Work-At-Home Success: How Tammy Gooler Loeb Made Her Dream of Being Her Own Boss a Reality!
Tammy Gooler Loeb is a career and executive coach, speaker, trainer and group facilitator for the past 18 years. She operates her practice from her home and loves the flexibility it allows while doing the work she is passionate about. Her practice is based on the principle that work can be something that is engaging, satisfying and fulfilling, especially since we spend most of our waking hours doing work related activities. Tammy loves her career and wants to help others find their sweet spot in the world of work.
1) How did you get started working from home?
I always loved the idea of being my own boss and creating a flexible lifestyle that allowed me to focus on the priorities that I feel are important for myself and my family. There were a few other entrepreneurial pursuits along the way as well. After getting my MBA, I started by holding a part-time job 3 days per week while building a consulting business. That gave me some financial grounding while I built the self employed side of things. Eventually, I found the coaching profession and knew that hit the nail on the head for me. Once I built the coaching practice to a critical mass, I was able to go full-time on my own and felt it was economical to operate the business from home rather than rent office space.
2) How did you choose the work-at-home career you do?
I was looking for something that would allow me to help people improve their quality of life. I have always worked in service oriented organizations so that was my inclination already. It was a nature fit once I heard about the field of coaching and realized how most coaches started their practices from home.
3) How did you get started (basic initial steps)?
I enrolled in a coaching training and certification program that also included business development training.
4) How did you get your first client or customer or job?
Word of mouth — started to tell people what I was doing and my phone started ringing! I offered some introductory discounts and practiced with friends as well so they could get a feel for what I was doing and could pass the word around.
5) How do you market your business?
Almost entirely word of mouth. I have tried other avenues such as paid advertising or donating a package of coaching services to a silent auction for a fundraising event, but those activities have never been fruitful. One thing I have done that has been helpful is to speak at my local library and other libraries about career related topics. These are offered to the public and the libraries do press releases. I have gotten some clients from those audiences and occasionally someone will see my name in the newspaper and call me for a consultation or another speaking engagement. Word of mouth is powerful if you talk about what you do in natural social interactions. People often ask each other what they do for work so it comes up in conversation very easily in all kinds of situations.
6) What does your usual day look like?
I am not a person who loves routine so my business days are each unique. Some days, I am home all day, mostly on the phone with clients. Other days, I may be at a client’s office delivering a training program or workshop, facilitating a team or a meeting, or meeting with employees for one-on-one coaching sessions.
7) What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
To stay more focused and trust what I already know rather than spending significant resources on extra professional development. I love expanding my knowledge and skills but it is very easy to get drawn into a multitude of training and certification programs that do not pay for themselves. I limit myself now to one professional development activity per year.
8) What advice would you give someone who wants to work from home?
Create a space to work in that you love, allows you to focus and feel productive. Be sure to have easy to use systems set up for record keeping and management. Hire a bookkeeper if you feel it is an area of challenge for you.
Find Tammy Online:
Website: www.Tammy Gooler Loeb.com
Twitter: @tammygoolerloeb
Facebook: Tammy Gooler Loeb Coaching
LinkedIn: @tammygoolerloeb/
