Meet Tammy Collins an Intuitive Creative Visionary Who Turns Passion into Profits

Tammy Lynn Collins is an Intuitive Creative Visionary and Brand Strategist Extraordinaire who helps women entrepreneurs turn passion into profits.

Find out how Tammy turned her own passion into profits when she bought half a mountain and created Futurology Farms.

Then find out how Tammy can help YOU turn YOUR passion into profits.

An Interview with Tammy Collins – Intuitive Creative Visionary

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[00:00:00] Lauren Kinghorn: It’s Lauren Kinghorn of Fempreneurs Unite and today I’m with the fabulous Tammy Collins, who is over in the United States of America. Tammy, tell us more. I actually want to start somewhere completely different today because you’ve just moved and started up Futurology Farms and it sounds absolutely beautiful.

[00:00:23] Tell me about this dream that you’ve accomplished.

Futurology Farms

[00:00:27] Tammy Collins: I’m really glad that you’re starting there. So I’m really big about passion. What I do is teach people how to make their passion a reality and turn it into profits so that they can live that lifestyle. That’s really what I do. And this Futurology Farms has been one of my passions, since I can’t even tell you when, and it has evolved of course over the years and become something more and more as you progress.

[00:00:54] But in a nutshell, what it is is an experiential place [00:01:00] and it’s designed to foster a few key things and that is, sustainability and the arts and a plant-based lifestyle. It’s all about simplicity. So the goal really for us for a long time, was to find this magical place, if you will, that we never thought would happen.

[00:01:21] We didn’t think we would have the money to purchase such a large piece of land. We didn’t think that we would just be able to up and move across the country. You know, we just didn’t ever really think it was a possibility, but it was this sort of big dream that we had. And in 2015 I decided what is life without living that dream, right?

[00:01:40] I’m tired of thinking about it. I want to live it. And so that began the process of us trying to bring it to life. And so here we are, we bought a major portion of a mountain and I’m literally right now on the cliff overlooking this river down here. And this [00:02:00] backdrop is the drive up to my mailbox.

[00:02:02] And so it has this really magical feel. As soon as you turn it off. Because it’s a mountain, you have to go up a road. So as soon as you turn off the river road and go up the mountain, you suddenly feel like you’ve been transformed into a new place, like you’re entering into this magical world.

[00:02:19] And so we’re really excited about that because that kicks off the beginning of what we really wanted to do. And when I talk about this or have in the past, people get very confused, they start to glaze over because it’s a big idea, right? I’m going to have an amphitheatre here that promotes the performing arts, dancing and filmmaking and comedians and musicians.

[00:02:47] I’m going to have a sculpture garden that promotes sculpture artists. I’m going to have a gallery space that promotes art, painting and pen and ink and all of that wonderful stuff. And so that’s been a big [00:03:00] passion of mine. And then combined with that is our love of simplicity and plant-based.

[00:03:05] So our goal is to be able to have farm-to-table dinners at these events. And just so it’s an experience all around.

[00:03:14] Lauren Kinghorn: That is amazing. Now I wanted you to get to the plant-based section because that’s my latest craze. For the last year, I’ve been plant-based and absolutely loving it. I don’t know how it took me so long to find the plant-based lifestyle, but I can really see the benefits and I’m feeling wonderful. So how did you find plant-based living? How long have you been following that lifestyle?

Plant-Based Lifestyle

[00:03:39] Tammy Collins: It’s really interesting. Well, I took control of my life. It was all around this 2015 time that I was just tired of being tired. I was tired of being afraid of things. I was tired of imposter syndrome. I was tired of being tired, tired of being miserable, all of those things we all have, those fears, I want this, why [00:04:00] isn’t that happening? I want a different life, all that stuff.

[00:04:03] And I decided to take control of all of that because ultimately I realized that we are in charge of our decisions, right? We can’t change our circumstances per se, but we’re in charge of the decisions that we make that drive the circumstances around us.

[00:04:18] And so I went through a process where I changed every element of my life step by step. And that’s actually how we were able to accomplish this dream, how I retired my husband, how we were able to do all of this stuff. And I didn’t really realize it at the time, but that process has become a very powerful tool.

LIVE Your Passion

[00:04:39] So I work with people to build their business, right. I help them take their passion, their idea, and turn it into something. And what I realized in that process is that they were all in that same place I was and that they needed to go through this other process that I did to get to the place, to build the business and the brand.

[00:04:59] And [00:05:00] that took me by surprise. Right? So I’m fabulous with working with a brand, but I realized that many of these entrepreneurs, in particular the women, who were trying to make changes in their life were in this same space. And I felt like they needed this piece. I did. So I started introducing that to my clients and the responses I was getting was that it was changing their life and that they had their husband do it and their kids do it, so I thought, oh, okay.

[00:05:27] I just thought this was my cookie method of how I went about doing this. And so I am working on bringing that to the public and that’s called Live Your Passion.

[00:05:37] Live Your Passion is about turning your life around and accomplishing your goals and your dreams. It’s about digging yourself out of that misery hole of not being happy, not being fulfilled, not having what you want.

[00:05:50] And it goes through every area of your life, right? So through relationships, your career, all of these aspects, I turned all of those upside [00:06:00] down in my life. And it has evolved into this Live Your Passion program I’ve accidentally had to introduce to my clients when they were doing their branding work.

[00:06:13] Lauren Kinghorn: How interesting. Wow. So that’s what you do for living. You turn passion into profit. So it starts with them finding their passion am I right? So you start by helping them find out what they’re really passionate about so they can grab that again. And then is the next course how to take that passion that they’ve now rekindled or rediscovered or ignited in themselves and then turning that into a business, correct?

[00:06:43] Tammy Collins: Correct. So my core offering is Love Your Brand. That’s where we develop your brand. But in that process, I realized that many of them needed some clarity and some core work first, before we can go to that [00:07:00] stage. And so what I’ve done is now I’ve created that first step prior to the brand.

[00:07:05] Lauren Kinghorn: Amazing.

Zone of Genius

[00:07:05] And what would you say is your zone of genius? What do you bring to the table that makes it so unique and special?

[00:07:14] Tammy Collins: So this has really been a challenge for me, which is kind of ironic since I’m in the marketing space. Right. But one of the things that I’ve learned is that we can’t see in our own jar.

[00:07:24] It doesn’t matter who you are when you’re trying to look at your own ingredients in the jar and what that label looks like. You really can’t do that yourself. And that really even applies to me. And so what happened is that I realized that my strength is really seeing what others can’t see.

[00:07:41] So when a client comes to me and they’re just sort of dumping all of their challenges and their dreams and their fear and all of these things. I start to make it almost like a kaleidoscope where I put all those pieces together, I can see where it goes and it becomes quite a big [00:08:00] movie for me almost.

[00:08:00] I can see all the moves all the way down the line to get to the goal. And so that’s what I mean when I say I see things that others can’t see. I’m this creative, intuitive, visionary. For me, that makes me different.

[00:08:15] Lauren Kinghorn: That is an incredible skill to have, and I really have come across that for myself as well. I’m trying to figure out my own branding online, I have parts of the picture and I can see exactly what you’re saying. It’s really difficult to see yourself the way other people see you and also to see what you really bring to the table. Because most of the stuff you do that you’re really bringing to people, you’re doing unwittingly. That’s the stuff you can’t put your finger on because it’s what makes you, you, and so you don’t think it’s unique. You think it’s just totally normal.

[00:08:56] Tammy Collins: Right. It doesn’t, those are the intangibles. Right? So that’s [00:09:00] one of the biggest things that we’ll come across a lot of times with clients when they’re giving a review or they’re talking about how I helped them. They’re like, well, I knew you were going to make this great brand. And I knew that, but I didn’t realize the enormous amount of intangibles that I would gain from working with you.

[00:09:15] And because of that, what happens is, is my clients usually don’t want to leave. So they stay on just for regular mentorship after the process. So that’s been a huge eye-opener for me as well.

Turning Point – How it All Started

[00:09:31] Lauren Kinghorn: That’s interesting. Yeah, that is, that is very interesting. And what made you start your business?

[00:09:38] So you mentioned that it was a place you were in, in 2015, that actually there was a turning point for you. Speak to me more about that turning point in your own life.

[00:09:50] Tammy Collins: So in 2015, when I originally envisioned, this company, Futurology, I saw it as three things. I saw it as, the home [00:10:00] ,the life and the business aspect that it had three separate sort of divisions, if you will.

[00:10:05] And for me, this makes perfect sense. I’m an award-winning interior designer, I’m an award-winning marketing director and so those pieces made perfect sense to me. I’m an artist. I create things. I’m always going to do that. That’s where the home piece comes in, home decor, things of that nature and supporting the arts, which is where we’re going with the farm and that sort of part.

[00:10:27] And then the life part is really just about the Live Your Passion piece, which is about the organization of your life and getting clear on your goals and your passions, and being able to accomplish those things. That’s all about your life and how to bring that into reality. And then of course the business piece is me and my branding and marketing and social media.

[00:10:49] And so. When in the beginning, when I started to tell people about this, they would really have this blank look over their face. I’m a visionary, right? So it’s big, it’s [00:11:00] bold. It’s crazy. It’s obscure. Most people go, huh? How does that even work? Does it make any sense?

[00:11:05] Long story short in 2019, I was doing work in branding and marketing, but I was doing it on a much higher level. I was working for a university. I was working for college. I was working for several smaller companies in various industries. And, and one day I just kind of went, why am I here?

[00:11:24] This isn’t who I want to help. These people have access to any marketing person they want. They can write the check for any marketing person. This isn’t who I want to help. I want to help the me’s who I was, where I was, that woman that was desperately trying to get it right.

[00:11:41] I had started 12 different businesses. I wanted to help that person who had the right drive but couldn’t get access to the right marketing person. They couldn’t get the higher-level knowledge to really be able to help them. And so I just decided in 2019, I don’t want to [00:12:00] work in this capacity.

[00:12:01] I’m going to go work with women entrepreneurs. And so that’s how that all started.

Working with Women Entrepreneurs

[00:12:09] Lauren Kinghorn: And that’s amazing cause women, entrepreneurs are often multitalented and isn’t that one of the difficulties of working with them, but they’re multi-passionate and multitalented, and so it’s finding that one thing and maybe it isn’t a one.

[00:12:26] Tammy Collins: Right. Maybe it isn’t one thing, but the other big problem I find with women entrepreneurs, and I should preface this because I’ve sort of earned this bee sting tagline and it’s because I speak the truth. And I tell truths that people that are hard to tell, right, that are hard for people to hear.

[00:12:43] And they don’t sometimes don’t want to hear them. So this is one of those truths, but women entrepreneurs are also their biggest enemy because they’re too bold and too independent. And so they become stubborn almost, they’re going to do it all themselves. [00:13:00] And that’s their biggest downfall. It’s also why it takes them so long to get the success that they’re looking for.

[00:13:06] Right. So when I have a client that does what I say and follows that along without that stubbornness and the independent-ness and the distractions and all that stuff, kicking in, they have wild success quickly. They’re completely flabbergasted that it works. But when I have the client that like starts to go down the path and then suddenly is distracted by 50 other things, and doesn’t really listen to the plan or stay focused they’re all over the place. They can’t get it right. Everything’s a mess and that’s where I get frustrated because I can see what’s happening. I can pinpoint exactly what’s wrong, but they’re listening, it’s so difficult, right? Because social media, you’re inundated with this expert says that, and this one says that.

[00:13:52] And so you’re all over the place. And instead of just focusing on, how about if we just get you clients and [00:14:00] get you money rolling in. And then we can talk about the other things that you can add in. So, if you were to take up the road to success, like A to Z they’re trying to skip all around and I’m trying to say, stay focused.

[00:14:16] I’m going to get you to Z quickly. I’ll get you there fast.

[00:14:20] Lauren Kinghorn: Oh my goodness. I’m seeing myself. I’m not very coachable. I mean, I am extremely coachable in the sense that I do all the courses and I’m so diligent and I love learning, but

[00:14:39] Tammy Collins: but that’s also your Achilles heel.

[00:14:41] Lauren Kinghorn: Yeah. I follow such a zig-zaggy course, because as you say, you see something new and then you go for that and then you see something new. So it’s about staying focused and staying the course on one thing. Yeah.

[00:14:54] Tammy Collins: So, I mean, this isn’t, this isn’t a session, but what is your number one [00:15:00] goal? What are you like? What’s your goal?

[00:15:04] Lauren Kinghorn: Who can say?

[00:15:07] Tammy Collins: Okay. So see the very first problem that you have is you don’t have a destination. How do you build a map to get to your destination? If you don’t know where you’re going, but that’s not to say that you don’t have a great idea or, you know, it’s just focus and clarity is missing. That’s all. See how that just happens randomly.

[00:15:33] Lauren Kinghorn: I know, I know. I absolutely know. I mean, I do have a goal right now that I’m shooting for absolutely. I want to be in Canada next summer for three months with my child to experience another country. But I mean that isn’t a business goal, that is a personal goal.

[00:15:51] Tammy Collins: I’m going to tell you something, right? So this is why Live Your Passion is so important because your business and your personal life are not [00:16:00] separate. (True). They’re not right. They’re you. And you’re allowed to have multiple avenues of yourself. You are, you’re a woman, a wife, a mother, and those things are just as important as building your business.

[00:16:15] And so you can’t separate them. And this is why Live Your Passion is so powerful because it organizes all of those areas and gets you crystal clear on each of those things and helps you work on all of them simultaneously. Really great example.

[00:16:33] Lauren Kinghorn: Wow. Okay. Exciting. It sounds amazing. A woman who understands women and has been there and conquered those beasts. So you’ve already really spoken about who you serve, it’s that woman just like me who has imposter syndrome, it’s the woman who fears rejection, it’s the woman who doesn’t want to stand [00:17:00] out there and just say, this is who I am and what I stand for, right?

[00:17:04] Tammy Collins: I would add something additional to it.

[00:17:06] So it’s almost like they’re at a point where they’re at rock bottom, meaning that they are crystal clear that they know. I need something else in my life, I need to change my career, or I’ve always had this passion. I just don’t know what that looks like. They are crystal clear that they know they are meant to do something else.

[00:17:27] That’s the key ingredient, right? Because there’s a spark or a drive there that comes with that.

[00:17:33] Lauren Kinghorn: Something bigger, something more mission-based. and purpose-based am I right?

[00:17:41] Tammy Collins: Yeah or, they know that they’re just living their life surviving and they actually want to thrive and they know that they’re not happy in their current capacity.

Career Highlights

[00:17:52] Lauren Kinghorn: Those are great. Yeah. Okay, career highlights, I know you’ve had many.

[00:17:58] Tammy Collins: Yeah. So, [00:18:00] and you know, what’s really funny is I don’t like to talk about myself. Right. So you’ll notice a change in me because now it becomes like, oh, well, I have to talk about all these things that I did. There’s a big switch when I’m talking about what I do for people and my passions right? Now, I have to switch to the hat where I did all these great things.

[00:18:19] But the important piece here is that even though I had accomplished a lot of things, I was literally working in a marketing director role, and I had earned, eight interior design awards. I had earned six or seven awards for my marketing based things, social media website, design logo, design, advertising campaigns, all of that.

[00:18:42] I had all of those awards. I was miserable.

[00:18:47] So I think that’s sort of an insight into why it’s difficult to talk about it, right? Because most people would look and go, what’s wrong with you? What do you mean? You had all that stuff. Why would you be unhappy? And [00:19:00] that’s the key to it? I realized this isn’t what I want.

[00:19:05] I had to get clear on what it was I did want, and this is where most people fail. They are living their lives with what society has told them they want to do. And they have never been able to sort of say, well, that isn’t really what I want And they had never explored, well, what do I want? So they don’t have a process of how to do that.

[00:19:30] And then, more importantly, they don’t have a process of how to make it become a reality.

[00:19:35] Lauren Kinghorn: Absolutely. Also, when you say you moved from one place to another, where were you? Were you in new York?

[00:19:44] Tammy Collins: No, I was in New Jersey. I was just outside of Philadelphia.

[00:19:47] Lauren Kinghorn: Okay. And now you’re in?

[00:19:50] Tammy Collins: I’m in Tennessee. Just outside of Nashville.

[00:19:52] Lauren Kinghorn: So how far is that?

[00:19:54] Tammy Collins: It’s a 13-hour car ride. Wow. It’s definitely across the, [00:20:00] United States.

[00:20:00] Lauren Kinghorn: A huge change.

[00:20:02] Tammy Collins: We moved into a tiny house. We downsized. I have two boys well one’s getting his master’s degree, he’s about to graduate in December with that. And my other son is back in New Jersey.

[00:20:15] The one son is in Boston. The other son is home in New Jersey and he is a director of photography. He’s a filmmaker and his passion is making documentaries and that sort of thing.

[00:20:28] Lauren Kinghorn: Wow, amazing. So you are quite far away from your boys then?

[00:20:34] Tammy Collins: Yeah. They both been out here and stayed and have had long visits and come regularly.

[00:20:41] It’s a bit of a challenge, of course, I miss them terribly. But they’re starting their own lives and pursuing their passions, which has been something I’ve been adamant in instilling in them.

[00:20:51] Lauren Kinghorn: Yeah. Amazing. They must be so happy to have such a beautiful mom to show them the way.

[00:20:59] Tammy Collins: I have to [00:21:00] tell you though, they both, the words and things that they have said to me have been, I mean, they’re the drop to your knees, like sobbing kind of things that they’ve said about what I do and what I’m doing. And so that’s been really. That’s really, probably one of the biggest highlights of my career.

[00:21:21] Lauren Kinghorn: But those are the real awards, the ones you’ll take to the grave. Amazing. And are they plant-based and do they also aspire to this whole lifestyle that you’ve taken to?

[00:21:35] Tammy Collins: Yeah, so it’s funny because I made the decision, my poor husband he became plant-based whether he wanted to or not, but I decided to do that in I think it was 20, 20 17, I think, was with the decision to go plant-based. And I just sort of said, look, you know, the kids are out of the house, as a mother and a wife, the food thing [00:22:00] is just, it’s horrendous. Right. We spend our lives, we have to plan, shop, cook, all that stuff. And I said I don’t want to eat. I’m going to change the way I eat. And unfortunately, you’re going to have to either be in or out, but he was very on board with it.

[00:22:13] And ironically, two weeks later, my one son sent me a message and said, mom, I just need you to know that I’ve decided to go vegan. Wow. And I was like, oh, wow. Well, we just did that two weeks ago. So then my other son didn’t at first because he was an athlete and he couldn’t wrap his head around well, how am I going to make this work?

[00:22:36] And then he actually did a lot of research and then he decided that he was going to do it as well. And so we are all plant-based and all of the self-sufficient lifestyle mindset.

[00:22:49] Lauren Kinghorn: That is amazing. Wow. So both boys went along with you I’m proud of them.

[00:22:56] Tammy Collins: They made their own decisions for sure. [00:23:00]

[00:23:00] Lauren Kinghorn: Well, they’re adults, so they had to.

A Day in the Life of Tammy L Collins

[00:23:10] Lauren Kinghorn: Describe your average day, Tammy, what do you do with your day?

[00:23:28] Tammy Collins: So couple of things that are really important and probably some of the hardest to initially implement for most people is I adhere strongly to a four day workweek.

[00:23:43] And I also book two weeks off every quarter. And part of that is because of being such a high level creative. The more time I take away from the [00:24:00] day-to-day doldrums of doing work, the more creative and stronger I am for my clients. So it’s a little bit of a double-edged sword for me. There’s work I need to do. This week I’m building a website for a client. So I’m in that rabbit hole. Right.

[00:24:14] But when I’m in that rabbit hole, creativity on other things takes a back seat. So the schedule, the time off is really, really important. But my routine really consists of a couple of key things that have to happen. And that is I get up early.

[00:24:31] It’s between the 5 and the 6:00 AM mark, usually around 5:30 and I spend time every day doing gratitude work. I meditate every day. I set intentions every day. I literally plan my day and my week with specific tasks. And I spend time outside a lot. I make sure I have walked the mountain every day.

[00:24:57] So I, I go down and then come back [00:25:00] up and that’s quite an exertion. But those things are all really important to my mind, to my health and most people, even for myself, making time to do that stuff in the past seemed like, well, now I can’t get this other stuff done because I’m taking time to do that. And the reality is, when you take the time to do those key things for yourself, the other work goes much faster and much smoother.

[00:25:30] And so you’re able to do more work in a condensed timeframe, which then frees up other things. And that’s a very powerful shift to make happen. Most people are sort of stuck in this nine to five mindset. I’ve got to work to do.

[00:25:46] And if you really analyze that day, how much of that day is wasted with meaningless tasks,, answering email. I mean, the email thing to me is just a horrendous, it’s [00:26:00] really a nonproductive world. It really is. When you think about, the time that you’re actually working, if you really broke it down into blocks, there’s so much wasted time.

[00:26:13] Lauren Kinghorn: So, do you have a VA or someone who does a lot of the admin side for you?

[00:26:18] Tammy Collins: I do have a VA and I do use some designers for certain things. I drive the creative ship, right. So I come up with the ideas and then I’ll have them execute my idea, but I do a lot of that creative work myself.

[00:26:34] I do have a good portion of onboarding and things of that nature are all automated in a way. The VA handles more of the billing and the follow through.

Tammy Collins – Message to the World

[00:26:45] Lauren Kinghorn: What’s your message to the world?

[00:26:49] Tammy Collins: My biggest message really is life is about thriving and you shouldn’t be focused on just trying to survive. And unfortunately, I think that that’s really [00:27:00] what society teaches us. They just want us to just move along in this process. That really is just basically surviving, right? You’re not doing the things that allow you to really grow and thrive and enjoy and be fully fulfilled.

[00:27:19] I think that most people don’t even realize that that’s a possibility they’ve been so sort of brainwashed into this is what life is. And it’s just not. And as soon as you feel that spark of change and realize that there’s something more you’re addicted. You suddenly go, oh my gosh, what have I been doing all of those years?

[00:27:44] And so my big advice is to really find your passion. And most people can’t, they’re really struggling. They don’t, they go, well, I don’t have one. They do. They do. They just need help getting it clarified. [00:28:00]

How to Live Your Passion

[00:28:00] Lauren Kinghorn: Yeah, absolutely. So what would be your advice then for new entrepreneurs? So women who’ve already decided they do want to start their own business. They do want to live their passion. What advice would you give them?

[00:28:12] Tammy Collins: So they need some help, which is their first thing. Right? Because I get it. Most, most of the entrepreneurs I know are bootstrapping it, right? You’re oh, I can take from my grocery bill and I can take a little over here and I can take a little over here and I get that.

[00:28:32] I’ve done that so many times. I can’t even tell you, but it’s also a downfall because now you’re forcing yourself to focus, not on your genius, but on all the other things that you think you need to be able to do your business. And what happens is you’re never doing any of your genius and you’re over spinning your wheels in all these other places that are not your genius zone.

[00:28:55] And it actually hurts your growth. So [00:29:00] my advice there is that you need to get the right help and you need to be crystal clear on who you are, what you want and what you’re going to do.

[00:29:11] And then you need to have a solid brand foundation. A good brand includes things that you don’t even realize. It includes your business plan. It includes your marketing strategy. Includes branding strategy. Includes your social media strategy. It includes everything you need to actually have a business in the first place. If you don’t have that, you’re just spinning your wheels the entire time. So doing that work is the difference between having success within a year or in three years still sort of going, why can’t I get this to work?

[00:29:47] Lauren Kinghorn: Or five years in my case. Yes. Or your whole life. Yes. It can take a while.

[00:29:57] Tammy Collins: I’m going to give you an example. I had a client recently. When [00:30:00] she started working with me, it was the end of 2019, and she was barely going to do $40,000. She was very frustrated because she recognized that there was some confusion about what she did, how she did it, how she was going to find clients, all of those things.

[00:30:20] She started working with me. By the end of 2020, so it was barely just a year, she crossed $154,000. Now , halfway into 2021, she surpassed $300,000, has a waiting list of clients and can’t even take any more work for the year. Wow. And so this is what clarity and strong branding does when she didn’t even realize, she knew what she was good at, but she didn’t know how to package it to present it to people. And so that’s a big thing that came out of the branding as well. That’s a really good [00:31:00] example of the timeline and how important going from 40 to 300 in just the space of a year and a half is tremendous.

[00:31:10] Lauren Kinghorn: Have you worked with clients who are making even less than that?

[00:31:14] Tammy Collins: Obviously I have worked with people who are literally starting up with, right.

[00:31:20] Yeah, for sure. You know the key really is, it’s that strong, independent nature. It can either break you or make you, and it’s learning how to harness that properly. And so that can be a battle sometimes. I’ve turned clients away because I can recognize they’re never going to listen. They’re too stuck in their ways.

[00:31:42] I’ve turned people away because I realized that’s not going to work. And so that’s a challenge for me that that’s kind of heartbreaking really, because I know those are the ones that really need my help, the most.

[00:31:55] Lauren Kinghorn: If they’re not going to listen, they’re not gonna get it. I think it’s quite possible that many people have just [00:32:00] followed the wrong advice for the longest time. And that’s also why they’re not getting it.

[00:32:05] Tammy Collins: Yeah. Well, and there’s a lot of bad advice. Here’s a really great example of this.

[00:32:10] I saw someone on Facebook actually claiming that they’re a LinkedIn coach. Out of curiosity, because that’s one of the things I do, I went and I checked it out. That person doesn’t even have 2000 followers.

[00:32:25] Now I’m going, how can you profess to be a LinkedIn coach, when you haven’t even done it yourself?

[00:32:32] And yet there are people that will listen to this person’s advice and I’m going, no, no, that’s not how that works. What are you going to do? And there are a lot of different ways to go about things, right?

[00:32:46] So the really important point here really is that you must pick the person you align with and resonate the best. That really is the right approach, because there are people that don’t agree [00:33:00] with the way I do it. And there are people that do it completely different than me. I focus on simplification and attraction. Those are that’s my methodology and how I make it work. And other people, you know, will argue all day long, that that doesn’t work.

How to Conquer Imposter Syndrome

[00:33:15] Lauren Kinghorn: Well, It works for you and it works for your clients. So breaking through that imposter syndrome seems to be one of the biggest problems. I’m coming across it in my own life and I see it in people all the time. What would be your number one tip to help someone break through imposter syndrome having done it yourself?

[00:33:34] Tammy Collins: So for me, I feel that I had to go through and break through 15 different fears. Now, the reason is because a lot of those are intertwined with each other. Right. And so you tackle one fear and it really reveals, oh, this, this, and this are also associated to that.

[00:33:51] Imposter syndrome comes from a few things in my opinion, but essentially you don’t feel qualified enough is [00:34:00] sort of the root of it. In other words, you’re saying things to yourself, like, who am I to do this? Why would someone listen to me? I don’t know enough about that because we have this expectation level in our own head of what we feel makes us qualified to do something.

[00:34:18] And so that personal expectation is what you’re dealing with. The truth of the matter is, is you only need to know about 10% more than your ideal audience, right? And so the other reason that imposter syndrome becomes so powerful is because as that strong, independent entrepreneur, you think you need to know everything.

[00:34:40] You only need to know your zone of genius. You don’t need to be answering questions outside of that. And so we sort of feel like when we put on that super cape and become that superhero that suddenly, it isn’t just about using your shield or your super strength that you also need to have all these other [00:35:00] tools in your arsenal and that is driving the imposter syndrome.

[00:35:04] Terrible. Okay. So, if your zone of genius is a LinkedIn coach, I don’t know why that’s on my mind. If that’s your zone of genius and you know, everything about LinkedIn, then that’s what you focus on, but you don’t need to know about 10 other different avenues.

[00:35:21] The social element is hurting us because we’re going well, I need to be like Suzy and you really need to kind of put blinders on. Absolutely. And so that’s hurting, that’s driving that imposter syndrome and it makes it a daily challenge every day to show up and do what you need to do.

Work with Tammy Collins

[00:35:42] So this is why if you follow a good clear system, you will get where you’re going but you will need to avoid those distractions.

[00:35:51] Lauren Kinghorn: Okay. And, and how does someone work with you then? Do they meet with you once a week?

[00:35:56] Tammy Collins: It depends on what they’re doing with me. So I’m a consultant. [00:36:00] That’s another important distinction. A lot of times people think I’m a Coach. Yes, there’s some coaching involved with what I do, but I’m a consultant I’m actually giving you deliverables.

[00:36:09] I’m driving business and driving strategies. That’s different. A coach is more about helping you figure out what’s going on. So there’s a huge difference there. So I’m more of a consultant I’m getting you results. So, you pick a system, you’re either picking Live Your Passion, which is where I recommend you start.

[00:36:27] And then you move on to Love Your Brand and you develop your brand and your business. And then you can move another step and do L.I.F.E. which is Legacy Infrastructure for Entrepreneurs, it’s like having a Marketing Director in your back pocket. And once the brand is developed, we move through things like implementing it in a website, creating courses, creating your passive income stream, building your funnels, building all of that stuff.

[00:36:53] And so it just depends on where they are at, but typically in Live Your Passion, you’re going through [00:37:00] a program. That’s going to take you about four weeks to do. And love your brand you’re going through a program that varies per client, but it’s anywhere from six to 10 weeks, depending on how well they are able to move through their tasks .

[00:37:13] And then L.I.F.E. is a year process because we’re going through step by step and building each piece as it goes along. My goal is to get you, once you start having complete clarity around what it is you’re doing and how you do that, and more importantly, who it’s for and what it looks like, your confidence level goes so far through the roof. that It’s so much easier to show up now. Imposter syndrome. What happened to that? It just disappeared because now you’re clear on it. And soon as that happens, your energy and vibration changes and you start bringing in clients just on that very fact alone .

[00:37:51] Now you’re more able to go, okay, now I understand. My idea works. This is how it works. This is how they respond. Now you can begin to start [00:38:00] building what you want to do.

[00:38:02] Most entrepreneurs are going, oh, I’m a coach. Random example, but they decide one day that they love helping people, they’re going to be a coach. Right. And then all of a sudden they’re off working on their course and their funnel and all this other stuff.

[00:38:16] And, and my first question to them is what are you even selling? Do you even know that someone wants to buy that? You’re building a course. How could you build a course? You haven’t even sold your services yet. And then they kind of go, oh, and I’m like, so do you see how that’s a complete waste of time and energy?

[00:38:35] And the odds of that failing are a hundred percent because you don’t even know what you’re doing. You don’t know what you sell. You don’t know what somebody wants from you yet. Right. So you have to get all that narrowed down first.

[00:38:50] Lauren Kinghorn: Amazing. It’s putting everything in the right order so that you can really have something that is viable and will take off. And how [00:39:00] many clients have you worked with so far?

[00:39:03] Tammy Collins: I think it’s 66.

[00:39:05] Lauren Kinghorn: Wow. That’s incredible. And how many of them have actually gone and run with it? How many of them were those kinds of people- what’s your success ratio with that?

[00:39:18] Tammy Collins: Well, my success ratio. So I do have probably about 15% are people that they’re just not going to get it. They just can’t get out of their own way.

[00:39:27] But most of the clients have had success at some level or another. Some have had exorbitant success, become a number one best-selling author, went from zero to 20 K months in just a couple of months. It just depends on where they are, what their goals are and some are more prepared to move quickly and some aren’t, and that’s another realization that comes that sort of hits them hard.

[00:39:53] Right. They’re gung ho, but then they realize, well, I don’t really know what I’m offering. I need to test this a [00:40:00] little bit more, so there’s some harsh realities that come in there too. So there’s probably about 20% that really slow down and sort of go, okay, wait. I need to do this right. And, okay, this is great.

[00:40:11] This is what I want to do. And now I need to go test this with some people first. And so there’s quite a percentage of people that move into that mode because you can’t have success if you don’t know what you’re selling. You can’t.

[00:40:23] Lauren Kinghorn: Exactly. You’re right. I know. From experience.

[00:40:34] Oh, thank you. This has been so enlightening and so interesting. Is there anything else you would like to leave the listeners, or the audience with?

[00:40:44] Tammy Collins: You have to sort of go inward before you can go outward. And that was really the biggest lesson that I learned. I had started so many businesses.

[00:40:54] They were all successful in their own way. You know, I started a magazine, I developed product lines, I’d done [00:41:00] a bunch of different things.

[00:41:01] And for me, I couldn’t understand why I kept going through that phase. What I realized now is it was me practicing how to turn an idea into a profitable thing.

[00:41:14] And I needed to go through that over and over and over and over again to now be able to do that for other people. At the time all those years, I couldn’t get it. I thought something was wrong with me. I just created a magazine. Why don’t I like this? Why am I bored now?

[00:41:27] It was about making this concept a thing, a tangible thing. And that’s really what I was doing, practicing over and over again. So that was huge. I had to go really inward though, to figure that out. I couldn’t even see it myself for a long time. So, getting some help to sort of see in your own jar is really important, really important.

[00:41:50] You might think that you make glorious chocolate chip cookies and in reality, you might make decadent walnut brownies. The perception is critical.

[00:41:59] Lauren Kinghorn: Yeah, [00:42:00] absolutely. And what’s the investment for the first course that a person would start with, about getting their passion. How much do they invest?

[00:42:07] Tammy Collins: Live Your Passion is a $297 investment. It goes for about a month and it’s an experiential learning course. It’s a little bit self-guided, but it’s a one-on-one, it’s also community-based as well. So you learn from others in the process because it’s a very unique thing and it’s not something you can just take on paper and know how to do it.

[00:42:33] There’s much more intricacies to it. And then they also get a personal one-on-one with me as well. I want to really make sure they’re grabbing the concept and getting what they need out of it. So it’s a different type of a course. It’s not a traditional type course.

[00:42:50] I wanted that to be as affordable as possible. Because it’s so critical to start there.

[00:42:57] Lauren Kinghorn: And then the next one, when they do the next [00:43:00] month?

[00:43:00] Tammy Collins: And then Love Your Brand, which is $5,997. And that’s everything you need to build your business Bible if you will.

[00:43:10] Something I’m really proud of that I just did recently is I launched that I give 35 scholarships a year away. Wow. Yeah, because I’m passionate about helping women entrepreneurs. So for those that really need that help, they can apply for and obtain scholarships. So some that give the elements for free and then others that are a thousand or $2,000 off of Love Your Brand and have a few other ones.

[00:43:39] Lauren Kinghorn: I know scholarships can be tricky because, if you invest money, you’re investing in yourself and there’s something that happens inside that makes you really do the work. And the more you invest the harder you work. Are you finding that when someone comes in on a scholarship, they do work as hard and they [00:44:00] put in as much effort to really turn their lives around?

[00:44:03] Tammy Collins: Yeah. So that’s a really good point. I’m a giver and so I would become attached to people and say, oh my gosh, I really love her. I love her story. I want to help her. I know she can’t afford it, but so I would give discounts. And then I felt that that ended up devaluing the work. It’s almost like a psychological problem that happens where they’ve gotten a discount and it changes the dynamic, which is exactly what you’re talking about.

[00:44:30] I’ve implemented scholarships for some clients and they’ve had great success. And so I decided to do it for myself. What happens is exactly what you’re talking about. They have to apply. So there’s a form that has to be filled out. It’s a long questionnaire. They have to submit an essay. And for me, it goes before a panel, a committee, and there’s a decision made about who will get and who won’t.

[00:44:51] It isn’t just me saying everyone gets a scholarship. There’s a process that you’ve gone through. And so, yes, there’s an enormous mindset [00:45:00] shift that happens when they apply for the scholarship. It’s an earned investment in themselves. It’s completely different than me just giving a discount. And I’ve seen a tremendous difference in what that does for a project.

[00:45:16] More importantly, for the mindset of the entrepreneur I’m helping, which is my passion there.

[00:45:22] Lauren Kinghorn: So that process you’ve come up with to apply for the scholarship is quite onerous in itself. And that’s what really shows you whether they have the commitment and whether they’re really going to follow through on your course.

[00:45:36] Okay. Fantastic.

[00:45:38] Tammy Collins: Yeah. It’s very helpful for that as well.

[00:45:40] Lauren Kinghorn: Yes cause easy come easy go and that’s what happens. I know I’ve seen this before in my own life. And then once they get to L.I.F.E. where they get to work with you long-term for a year creating everything, that must be the biggest investment, I assume. Is that a monthly investment or how do you work [00:46:00] with someone?

[00:46:01] Tammy Collins: So typically it depends on how they’re coming in. So Love Your Brand is actually the first two steps of L.I.F.E. And I did that intentionally because you’ve got to have that before anything else can happen.

[00:46:12] It’s that critical. So if someone moves from LOVE into L.I.F.E., they get the reduction of what they’ve already invested from LOVE off of the L.I.F.E. Program. So if they come in just from the beginning and said, I just want you to take care of everything, it’s a year-long investment and they’re going to do L.I.F.E.

[00:46:30] Then they make a down payment and then they make payments each month throughout the year. But you’re essentially hiring me as sort of your fractional marketing director, I’m driving everything, I’m doing all the creative, I’m putting everything in place.

[00:46:44] Lauren Kinghorn: Oh, wow.

[00:46:45] Tammy Collins: Of course they’re involved in it, but I’m running the ship. I’m uncovering what you’re supposed to be doing, packaging it, branding it, implementing it in a website, social media, all of that stuff. And then we move into whatever is relevant [00:47:00] to your business or your need. It could be a course, it could be an offering, all those things. They’re different for each person and they get implemented. Then we build the sales funnel and all of those things. So it’s everything, you’re getting everything.

[00:47:16] Lauren Kinghorn: And so is it done in such a way that the person is growing financially as well as they learn each step of the way? I mean they need a percentage of that to pay you to do what you do and they’re growing at the same time.

[00:47:30] Tammy Collins: Every person is different and this is why it’s so critical for me to have a good understanding of the person is a good candidate or not.

[00:47:36] Being an entrepreneur is the most difficult thing there is. It is like taking a ride on a rollercoaster that you’ve never experienced before. And one day could be the lowest day of your life. And the next day it could be the highest high of your life. And you’ve got to be prepared to take that ride. Every day isn’t all social media star worthy, that’s not the reality of what [00:48:00] being an entrepreneur is all about.

[00:48:01] And so when you go in through that system, what I see typically is, if they’re sticking to the plan, as soon as the brand is developed, their confidence goes through the roof. They start taking on clients like crazy because they’re suddenly for the first time going, oh my gosh, this is what I do. This is how I do it. This is how I talk about it. And this is who I talk to. So it changed the game dramatically. So they start bringing in money and things start to change.

[00:48:30] And then they’ll get into a point where they’ll usually have a little bit of a lull, because we start moving in a new direction and we start thinking about what other additional offerings do you have? What is your passive income? Because I believe every entrepreneur should have a passive income source. So sometimes they get a little distracted and start to pull away but the trend typically is right after they finish LOVE, they’re so confident and secure things are changing dramatically immediately.

Tammy Lee Collins – Intuitive Creative Visionary

[00:48:58] Lauren Kinghorn: Stunning. [00:49:00] That sounds amazing. It sounds like you’ve really got a handle on the process. Have you ever looked at Wealth Dynamics you’re a star or a creator or a mechanic?

[00:49:13] Tammy Collins: I know a similar one, where you’re either a visionary or an integrator, which I think is a similar concept to that.

[00:49:21] Lauren Kinghorn: Okay. And so you’re visionary, but it seems like you’re also a mechanic, that’s why I’m asking, because you’re able to put systems in place, which is a very special thing.

[00:49:30] Tammy Collins: Well, that’s part of my genius is that, yes I’m a high visionary, but I’m also a very high process oriented integrator, which makes me super like the purple unicorn they say.

[00:49:43] Lauren Kinghorn: Wow. That is exceptional. Those two skills together make you something really special and not someone I’ve ever come across before who has those two, so strong, being able to intuit, you’re that intuitive [00:50:00] visionary and help people on that level, but then also being able to put a system in place, not just for you, but for them.

[00:50:07] Tammy Collins: This is why the strict four day work week is so critical for me because it can get a little chaotic. The thing for me is I can see them in my mind, it’s like a movie that plays, I can see all the pieces blown out and so my mind can move faster sometimes than I can get it out.

[00:50:27] So it’s really important for me to have that time to allow that to happen. Usually when I’m working with someone in their branding, there’s a moment where it just comes and I can see the whole thing and I’m like, oh, I can see it. To be able to implement that as is also kind of crazy.

[00:50:47] Lauren Kinghorn: It is. Wow. I think what you’re doing is incredible and so needed and you can see it by the people you’ve worked with already. And I hope you go from strength to strength and work with [00:51:00] hundreds and thousands of women. I’m sure you will.

[00:51:03] Do you also have a bestselling book?

[00:51:07] Tammy Collins: No, not yet. I’ve actually been approached a few times, but I’m not ready.

[00:51:12] I know that it’s coming, but I’m not ready for that yet. I think there’s still some chapters that aren’t quite developed fully yet that will go into that.

[00:51:20] But it’s also important to know that my goal isn’t about volume of clients. My goal is quality of clients. So I’m very selective and I don’t take on every client.

[00:51:33] There’s typically a waitlist and I have to kind of move through them and it’s difficult because I’ve had some experts say, oh, well you need a salesperson. I don’t know that that’s really where I want to go. Right. Because it’s a highly intuitive process. And so there’s things I’m reading and understanding about clients that I don’t know that someone else could do.

[00:51:54] So I’m very happy with what I make and how I help people. And I have some ideas for some other little [00:52:00] gems, but not necessarily more clients.

[00:52:04] Lauren Kinghorn: And how many people do like to work within a year then?

[00:52:08] Tammy Collins: So it depends, there’s different combinations of what I’m working on, but I try to keep the number around two dozen, all in different aspects of what’s happening.

[00:52:18] So I’m shifting more heavily into the Brand and the Live Your Passion, because I’m realizing that, if I can only help them with those two things, the chances of them having success are so much higher just on that alone. That’s where I need to get them first. And then I take on less of the L.I.F.E. clients.

Schedule a Call with Tammy Collins

[00:52:40] Lauren Kinghorn: And so what is the next step for someone who has watched this interview and would like to work with you? How do they get on your waitlist?

[00:52:47] Tammy Collins: So the first thing that’s required is they have to have a 30-minute discovery call with me. They’re free of course and my calendar is always open for those. Because I want to meet you. I want to hear your story. I want to hear [00:53:00] what your struggles are. I want to see, can I even help you?

[00:53:04] And so in that call, I’ll determine like I can help you or I can help you. And if I can’t help you, I usually know someone that can help you.

[00:53:12] So in that call I’ll know better what it is they need and how I best help them and then we go from there.

[00:53:20] Lauren Kinghorn: Okay, fantastic. So it starts with a discovery call. And how do they book that? Do they just go to your website, Tammy L Collins?

[00:53:27] Tammy Collins: Yes. They can go to my website and book right through the calendar on there, or you can of course find me on LinkedIn or Facebook are the two main channels that I use as far as business for social. And that is Tammy L Collins for either of those too.

[00:53:45] Lauren Kinghorn: Okay, perfect. That’s fantastic. I’m definitely booking a discovery call. It’s been wonderful talking to you. Thanks so much, Tammy.

[00:53:55] Tammy Collins: Thank you so much for having me. I love to be able to [00:54:00] share how someone can change their life. Thank you.

[00:54:05] Lauren Kinghorn: Yes, absolutely. And thank you for your contribution in my group, Fempreneurs Unite as well. You’ve always been so amazing.

[00:54:13] Tammy Collins: Oh, I love it. I love it.

[00:54:15] Lauren Kinghorn: Thank you lovely to chat.

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Meet our previous Featured Fempreneur, Georgia Varjas, Book Writing Coach