We were lucky to catch up with Tiffany Cellura recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tiffany, thanks for joining us today. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

Travel is one of my greatest joys in life and I feel I am the best version of myself when I get to enjoy travel. When we tap into who we are at our best we not only radiate that back to our clients, but we also set a great example of how to be a better business owner for those around us.

As a consultant who works with leaders, I usually see two main reasons they cannot step away from their work: lack of delegation skills, or lack of trust to who they delegate to. Often, leaders fall into the “If it is going to be done right, I have to do it myself” mentality. Fortunately, delegation and trust are skills that can be learned. However, I recommend giving yourself at least 3-6 months leading up to your vacation to start small and work your way up to having a person you truly trust in your place while you are gone.

For us solopreneurs, planning in advance is our greatest ally for being able to step away. Anything is doable with enough forethought. Also, do not be afraid to set appropriate expectations with your clients while you are out of office. I find most clients are happy to see you living in a way that prevents you from reaching burnout so that you can do your best work when you get back!

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

I am a Leadership and Development Coach and Consultant and the owner of Tiffany Cellura Coaching. I chose this line of work after spending over 15 years in the architecture industry. I quickly realized during my time as a Project Manager that we often get promoted because of our technical skills, while our people skills have a long way to go. Fortunately, I worked for a great company that provided helpful resources that shaped me as a leader. I soon found I loved the people and leadership-development aspect more than design. As I grew, I added more leadership tools during my own process of self-discovery. This created the basis for the work I share with organizations today.

I now partner with companies and individuals to help them become more self-aware and courageous leaders using a framework that worked for me, in the real world. My favorite tools are the Enneagram, Brené Brown, and Human Design. I provide consultation, executive coaching, and team training for a wide variety of companies. While I still love working with those in the design industry, the skills I teach are universal. I have helped businesses in fields such as engineering, health and wellness, the food industry, and more!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

After much trial and error, I used the knowledge of my Human Design profile to help me understand the best way to find new clients. I am not someone who resonates with popular methods of growing followers through social media or cold outreach. At first, that was frustrating until I learned that I am meant to work with those closest to me, like friends or family. Once I knew that, I gave myself permission to shift my focus from trying to appeal to the masses to tapping into my immediate network. I have learned that word-of-mouth networking feels much more authentic to me. I now focus on doing the best possible work for my current clients and ask if they can introduce me to anyone in their network who I can help. It is important for each person to find the most aligned marketing and sales strategy for them, and try to cut out the noise of what everyone says you “should” be doing.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I left architecture, there were plenty of people around me who were concerned I was “starting over”, or that all of my architectural knowledge would go to waste. So, early on in my career transition, I let myself believe I knew nothing. I told myself I was truly starting from square one. That is, until more and more people started asking me to share my experiences with them. Whether that be how I handled conflict as a leader, how I managed difficult clients, how I used my knowledge of personality types to lead a team, etc. I started to see just how much value my day-to-day experiences in my past career carried, and now those skills are what set me apart from others. Remember, you’re never starting over, you’re building on what you already know.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tiffanycelluracoaching.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanycelluracoaching/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanycellura/

Image Credits

Kate Schwindt Photography