From Teenage Mother To Successful Entrepreneur – Interview With Stephanie L. P. Jackson
- Brainz Magazine
- Jun 11, 2023
- 6 min read
Stephanie L. P. Jackson is the founder and proprietor of Tigress Consulting and Publications in Ohio. As a licensed and bonded independent Property & Casualty Insurance Agent, Notary Signing Agent, and Certified Business Consultant, Stephanie is able to offer a variety of valuable services to clients from different walks of life. As a small business owner who started her entrepreneurial endeavors many years ago completely from scratch without much knowledge and very little capital, Stephanie understands what it means to “have a dollar and a dream”. This is why her target market is the novice entrepreneur who may not have the knowledge, direction, or much money to start his or her small business. Using her business consulting training and expertise, Stephanie also loves to work with established small businesses and owners alike when it comes to staffing as well as organizational structuring and restructuring. She understands that no matter how small or large a company is, in order for the company to continue to succeed and grow, there are times when changes need to be made in order for the company’s bottom line to thrive, as well as remain current on the growing trends in today’s workplace.
Stephanie L. Padgett-Jackson, Certified Business Consultant and Insurance Agent
So that we can get to know you better, tell us about yourself.
“Well, first let me say thank you so much for this opportunity to introduce myself to you and to the world through your platform. I am very excited for the opportunity moving forward to offer my insight and expertise as an Executive Contributor to Brainz Magazine. Now to say a little about myself – My name is Stephanie L. P. Jackson. First, and foremost I am a wife for 24 years now, mother of three adult children, and “glam-mother” to one grandchild. Through life circumstances, I started my family at a very young age, and because of some unfortunate experiences I went through as a child and through my teenage years, I am very big on family and faith. Fast forward, from the time I was around ten years old, I would always tell friends and certain family members that one day I was going to own my own business. So I guess it’s safe to say that I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I was always fascinated with the world of business, as well as the legal profession. I remember as a teenager always wanting to read the business section of the local newspaper or a magazine even though I didn’t completely understand what I was reading. I also remember watching a lot of the court shows, and television dramas like Matlock, Law and Order, CSI, etc. I thought I wanted to one day become a lawyer until I started working for them. I realized that my passion was to work more so in legal office administration and corporate office administration. In other words anything that involved the day to day operations of a business. So needless to say, I started working at my first law firm over 26 years ago, and I’ve been working in various areas of legal administration ever since. I started my first small home business around 23 years ago where I prepared and updated resumes for people. I also offered proofreading services, and mobile executive assistant services for other small business entrepreneurs. I’ve experienced a lot of trial and error over the years in running my own small business, but I wouldn’t trade the knowledge, training, education, and experience that I’ve gained for the world. No, I haven’t been able to “quit my day job” as they say. However, I’ve still been able to thrive and most importantly help other entrepreneurs set up their business, as well as help established small business owners grow and improve – for me that’s the ultimate reward.”
You said that you have worked in the legal profession for 26 years in addition to being an entrepreneur for over 23 years. How have you managed to successfully accomplish that?
Truthfully, It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been doable. It’s amazing how much we can accomplish with strong will, a dream, faith, and a tenacious mindset. For example, when I was just sixteen years old I became pregnant and gave birth to my first child. Here I am a teenager in high school with a baby. That year so many girls my age were having babies and some were dropping out of highs chool because taking care of a baby and trying to handle the responsibilities of school became too difficult. It was so hard. There were nights when I wouldn’t go to bed until after midnight because I was up late doing homework. By the time I would fall asleep, my baby was waking up in the middle of the night for his feeding and diaper change. Then I would have to spend an hour putting him back to sleep so that I could go back to sleep for a couple of hours. As soon as I would fall asleep, it seemed like that five-thirty alarm would come on five minutes later. I would get up, shower, dress, feed my baby and dress him. Then I would prepare his bottles and diaper bag for daycare as well as my school bag. I had to be at the city bus stop on time in order to drop my baby off at daycare, then take another public transportation bus to school. I had to be at school by 7:30 a.m. every morning. Being a mother when I was still a kid myself, and a high school student was so difficult and physically draining at times. However, I was very determined to not only be a good mother to my son, but I was also determined to not become another statistic and become a high school dropout like so many teenage mothers back then. I had dreams and goals, and more importantly, I had something to prove to myself. I’ve also always used the doubt and negativity from other people towards me as fuel to work that much harder to prove them wrong. I’ve carried that same determination and tenacity into my adulthood in pretty much everything that I have done and still do.”
What advice would you give someone who wants to have a career job in addition to starting their own business?
“Through the years I’ve worked with a few clients who have career jobs and are very successful in their respective profession, but they still had a strong desire to start their own small business while keeping their day job. As a Business Consultant, the first thing I’ve asked them is why do they want to start and run their own business. In business and in life, I’m a firm believer that when you know your “why?” then you can use that as your compass to lead you in the right direction to not only realizing your purpose and full potential, but also to the W.W.W.H. (What? When? Where? How?) of accomplishing your personal and professional goals. So the first and most important piece of advice I would give to someone wanting to juggle a career and run a business is to figure out their “Why?” for wanting to pursue such a challenging task.”
It’s obvious that you have a lot on your plate with having a day job, running your small business, as well as being a wife and mother. What do you do to decompress?
“Well, I’m naturally an introvert so I don’t do a lot of social things that involve big crowds. I’ve always loved to write. I discovered in the 6th grade my talent for writing poems. In fact, I would often write poems when I was sad or going through something. I used writing as an outlet to vent, or just to express my emotions. I’m actually a published author. I wrote and published a two volume book series some years ago called “If the Church Walls Could Talk. Forbidden Matters of the Heart” which can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, eBay, and several other online bookstores. I have another book project in the works. I also love, love, love to decorate, spend time with my family, and even go for short drives by myself just to clear my mind and talk to God.”
Thank you for taking time to talk with us. How can our readers connect with you, and find out more about your company and services?
“It’s been my absolute pleasure to talk with you. I’m honored to now be a part of the Brainz Magazine Family. Your readers can visit my company website. Follow me on IG @tigressqueen and @tigresscandp. On Twitter @tigresslane_ceo. On Linkedin.
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