Tay Daniels Of Breadwinner Energy On How Leaders Make Difficult Decisions
An interview with Maria Angelova
Love your decision & hold yourself accountable to the outcomes.
As a leader, some things are just unavoidable. Being faced with hard choices is one of them. Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. What’s the best way to go about this? Is there a “toolkit” or a skill set to help leaders sort out their feelings and make the best possible decisions? As part of our series about “How Leaders Make Difficult Decisions,” we had the pleasure of interviewing Tay Daniels.
Tay Daniels is a Certified Life & Business Coach, Mother, Wife, & the CEO & Founder of It’s Tay LLC, It’s VA Tay, & Breadwinner Energy Co. She started her entrepreneurial endeavors in 2016 when she was 7 months pregnant. At the time, Tay had no money, no degree, and absolutely zero clients, but that didn’t stop her from quitting her 9–5 to become an entrepreneur. Tay has a true passion for helping women build generational wealth, break generational curses, become the Breadwinner of their life, & live a life they not only love but are incredibly proud of!
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
I started my first business in 2016, I was 7 months pregnant and didn’t want to go back to my 9–5 so I searched high & low for online jobs when I discovered being a Virtual Assistant. It was just a side hustle to make a little cash while I was home with my daughter. Through my 8 year journey between now and then I moved into coaching and realized not only is coaching & mentoring women my true passion but that I have a true passion for entrepreneurship and building lifelong success for myself, my own family, and women all over the world.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
There have been so many amazing people along the way who have contributed to my success in such different ways, one of my early mentors, Kelsey Kerslake, played a huge role in me taking my new coaching business from a concept to a 6-figure business along with my mentors that helped me become a Certified Coach, coaching is truly the gift that keeps giving and the ultimate key to success.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
During Covid our team transitioned from the Wedding Industry into coaching not only were we in a global pandemic and a time of total uncertainty but we were also transitioning the business model completely. The way I led my team through this was to first & foremost educate myself on what was happening around us, the industry changes, and make quick decisions based on what I felt was best overall for the business. When leading my team, I allow them to see that I am a real person, with real emotions, that is learning and deciding as I go and taking the fall for what happens. I think allowing your team to see your vulnerability + leadership in action is truly the best way to build culture.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through challenges? What sustains your drive?
I have honestly considered giving up so many times I’ve lost count. When I have moments like this, I step back from whatever I am doing and go on a walk, spend time with my family, and Voxer message my trusted business partner. I then will reflect on why I started this business, the life this business has allowed me to live, the freedom, being able to homeschool my daughter, and the impact that I have made and am continuing to make in other women’s lives. The mission behind Breadwinner Energy Co truly keeps me going on the hardest days because I know so many other women who have been where I was and need the community and support to change their life too.
Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader?
Honestly, I never knew being a CEO would come with so many difficult decisions on a consistent basis that you have to not only make for yourself, but for the future of the business and the entire team involved. Your decisions truly impact everyone. One of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make as a leader is to shut down programs that did not serve us long-term.The hardest decisions I’ve had to make as a leader is when to let someone from the team go, if their position is no longer needed, they aren’t meeting KPI’s or not a good culture fit we have to let them go. It’s always about what is best for the business versus deciding on a personal level.
What process or toolset can a leader use to make a choice between two difficult paths?
Yes — I came up with a method that we not only teach other women but use in our life to make decisions. We have broken this method down into 3 steps which can be completed within 1 week or less depending on how decisive you intend to be. We like to do this within 48 hours because I don’t sit or dwell on decisions. I have a rule to make a decision & love it because there are no such things as “right” decisions. The 3-step method is Educate, Brainstorm, Decide.
Do you have a mentor or someone you can turn to for support and advice? How does this help? When can a mentor be helpful? When is this not helpful?
I do have a few mentors, I am always working with mentors & leaders inside of my business to keep us growing. Depending on the situation will depend whether I go to my business coach, life coach, therapist, team, or husband. That is my trusted team of people I rely on to keep my head on straight and make sure I am making the best decisions for the business. Having people who truly care about you, your success, & have been in your shoes before is imperative to success. It has been truly what has gotten me here today, I could have never done this on my own. A mentor can be helpful in many situations, depending on the mentor, which is why I have different mentors for different areas of life, but I wouldn’t go to my therapist for business advice or my business mentor for therapy. My best advice is to build a community & trusted circle that you can rely on and know when to just trust yourself & your own decisions too.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader when faced with a difficult decision?
The most critical role of a leader when faced with any difficult decision is to be decisive, make an educated decision on what is not only best for you but for the business & team and if the decision doesn’t go to plan fully take responsibility for your decisions. As a leader, it’s important to lead by example. Not sit or dwell in the back & forth but to truly lean in to the decisions.
Do you ever look back at your decisions and wish you had done things differently? How can a leader remain positive and motivated despite past mistakes?
There are tons of decisions I’ve made that sometimes I wish I had done differently such as hold stronger boundaries, tell more people no, and remain strong in my decisions but I remain positive by remembering if it weren’t for that situation or the decision I made at the time I would have never learned from that experience to get me where I am today, a better person & a better leader.
What is the best way to boost morale when the future seems uncertain? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team during uncertaiun times?
When things seem uncertain, the best way to boost morale is by remaining hopeful & positive. I often remind myself & my team that we can only control what we can control and everything else outside of that isn’t up to us but we are equipped to change and alter as things come our way.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses or leaders make when faced with a hard decision? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
The most common mistakes I see other businesses or leaders make when faced with a hard decision is dwelling in the what ifs, spending more time & energy in the drama of the situation, not making a decision quick enough or at all, not committing to the decisions they’ve made, and then ultimately not moving forward because they are stuck in their own mind drama. One should keep in mind that it takes more time & energy to dwell on the decision than to just make the decision, love the decision, make it right, and move on from it. No matter what you decide you will learn and pivot from it so just make the best decision you can.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a leader should do when making difficult decisions? Please share a story or an example for each.
1 . Educate — educate yourself on the situation, the pros, & cons and both sides of the situation.
2 . Thoughts — manage the way you think about this decision as your thoughts will ultimately drive your feelings, actions & results no matter what you choose.
3 . Brainstorm — take time to brainstorm this over with yourself or team.
4 . Decide — make a decision & love your decision. There is no such thing as a “right decision” but rather the decision you choose to make right.
5 . Love your decision & hold yourself accountable to the outcomes.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life lesson quote is “You can be right, or you can be Rich” . You can always think you are right, never listen, never learn or try something new, never go out on a limb to be wrong or you can be rich. To be rich you must learn to make decisions, quick decisions, be accountable for them, & learn from them.
How can our readers further follow your work?
They can follow me on Instagram @itstaydaniels_llc or listen to the Podcast Breadwinner Energy Podcast on Apple & Spotify
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
Thank you for the amazing opportunity!
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
