From Overwhelmed to Confident: How Taryn Jerez Empowers Female Entrepreneurs to Pursue Their Passions

Taryn Jerez is on a mission to empower female entrepreneurs to kick self-doubt to the curb and boldly go after what they want most. As the founder of Go For It, Creative, Taryn serves as a creative business coach and industry expert, teaching strategies and systems to help women create the most wildly passionate and profitable version of their business.

Taryn’s own journey as an entrepreneur inspired her advocacy and coaching work. After leaving her corporate job to start her own business, she found herself overwhelmed, lacking confidence and struggling to find her creative passion again. Through dedicated work on mindset, strategy and community building, Taryn transformed her outlook and her business. Now, she’s devoted to guiding other women through that journey so they can reignite their passion and increase their profits.

Over the last eight years, Taryn has made it her mission to empower hundreds of fellow female business owners. She provides personalized 1:1 coaching, hosts workshops, speaks at events and facilitates the Empowered for Profit Collective, a monthly membership community for early-stage creative entrepreneurs. Her high-touch support and accountability helps women make meaningful moves in their businesses.

As Taryn shares in our interview, it’s about much more than just making money – it’s about women stepping into confidence, pursuing what they want most and enjoying the thrill of entrepreneurship again. Read on for her best tips on mindset shifts, helpful systems and building community so you can transform from overwhelmed to empowered in your own business.

Please tell us a bit more about your startup – what does it offer, what problem does it solve, and who is your target audience?

I’ve met and worked with hundreds of the most interesting, innovative, talented, and ambitious female business owners for nearly a decade. Yet, there is this similarity threaded through that I can’t help but notice—and it’s the power comparison that holds us back from what’s meant for us.

I help creative women with big dreams and busy lives silence the comparison noise and ditch what they think they “should” be doing so they can lean into what they really want most in their business: the joy, the finances, the freedom, all of it.

I offer individual coaching, speaking, and educator services for women and business events, both large and intimate. These services allow me to be that unbiased sounding board and straight-shooter business expert you need in your corner to help pinpoint where the growth you’re craving in your business is hiding and implement the right strategies to take you to the next level.

 

What inspired you to start your own business? What was the “aha” moment?

After interning in NYC during my senior year of college and landing a design job in the apparel industry back home in Tampa, FL, I quickly realized I needed an outlet where I could be my creative director.

I started a creative lifestyle blog called “One Crafty Miss,” covering everything crafting and DIY-related, and was working closely with fellow makers and creatives. I realized I enjoyed answering their questions and helping them build their brands more than blogging. I also discovered the value I offered with my design and marketing background, so I decided to begin teaching, eventually leading to coaching.

I can still remember the very first time I was hired as an educator for a women’s business conference, and I left that day so overwhelmed that I cried in my car afterward and told my husband that I’d never felt more purposeful in my entire career. Within a few weeks, I filed for my LLC and started taking on clients.

 

What were some of the biggest initial challenges you faced in getting your business off the ground? How did you overcome them?

Comparison was the biggest trap, and I was getting in my own way. I quickly learned that every entrepreneur’s path is entirely different; there is no one right way to start your business. You have to do what’s right for you and silence the noise of people around you who aren’t on your journey.

I was employed as a technical designer for women’s athletic apparel by one of the largest apparel companies in the world. I traveled to NYC and Asia throughout the year, working early mornings, late nights, and weekends to grow my business.

I had a lot of false narratives playing in my head, and I wondered if I was pursuing the right path (I also had plenty of people helping feed that narrative). I began listing all the reasons I felt compelled to build this business and the future impact it could have in my life and that of other women.

After all of the crazy hours, soul-searching, and calculated risk-taking, I left my job to concentrate on my business while freelancing as a marketing manager for two local start-up non-profit organizations.

In December 2019, I made the jump to pursue my business full-time. I am so grateful I stepped out of “comparison”’ and forged my path. We get so stuck in comparing our business to others that we miss out on the potential to create something so uniquely us that the world can’t look away.

 

How did you identify a gap in the market or need that your business fulfills?

The best advice I will continue to share with fellow business owners is if you’re unsure if something will sell, just ask. Deploy the most straightforward market research, including surveys, feedback forms, and/or Instagram story polls. This will confirm the individuals you cater to and how they require your presence in the marketplace.

I’ve been in business since 2016, and there have been many pivots and evolutions in how I serve my market. I want to grow with my clients, which means understanding how they are growing. Finding out how they like to consume content, how often they crave support, how they value specific offers, their goals at different levels of business, and other vital answers continue to help me identify where I’m most needed.

There will always be other companies doing what we do; rarely are we reinventing the wheel. It’s about the unique way we show up and serve our audience that makes the difference! I am honored when clients share how many businesses they went through before finding mine and how they truly feel seen and heard, knowing I was the right coach.

 

What have been your key strategies for growth and gaining traction/users?

There are moments in business where you feel growing pains. You can either listen to them and embrace where you’re growing next or ignore them and try to shrink into roles you’ve outgrown.

I wish this only happened at the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey, but it occurs increasingly as you hit new milestones. In my experience, one of the most helpful business growth strategies has been listening and identifying where I’m being called to serve each season and not getting stuck where it feels comfortable. Whether it’s my customers, my offers, or my marketing strategies, I’ve embraced change and pivot when needed, and it’s allowed me to move forward in serving clients and sales.

How do you stand out from the competition in your space? What sets your product/service apart?

Since 2020, the coaching industry has expanded significantly, with numerous enterprises incorporating consulting into their services. While it can be daunting to witness a saturated market, I am confident that my ability to distinguish myself and attract clients and opportunities stems from my commitment to never employing a “one-size-fits-all” coaching approach.

Each creative business has unique needs, wants, and desires. Success looks different to every business. The strategies we implement for each business are always different and reflect their business identity. “Go For It, Creative” is about building your version of success, not anyone else’s. It is about going after what people want most and being okay with following a different path to build a business that honors those things.

What do you find most rewarding and most challenging about being an entrepreneur?

The most rewarding part of being an entrepreneur is also the most challenging: seeing your vision come to life. I always tell people, ‘The hardest part of entrepreneurship is everything!’ But hard doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. It’s like Tom Hanks’s quote in A League of Their Own: “It’s supposed to be hard. If it weren’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard… is what makes it great.”

Witnessing the breakthrough you’ve tirelessly pursued in your business is unparalleled. I’ve never faced more significant challenges or exerted more effort in my career than when working for myself. Pursuing your calling as an entrepreneur brings a uniquely gratifying experience despite the inevitable hurdles. From my journey, having the right community, coach, mentor, and business allies who genuinely understand your journey further enhances the experience.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start their own company?

Nothing is more powerful than someone who’s decided to go for it! To toss whatever narrative the world is shouting, tell fear to take a backseat, trust your gut, and lean into the life that you feel called to create. The perfect cocktail of creativity and confidence changes the world, and you can do that. Don’t get stuck in the weeds of what everyone else is doing. Lean in and focus on what you feel called to create. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, build relationships, and put your work out there before it’s perfect. Remember, you don’t need to have it all figured out; you just need to take one step at a time.