Tanya Alvarez, Team, Coaching, and Data: The Winning Combination for Growth – Innova.Buzz 581
Tanya Alvarez, OwnersUp.
Our guest in this episode is Tanya Alvarez, co-founder of OwnersUp. Tanya grew her first company, Blink Ads, to over 1 million within the first year at the age of 25, but she found herself overwhelmed and stressed as a young, female, and minority entrepreneur. She realized the lack of resources and support available for entrepreneurs and decided to apply the training and support system from her marathon running days to the business world. She created a team-based program that uses qualitative and quantitative data to identify blind spots and drive growth for entrepreneurs, allowing them to achieve their goals faster and with less weight on their shoulders.
From turning a startup into a million-dollar success to championing diversity in entrepreneurship, Tanya shares her insights on building supportive communities, harnessing data for growth, and finding motivation in unexpected places. The three key points we covered in our conversation:
- Harnessing the power of support and data together to improve performance, just like endurance athletes do;
- The motivational magic of accountability, that can push us beyond our limits to new heights;
- The RAP method (Reflect, Assess, Prioritize) to unlock our true potential and achieve more by working less.
David Shriner-Cahn, who was our guest on Episode 276 introduced us to Tanya.
Listen to the podcast to find out more.
Listen to the Podcast
Support the Show
Permanently bookmark this episode by purchasing the episode token here.
50% of all revenue from this episode token will go directly to our guest; the other 50% goes towards supporting this show.
Think of it as a way to support the guest and tell them that you loved their show.
Entrepreneurship is a team sport, find your coach and teammates to help you win. #teamwork #entrepreneurship @ownersup on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
Show Notes from this episode with Tanya Alvarez, OwnersUp
Episode Summary:
- Starting a business and the challenges of being a minority entrepreneur
- The importance of having a team, coach, and data analysis for entrepreneurs
- Accountability and motivation in groups
- The use of metrics in both business and fitness
- The use of Chat GPT for business ideas
- The positive impact of reflecting and prioritizing tasks
- Time management and focus challenges for entrepreneurs
- The importance of mental well-being and taking breaks
- The usefulness of sports metaphors in communication
In this episode of Innova.Buzz, we welcome Tanya Alvarez, the founder and CEO of OwnersUP. OwnersUP is a platform that combines team and coaching elements with data analysis to help entrepreneurs grow faster and more effectively.
Tanya started Blink Ads at the age of 25 and grew it over $1 million within its first year. Being a minority and female entrepreneur, she struggled to find the resources and support that she needed. She realized the importance of having a team and a coach to provide support and motivation in the face of challenges and recognized the need for quantitative and qualitative data analysis like endurance athletes use to analyze their performance and make improvements.
Tanya is a numbers-driven individual who values accountability. She believes that humans are social creatures who thrive in community and are motivated by a sense of belonging. Accountability in a group can be an effective way to motivate individuals to achieve their goals. The threat of a consequence, such as singing in front of the group, can be a powerful motivator to overcome the inner critic and achieve a goal.
The lack of a support group is a significant issue for many people today. Being part of a group of entrepreneurs who face similar challenges can provide a sense of relief and help them overcome obstacles. Tanya noted that being around others is motivating and can help people achieve more than if they were doing it alone. Doing activities with others can push people to go farther and accomplish more than doing it alone.
Tanya also discussed the importance of metrics in both fitness and business. In fitness, many people focus solely on weight loss, but there are other important metrics like strength and muscle gain that should also be considered. Similarly, in business, focusing solely on revenue goals and key performance indicators can be deceiving. Other metrics that are often overlooked can be equally or more important to track.
Tanya emphasized the importance of reflecting and prioritizing tasks, which can be neglected due to a lack of time or seeing it as an add-on. She recommended the RAP method (Reflect, Assess, Prioritize) to help entrepreneurs understand their productivity patterns and energy levels.
Tanya also discussed time management and focus as key challenges for entrepreneurs in today’s constantly distracted world. Reflecting on past achievements and overcoming obstacles can provide motivation and perspective for future challenges. Tanya loves the sports metaphor and often quotes famous sports personalities. However, she acknowledges that not everyone can connect emotionally to these quotes and prefers to relate her own sports achievements to everyday experiences.
Towards the end of the podcast, Tanya spoke about her disagreement with “hustle culture.” She believes that people can achieve more by working less, having a group around them and prioritizing their mental well-being. It is important to take breaks, as this can lead to faster problem-solving and achievement. Instead of working harder, it is important to work smarter to achieve success.
During the episode, Tanya described how she has been using a language model called Chat GPT to organize her business ideas. She inputs her business ideas and asks Chat GPT for criticism and potential pitfalls. Chat GPT responds without emotional bias and provides helpful feedback for Tanya to improve her business ideas.
Collaboration and community motivate us to achieve more than we ever could alone. #collaborationovercompetition #entrepreneurcommunity @ownersup on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
The Buzz – Our Innovation Round
Here are Tanya’s answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.
- 1 thing to be more innovative – Surround yourself with people who are completely different to you and do things that are uncomfortable so you can learn again. Be curious.
- Best thing for new ideas – Form a group around me to be my cheerleaders.
- Favourite resource – ChatGPT.
- Keep project/client on track – Be data driven, and combine that with social belonging.
- Differentiate – Be yourself – “to compare is to despair”.
Action
Go into action and connect with someone whi will be your cheerleader and accountability buddy.
Reach Out
You can reach out and thank Tanya through the OwnersUp website.
Suggested Guest
Tanya suggested we have a conversation with Juliana Marulanda of ScaleTime, Margaret Watts-Romney, author of Speakership is Leadership and Aram Zadikian, of Else Run on future InnovaBuzz Podcast episodes.
Links:
Cool Things About Tanya
- She has founded, bootstrapped, sold and invested in five companies.
- In my spare time she’s a runner, having completed many marathons and also triathlons.
- When she was young, she was diagnosed with dyslexia and supposed to join remedial class. Thanks to her sister’s insistence, she was allowed to do AP classes instead, ending up achieving straight As.
Reflecting on past successes and obstacles can provide valuable perspective and motivation for future challenges. #reflection #growthmindset @ownersup on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
Imagine being a part of a select community where you not only have access to our amazing podcast guests, but you also get a chance to transform your marketing and podcast into a growth engine with a human-centered, relationship-focused approach.
That’s exactly what you’ll get when you join the Flywheel Nation Community.
Tap into the collective wisdom of high-impact achievers, gain exclusive access to resources, and expand your network in our vibrant community.
Experience accelerated growth, breakthrough insights, and powerful connections to elevate your business.
ACT NOW – secure your spot and transform your journey today! Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel and get ready to experience the power of transformation.