We recently had the chance to connect with Tammy Durden and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Tammy, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day usually consist of going through my email, answering them, and deleting others. This can take more or less time each day. Then, if time before meetings or sessions, I check social media.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My story started 17 years ago when we needed additional family income. I had become disabled (due to MS) and was homeschooling three children at the time, so working outside of the home was not an option.
I started my Virtual Assistant & Bookkeeping business. I turned it into an agency with subcontractors, so I could share the work with other disabled persons who needed to work from home.
A short time later, I transitioned the VA Agency into a digital marketing agency, which I ran until the end of 2020. I also provided business coaching services on the side (as I receiving so many requests for help). Since exiting the agency, I began coaching full-time and am loving it.
I coach women online service providers, solopreneurs, and mompreneurs to help them build their agencies and/or grow their online service businesses. I help empower these women to grow a business to fit their lifestyle, rather than squeeze a life around their business.
We work together, as I walk them through this process, step-by-step, to build their virtual dream team.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
The irony is that I didn’t know I was creating a business, even though I came from an entrepreneurial home. Then one day, as I met with one of my clients, and he said, “You know you have a business here?” I sharply replied, “No, I don’t.” Yes, you do,” he confirmed. And it was as if my eyes were suddenly opened as I realized he was right! Then I started dreaming of all the possibilities. One of which was the ability to share my work, if I had enough clients, with other disabled persons to help them earn money working from home. This was eventually also expanded to moms of disabled children because they needed to be home with their children.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
In my business! When I realized I didn’t have to hide. In fact, in business the more unique you are sometimes the better it is for your marketing (depending on the audience & industry). I found I could use it to help other woman. My disability gave me the ability to help other disabled persons work from home, and that made me proud to be a business owner.
Today, as a business coach, speaker, and course creator, I love helping other women gain the same confidence I found but would never have if I had stayed hiding in my pain. And today I help so many other woman be able to share their pain when they are ready. Many in our world see what I have as a weakness, but I know it is my superpower in so many ways.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say that God (my faith) is first, and then my family & friends. They are what really matter to me.
When you have come close to dying, you realize what is most important to you.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope I leave a legacy of love. I hope my life pointed people to the most important things in life. They are God, family & friends, and then work. Too many have it backwards today. I’d like to leave a legacy of love and inspiration so others know they can make it and succeed through the difficult times.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fearlessbusinessboss.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fearlessbusinessboss/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammydurden/
- Twitter: https://x.com/fearlessbizboss
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tammydurden4
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fearless-business-boss-mechanicsville?osq=Fearless+Business+Boss
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fearlessbusinessboss
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=FEARLESS+BUSINESS+BOSS
