas.

Now, less than two years later, I have been contacted by television and news programs, top-tier publications, and even book publishers. My first book is coming out in February under HarperCollins, and I have been on the cover of magazines and spoken at Fortune 50 companies. All of this is from a desire to help the individual and an idea that maybe I have something to say that maybe will help a few people.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Being everything in the business, from bookkeeper to IT, from public speaker to social media influencer, has been a real challenge. I come from a world where I have a large staff to do many of the tasks for the team. Deciding when to outsource or hire help and when to grow versus stay small has been a daily challenge. I didn't set out to have a big business.

I set out to have a high quality of work/life balance and make a difference. I'm learning how to trust others to do what they do best, so I can do what I do best. I need to do that without finding myself overwhelmed and in the same spot as I was when I left corporate America.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. You won't know what to do... A LOT. But you will be able to determine the right next small step. Focus on that, and those small steps will give you momentum.
  2. Even when you don't feel like it, do something each day that creates energy for your vision. Energy creates movement, and movement builds a business.
  3. Never wait on "perfect for executing." Do it imperfectly and get moving. (P.S. In some of my best-performing videos on TikTok, I look like hell. No makeup, a piece of food in my teeth, or smeared mascara. I had to learn to record even though it wasn't perfect. If I waited to look good, I never would have gotten traction.)

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

We all have a sense of our own superpowers, but most of us rarely put them to use in a way that allows us to fill our full potential or find the "calling" we were meant to do. Pay attention to your superpower. Put words to what it is. Find ways to use it. And your calling will come to you.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://thejobdoctor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JobDoctorTessa/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jobdoctortessa/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jobdoctortessa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessawhitejobdoctor/

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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