We recently connected with Tisidra Jones and have shared our conversation below.
Tisidra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
Recently I was actually reflecting on this. Juneteenth was approaching and my parents and siblings asked me the question they do with most holidays between February and October, “Does your boss give you the day off?” As usual, I joked, “she gave everyone else the day off but the leadership team, so I got to work”–I am the “boss” they are referring to. As the CEO of a business I created, even if I am not working, I kind of always am in my mind (ex: “Did we finish this logistical item?”; “When is that reporting deadline?”; “What is the deadline for that proposal?”; “Should I schedule that team retreat to build morale?”). I needed to work this Juneteenth because some things came up and they needed to get done. In the past, most holidays between February-October I do not mind working. In fact I like a day when everyone else is not working so I can get a little caught up.
But this Juneteenth I really did not want to work for a few reasons. I had been working longer hours for weeks as we have been growing the business and just finished traveling two weekends in a row… and most importantly, I now have a child who I missed 2 weekends in a row with. In our home we have a few books about Juneteenth and all I really wanted to do was read him a book and take him to the museum. I want my child to know our history and to have a present mother who did things that created great childhood memories. I also want to build generational wealth for my family and community. For the first time since starting my business I heard the words leave my mouth more than once, “I just wish I had a regular job today so I could just be off…just for today.”
I wrestled with the tension of the day as I could hear my family playing downstairs. When I had a moment to reflect at the end of the day, I thought about all the freedom and opportunities that running my business has afforded me. It has allowed me time to be there for my child and family if things come up unexpectedly. It has also allowed me and my team opportunities to do the type of meaningful work we care about in a way that aligns with our values. The last thing that occurred to me was that at the end of the day, I am the CEO. So, if I do not like how things are structured then I also have the power and freedom to change it.
Tisidra, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I truly care about people being able to access the information and resources they need to thrive economically. Strong & Starlike Consulting, Inc.’s mission is to create systems that increase individual and community access to information, knowledge, and financial opportunities that help them thrive economically. A large portion of our work pertains to helping small businesses and diverse businesses navigate government contracting and contracting with entities like hospitals. We work with these large entities to create programs, policies, and practices that are accessible for people. In addition, since we are involved in building these systems, we believe we have a responsibility to help people navigate them. So, we offer workshops, training session, engagements, and resources like our book, “A Guide to Business Inclusion Programs in Government Contracting: U.S. Federal, State, and Local Programs and Laws”, to help small businesses and small nonprofit leaders navigate these systems. Knowing everyone’s financial position is different, we do host workshops that are free for small business and nonprofit leaders so they can access new things we are sharing as well.
What I am most proud of are the moments we witness when a business that has been trying to connect with a large entity to do a pitch or just get in front of purchasing decision makers has that opportunity and then they knock it out of the park. There are trillions of dollars spent each year across this country in public sector contracting opportunities alone. The amount only gets larger when you add entities like hospitals, colleges, and universities. Everyone buys something at some time. For busy small business owners trying to figure out how to sell their goods and services to these large entities it can feel like a maze to navigate.
I learned about this work in my first job as a vendor outreach program coordinator for a government entity. Before that I did not know anything about this area. It truly was an eye-opening experience. Through opportunities to research and collaborate with others across sectors I learned that small business ownership truly can contribute to shifting economic opportunities and outcomes for families while building generational wealth. I also learned that small businesses should consider how they have a diverse portfolio of clients who are both in the public and private sector. In talking to business owners most times it is not that they do not want to work with certain types of entities, it is that they do not know how to access contracting opportunities with such entities. Our work tries to help with that.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I always wanted to be a business owner, but I had a pretty clear timeline and plan in my mind as to when I would start. However, life had a different plan. When the organization I worked for closed I was left without a job; then without a permanent residence; and I felt like I had failed somehow. For the month following the layoff, I was already scheduled to speak on 3 different panels to talk about leadership and career success. I remember sitting on those stages and feeling lost honestly. I remember thinking at one point, “Girl, you ain’t got a job or a home…are you really successful? So, wait, why am I on this panel again?” I realized that the hardest part about losing my job was not losing my job, but it was that I had somehow wrapped my identity up in what I was doing and not who I was that I lost myself when I lost my job.
As much as I jumped into applying for jobs and getting interviews, I was not getting a job. However, opportunities to consult were coming in. So, I formed a business for those opportunities to flow through. When I was a kid I used to tell people that one day I would have a business called Strong & Starlike, because I had learned that is what my name means. I was pretty set on that for most of my life. When I had to select a name for the company when getting my EIN someone told me to consider a different name, like S&S so I could get more opportunities or come off more professional. I was low, strapped for cash and this person seemed knowledgeable so I figured I would take their advice… but that is not what was for me. Every time I tried to file S&S I got a strange error message. After calling the IRS they said it would not go through for some reason and asked if I had a different name. So, I filed Strong & Starlike and had no issues with that. This may seem simple, but it was profound for me to realize that at a time I was feeling lost in who I was the business name ended up being a constant reminder to me that I am strong and starlike.
In this day and age we are constantly taking in images and messages about who we are; who we could be; who we should be; and what success looks like. Someone told me something during that time that I will never forget: Who you are is more important than what you do. Job or no job- are you striving for excellence in all you do? Followers or no followers- are you a person of integrity? Status or no status-are you treating all the people you interact with on a daily basis with respect? Years after starting my business as I reflect on the experience, I am grateful for the layoff and the timing of it. Yes, I went through a tough time and made some mistakes during that time. But, I learned so much. One of the things that was so beautiful during that time was that I never had to worry about a place to sleep or a meal. People were kind to me and I remember during that time someone said they did it because I was always kind to them.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
With one of the first teams I managed in my career I used to say, “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work” so much my colleagues put it on a mug and also framed it for me. I have participated in a leadership, coaching, and mentoring group called Daniels Den where the gentleman leading the work has said a couple things that stick out to me. First, he said you do not go as far as your dream, you go as far as your team. Second, as a CEO my job is to be the Chief Reminding Officer for my team. I remember early on in my career I was working a lot and I ended up experiencing burn out. During that time I talked to my supervisor and had accrued more than enough time to take a month off. I rested, reflected, and regrouped.
Something I learned in doing that was how to prepare my team for me to be out and come back not feeling like was drowning in work. I had learned how to create comprehensive backup plans. With this in mind, I want my team members to be able to take time off and enjoy it. Creating a back-up planning system from the time you start new hires and new teams also helps with creating a system so that business operations do not stall when key people go out of the office. For example, our team does engagements and events where each person has key role. In our plan for each event we include a back-up for each role and cross-train team members on the responsibilities of each role. So, when life happens for other unexpectedly we can say, “be present with your family” and things are taken care of at work. Part of the way we are back up planning currently includes keeping key team areas updated as it relates to their back up plans. So, rather than the back up plan living on a shelf until needed, it is updated through our systems regularly and allows for easily re-assigning tasks to team members while minimizing overburdening any one team member. My role is to remind people to keep systems updated and why we do it. So far, I continue to get positive feedback from my teams and from the organizations who we do back planning session with for their teams.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.strongandstarlike.com/
Image Credits
Desiree L. Wells
Reggie Evans