Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyana Daley.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m currently the Communications Manager for Embarc Collective which involves handling all external and internal communications for the organization. [Embarc Collective] (https://www.embarccollective.com/) provides customized support to help startups scale and will soon be housed in a 32,000 square foot facility so that Tampa Bay can have a central landing zone for startup activity.
Before I started Embarc Collective, I first learned the marketing ropes by getting a great foundation from larger corporations. I worked on search engine optimization at an online education school, worked on the social media team at Publix Super Markets, wrote documentation for Lockheed Martin and before making the leap to run my agency, Urbane Exposure, full-time, worked as a website producer for Disney Digital Parks and Resorts. In 2017, I decided I knew “enough” about business operations and was ready to venture out and run my business, without the training wheels of a corporate salary. I learned a lot in this time; like how the ups and downs of business are truly unpredictable, or that you’ll love every moment of it while frantically dodging anxiety and the “what if’s.”
Running my own agency was always in the works. I was inspired to start my company in 2012 after speaking with a mentor about getting more involved in the marketing industry. He told me to learn everything I could about tech if I wanted to stay relevant. I spent night after night self-learning and reading too many business books to count. That when I decided to jump in, things took off. Shortly after taking on my first website design job, I quickly built a great portfolio of clients based on my work and reputation.
My opportunity to join Embarc Collective came from a serendipitous encounter at a networking event. As I explained to this contact what I was currently doing with my agency, she mentioned that I sounded perfect for the open Communications Manager role at Embarc Collective. While some business owners may look at taking professional opportunities while operating the business to be a sign of defeat, it ended up opening new doors for me and inviting me to a world that was unfamiliar territory – the startup world. I’ve found an undeniable love for my role at Embarc Collective and the work we’re doing to make Tampa Bay a prime destination for startups. An entrepreneur at heart, I am also continuing my business full fledge with two part-time employees, and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.
Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth road, but what’s a journey if there isn’t a little resistance? Early in my career, I struggled with the feeling of “not knowing enough.” I wish I could have visited my past self to tell her to trust those early visions and opinions. I think if I would have embraced my ideas back then a bit more I would have positioned myself for greater opportunities and reached my milestones sooner, without plaguing them with self-doubt.
While running my business full time, it was hard managing the need to eat (pay bills) with the desire to innovate. It was challenging to move towards progress when the business has financial demands, and the client you didn’t really want to work for is all you have on the table right now. I realized that you need a team or at least a partner to really help you move the needle.
For the first few years of operating my business, I was doing most of the operations solo, which made it hard to prioritize or focus on that one task or effort that would take my business to the next level. While the road is smooth now, I continue to challenge myself to grow. I’ve learned that you don’t ever become comfortable in the journey as an entrepreneur. You inevitably embrace the uncertainty and soon fall in love with the process.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Embarc Collective story. Tell us more about the business.
As the Communications Manager of Embarc Collective, I manage all social media, internal and external communications. Our goal is to provide resources, programming, and support to startup founders and their teams to help them turn their vision into reality. I’m most proud of the work I’m doing with Embarc Collective.
As a Tampa native, it’s important to me to make my hometown a place that’s appreciated and recognized regionally and nationally for technology and innovation. With Embarc Collective, I feel that my team and I are on our way to helping Tampa, and more the state of Florida, get on the map for business, innovation, and technology.
Tell us about your favorite and least favorites things about our city.
Miami has always been a little extension of home for me. My mother was born in Homestead after my grandparents moved there in the early ’40s from Cuba. My family would drive down from Tampa and spend at least two weekends a month. My memories of Miami are times spent hanging out with cousins, parties with loud music, eating pastelitos and Cuban cake. Miami is a bit crowded, but I feel the diversity and population speaks to the inviting energy of the city.
Tampa is my home! Born and raised, I haven’t really found a desire to leave this city. We have so much going on now it’s insane to think we’re actually in a position of growth and taking advantage of it. Between the development of [Water Street] (https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2019/01/08/water-street-tampa-will-make-monumental-progress.html), a new development that will expand the Tampa Skyline, to the increase in startup successes and development, I feel we’re on our way to being the new small, big city.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.embarccollective.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embarccollective/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embarccollectiv/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmbarcCollectiv
- Other: The Weekly Collective Newsletter – https://share.hsforms.com/1SPe7FsVFQmWYVLRBX9m0Ow2y8n8
Image Credit:
The Ledger
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