Tammy Hawks-Bridges

Tammy Hawk-Bridges believes that everyone shares at least one inherent desire.  

“As humans, no matter what sex we are, what color we are, what our background is, or how much education we have, we all have one thing in common,” she said.  “We all want to be better than we are.”

That’s why the Leeds resident and business owner has written “Yanking Bootstraps,” a book aimed at helping entrepreneurs avoid the mistakes that often plague new business ventures.

In her home office, Hawk-Bridges recounted lessons she learned the hard way, addressed problems and concerns common to entrepreneurs, and explained why she’s never without her notebook.

What led her to starting her own business: Hawk-Bridges left the corporate world because “I had a job that I loved and a very good salary, but I hated that there was a person who had the power to take all that away from me.  Eventually I said, ‘This is not for me.  I will never allow someone to have that power over me again.’”  So she developed the virtual businesses Social Heavy, PhotoCandy and her current endeavor, The Perfect Marketing Equation.

What she learned:  “When I started my first endeavor, it was very scary. My business has changed faces three times in the last four years, and what I’ve learned from it is that the key to a small business endeavor is marketing.”  

The beginnings of the book:  “When my first business failed, it was because I didn’t understand Internet marketing.  I didn’t know how to get the information I needed.  That’s when I started writing the outline for the book.  I didn’t want another entrepreneur to go through what I went through.”

About the book:  She describes it as “a personal story, not just a book about business, although it is straightforward about what to do and not to do.  It’s 96 pages, although I could have easily made it 300.  When I started really thinking it through, I realized that what entrepreneurs need is something they can read quickly, perhaps over a weekend and on Monday take something from it and integrate it into their business.”

How to get the book:  “Yanking Bootstraps” is available through Amazon and Hawk-Bridges’ website:

perfectmarketingequation.com

A common misconception the book dispels:  “The romantic idea of what an entrepreneur is.  It’s work.  It’s difficult.  And it’s not just for everybody.  Many people think about leaving their jobs to find something better, but there are two things they have to have, or they shouldn’t even consider an entrepreneur’s life.”

The first:  “You have to be committed to action every day.  Massive action.  Entrepreneurship is not a place for the passive person.  The second my feet hit the floor every day, I’m not talking about something.  I’m doing it.”

The second:  “You have to be really sincere with your intentions and have a sense of ownership in what you’re doing.  For me, that’s helping empower entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs.  From the bottom of my heart, that’s what I want to do.  Money is not what drives me at the end of the day.”

Problems entrepreneurs face:  “Fear is a big one.  Doubt delayed the success of my business.  The only thing rivaling fear is loneliness. When you are an entrepreneur, you are a different breed of person.  We need people around us that are like ourselves so we don’t feel lonely.  Only another entrepreneur understands that.”

Can the life of an entrepreneur be discouraging?  “Many mornings I want to stay in bed and say, ‘The heck with it.’  But the second I put my feet on the floor, no matter how bad I was beaten up the day before, I find it in myself to get it going again.  That’s what you have to do.”

The best advice she ever received:  “A boss I loved working for always told me, ‘Keep company with people who are smarter than you are.’ I’m not afraid of doing that.  People don’t like to see their flaws, they don’t like to feel inferior, they don’t like the idea of making changes.  Only a very small group of people is willing to do that.  That’s why most people aren’t entrepreneurs.  It’s just too hard, but I enjoy hanging out with people a whole lot smarter than me who will motivate me to be more.”

The danger of becoming absorbed by business:  “Your business becomes a constant companion.  It’s always with you, and that can be draining sometimes.  There are days I stay in the house and forget there’s a world happening outside.  One year I missed my favorite season, spring, because I was cooped up in my office like some mad scientist trying to conjure up a business.  So I’ve learned to stop, go outside, breathe some air, soak up some Vitamin D, and remember that the world is not about me.  I’m a part of it.”

One item she’s never without: “My notebook. I constantly have a million ideas in my head and I have to write them down or I forget.”

Something an acquaintance might be surprised to know about her: “I’m very much an introvert in my real life and actually pretty low key and quiet. I just happen to be very outspoken and passionate when it comes to business.”

An entrepreneur indulgence:  “I like going to the movies in the middle of the day, when everybody else is at work.  It feels so naughty, like I’m really getting away with something.”