Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sahar Paz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sahar, appreciate you joining us today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

Learning to trust others, letting go of control, and truly making room for yourself to be the leader of your business is a HUGE step.

Before this mini-leap is taken, there is usually a burned-out woman who has done it all by herself, for too long. This is a lesson I’ve learned personally, and one I guide my clients NOT to make.

No one can do it alone.
There is no award for being superwoman.
Cultivating that trust in yourself is the first step.

As a marketer, I’m trained to ask – what are the opportunity costs of me not hiring help?

A cost is anything that is debited from your bank account, your energy, and your time.
Opportunities are areas of growth you’re not tending to because you’re spreading yourself too thin.
When you choose to do it yourself, you’re choosing to diminish the quality of your work and get in the way of growth.

Once I got clear that it was time to delegate tasks, I had to ask myself what is my appetite for a team?
One full-time person or two part-time with varied skills? How much do I spend? What’s sustainable? What’s necessary?
What work areas should they handle strategically?

I didn’t answer these questions alone, I made sure to hire someone to help me think it out over a few consulting sessions, it cost me less than $1,000 and was well worth it.

Finding the right talent is the last step, and I created a process that would give us both time to try each other out.

First, a process for the interview, from informal to formal meetings, to a submitted project, I took the time to understand what they are bringing to the table, how they motivate, and what productive means for each person. I also hired based on a 90 day probation period where we both determine if the collaboration is a good fit, and reassess expectations.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

At the core of it all, I specialize in emotionally intelligent communications – verbal and written – for people and for brands.

I started my journey in 2014 when I published “Find Your Voice” and started a speaking business, focused on women in leadership understanding the power of their internal and spoken voice. My clients included Facebook, HBO, Whole Foods, and other forward-thinking conferences like Emerging Women Live, where I shared the stage with Brené Brown and Jane Goodall.

In 2018 I launched Own Your Voice Strategy Firm by renting out the Greater Houston Partnership for a day-long Summit featuring women leaders from film, fashion, technology, and healthcare – I haven’t had to advertise since then. Own Your Voice is a Benefit Corporation focused on purposeful brand development for organizations that want to better understand who they serve, how to speak to them, and empower their employees to do the same.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My name should be Sahar Pivot Paz because my career journey has not been linear – I’ve learned that timing is everything in business.

I’ve always been ahead of my time.

I launched my first money-generating business at the age of 13, pet and babysitting that was well known in a 6 block radius. I even hired my friend Amber to come and help when there was more than one pet or one kid to take care of.

I was 25 in New York City working in finance, more money than I knew what to do with, and bored out of my mind. That was my first pivot, and only in Manhattan can you pivot from finance to the business side of fashion. I even went back to school and achieved my BA in Marketing.

Then, in 2008, the economy collapsed, I was in my 30s and had to pivot again, that’s when I leveraged my personal brand and created several channels of income: an accessories line, small business marketing, and fashion programs I sold to schools through my then nonprofit, Free Your Star Foundation.

All of this led me to where I am today, and allows me to be adaptable, creative, and centered no matter the situation.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The 80/20 rule: 80% of your business, comes from 20% of your clients.

Whether someone hires me to speak, to build their personal brand, or manage their external communications, one thing I will never do is copy and paste.

I listen.

Then, I create a custom experience for my client that they can’t help but talk about.

I am also consistent with my off-boarding process, asking for a LinkedIn recommendation and an introduction to someone who could benefit from my services.

Start a referral process or program, the 80/20 rule exists for a reason.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.saharpaz.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/saharpaz
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/saharpaz
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/saharpaz
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SaharPazFindYourVoice
• Other: www.ownyourvoice.org

Image Credits
First image on stage: TedX Houston Other images: Stephanie Rodriguez