- 3 hours ago
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When Tahisia Scantling left her six-figure corporate career to become an entrepreneur, she had experience and a vision. What she did not have was a plan for making it happen.
“When I left corporate America, I knew what I was going to be doing, but I just didn’t have a clear direction or purpose,” Scantling said.
Early hard lessons
During her first year in business, Scantling earned a profit of just $13,000. She had saved approximately one year’s salary before leaving corporate America, where she worked for over 20 years in commercial and residential real estate, sales, business consulting, retail and business banking.
Despite her skills, and because she had not developed a marketing plan or created a budget — and failed to consistently track her expenses — she did not immediately recognize how little her business was producing.
“I saw money coming in, but I didn’t see it going out,” she said. “At the end of the year, I saw my profit, and that was a reality check. Coming from someone who made six figures, that was a big change.”
Once she reviewed the numbers, she realized her approach was not sustainable. She started working part-time jobs to supplement her income. Scantling also sought help through organizations such as the Pinellas Opportunity Council and was able to receive free support from a mentee.
Those were her early years. Now, Scantling is the managing broker for Right Turn Realty, LLC, a full service real estate firm in St. Petersburg.
Scantling, who is also a former St. Pete commissioner, is now planning to use her growing pains to help aspiring entrepreneurs avoid some of the pitfalls she made. Scantling is penning her first book, titled “Stop Hustling, Start Building.”The book will offer a 12-step framework for developing a business with purpose, structure and long-term direction.
Over the past seven years, Scantling has helped train over 500 small businesses. She has worked with organizations such as the Tampa Bay Black Business Investment Corporation, Inc. (BBIC) and the Pinellas County Urban League. The book is inspired by the 15-week intensive training program she designed with BBIC.
“I’ve had a lot of experience working with small business owners — the ones that hustle — and I am just really trying to change the mindset of them, trying to figure out how to take their hustle and turning it into a business,” she says.
The book introduces what Scantling calls the Power Plan Method. Part of that method is the ‘decision board’, which are tactics you can apply to make better choices. Those decisions are then formulated into a 30-60-90-day action plan with specific tasks.”
“It tells you specifically what you have to do to be able to accomplish the things that you want to accomplish,” she says.
She encourages business owners to research community organizations, mentoring programs, business development agencies and other resources that can help them fill operational gaps.
Power Broker asked Scantling 8 tactical tips on how to intentionally build as a new entrepreneur:
Not saying ‘yes’ to every opportunity. Scantling says, “Knowing who your target audience is, understanding your client base and being very clear and cautious who you take money from.”
Knowing your worth and not letting people see that you’re sweating.
Do not confuse revenue with profit.
Operate with a real plan. Scantling says, “Unless you've been in business for more than 3 years, you can only really use it [ business plan] for funding…get you something that's tangible that you can look at, like a marketing plan.
Protect your time. Scantling says, “Your time is your biggest commodity, and when you are self-employed, you can’t get up at 12 p.m. and think you can get off at 5 and not work on the weekends when you’re just starting to build your business. You have to be able to allocate and protect your time and use it to be as productive as you can.”
Do not get caught up in chasing shiny things. Scantling says, “Make sure that the business that you want, that you’re chasing, fulfills what YOU want in your life.”
Build a system, don’t try to do it all. Scantling says, “When I first went out on my own, I didn't think I could afford to hire anybody. But what I failed to realize was I was doing everything and because I was doing everything, I wasn't as productive as I probably could have been.”
Have confidence in what you are doing. Scantling says, “A lot of the times, we do research, we look for information from other people, but I think what really has to happen is you have to have that confidence and belief in yourself and your ability.”
“Stop Hustling, Start Building” will be released on Dec. 25. For more information and updates, follow Scantling on her Facebook page.