Meet Fractional Executive Tiffany Zehara
“Assess what is working, tweak what is not, and try again.”
Tiffany Zehara
Okay, let’s get started on the interview!
Tell us who you are in 50 words or less.
I am the Founder and Owner of Humanitarian Entrepreneur®. As a fractional executive, I work in growth and development for businesses navigating censorship from societal taboos and government regulations; viz., femtech, sextech, and healers.
How and why did you start your business?
Originally, I started my business out of necessity after being very burned out working in the charitable sector and dealing with health issues. I started contracting within the same scope of what I was doing working for the non-profits but I was doing it in a way that supported my mental and physical health.
What services do you offer in your business?
I offer advisement for growth and development, project-specific support, business coaching, technical writing, and speaking.
What makes your business or services unique?
My focus on censorship and stigma is what makes my work unique.
Having a functional website is an important aspect of running a business. How was the process for you to get your website up and running? For example: Did you create it on your own or did you hire a web designer? Which platform is your website hosted on?
The website was a challenge for me because of the story I had that I was bad with technology. I tried to build the website initially but then hired three different companies because I was unhappy with what I created on my own.
Eventually, I was very frustrated with not being able to update things myself without going through a third party. I fired everyone and created something myself that I knew how to update.
Is it polished, no. Will I hire in the future when I am going through a re-brand, yes; however, I am proud of myself for breaking the negative narrative. My website is currently through Forento.
What resources are you finding helpful in your business right now?
AppSumo is great for finding software for your business (like Forento) where you pay once and do not have recurring charges like the big-tech platforms.
What is the one thing you wished you had known before starting your entrepreneurial journey?
I was recently having a discussion with another Founder and we were discussing how we wished we had been prepared for the amount of internal growth that would need to accompany this journey.
There are so many areas that need to be addressed, i.e. feelings of worthiness, self-doubt, facing criticism – and where all these issues stem from to heal and move forward personally and professionally.
Tell us about a time when life threw you a serious curveball in your business and what you did to overcome that curveball?
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS A SERIES OF CURVEBALLS.
When I’ve hit points of frustration because I’m too close to the issue, I’ve sought outside business support who are able to easily see the “challenges” from a different perspective, without all the emotion.
How have you grown personally from becoming an entrepreneur?
Absolutely! You are not able to sweep things under the rug like you may have been able to do as an employee.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP MIRRORS BACK TO YOU ALL THE REPRESSED ISSUES, SO THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO HEAL AND COME OUT STRONGER.
What one misconception about the entrepreneurial journey would you like to clarify for us today?
Entrepreneurship is a journey. Journeys have twists and turns, they are not just steady growth. Just because you have setbacks, whether minor or the major ones, it does not mean you’re not meant to do the work you have been called to in your business.
ASSESS WHAT IS WORKING, TWEAK WHAT IS NOT, AND TRY AGAIN.
Don’t forget to listen to your inner whispers. Just because you start out going down one path, doesn’t mean that wasn’t just the starting steps to bring you somewhere else that may seem completely opposite to your starting place.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about starting their own business?
Entrepreneurship can feel lonely but it doesn’t have to be this way. There are communities of others on this path, no matter how niche your field, that can be a sounding board and support to you along the way.
HAVE COURAGE, EVERYTHING WILL ALL BE OKAY.
Life is not happening to you but for you, for your best and highest good.
If you’re being guided somewhere, trust your intuition.
What are some fun facts you would like to share about yourself?
I am a Pisces but I do not like water and can’t swim.
I am rather disconnected from popular culture and don’t have a clue what people are talking about when referring to current trends.
I have a running paper list of all the books I want to read from the library that I keep in my car, so I’m always prepared.
What is one thing you’re grateful for right now?
There are so many things to be grateful for right now but I am grateful that I started this journey. I am grateful that I’ve taken the risks that I believed in myself.
What are you looking forward to in the next month?
I am looking forward to a collaboration coming down the line that will be expanding the conversation around reshaping digital intimacy to support privacy, diversity, and sexual expression.
