Women's History Month is significant to AdvisorFlow because it provides an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contributions women have made throughout history and continue to make in our world every day.
AdvisorFlow has the opportunity to ask Tara some questions about her career, personal life, the significance of Women’s Month to her, some tips and advice for young professionals, and the general scope of the industry.
I love the theme of International Women’s Day this year #EmbraceEquity! Let’s embrace equity for where it has been and where it is going. To me, embracing means reflecting, learning & growing. I am a believer in seeing the opportunity in everything…I am a born optimist & I love celebrating wins!
For me, International Women’s day (month) is a moment to feel inspired and to celebrate all the women who came before us, the women of today and the women of tomorrow. I believe we all have a part to play in the progress toward a world that is diverse, equitable and inclusive. I also use this as a time to reflect on the specific role I play.
My #1 goal has been to set a positive example for my children. Both for my daughters & my son. To be a woman that exemplifies both warmth & strength. Just last week, I had a conversation with my daughter about inequity and the role we can play. I shared with her my perspective ~ I can let situations or circumstances negatively affect me emotionally, spiritually or physically or I can choose to use that energy to fuel advocacy & taking positive action. Even if the action feels small, it is the tenacity of the collective that is making a difference each day! So I choose the tenacity of the collective!
2 people come to mind - these weren’t people in the industry but helped to shaped me & my mindset.
First is my Grandmother. She grew up in Japan and came to Canada as a young woman. She didn’t talk much about the early days in Canada but as a child I knew it was something she didn’t want to define her. My grandfather passed before I was born, so the memories of my grandmother were of a hard working woman creating a great life for herself & her family. My grandmother was a woman of warmth, grace & strength. At a young age, I knew she was the woman I wanted to exemplify. I proudly hold her Japanese name Yaeko as my middle name.
The second was my father. I am continually inspired by my unconventional childhood. A household where my father worked as a teacher in the day & managed full-time parenting of my sister and I in the evening. There were no gender roles growing up in our household. We had to collectively make it work! So, I often take this optimistic view of the world and the collective efforts to make something work.
Tip #1: Have confidence in yourself. Go for it! This industry needs you and you will be successful.
Tip #2: Align your practice to your values and don’t sway from them. Likewise, if you join a practice make sure it aligns to your values. Be authentically you!
Tip #3: Keep your eye on the big picture (oh and take time to build your big picture). One of my mentors told me “focus on doing great things for clients & the money will come”. I loved that advice. It was inspiring to me because at one point in my career I thought I had to be “sales/money driven” to be successful in this role. And guess what? You don’t! You can lead with your values and build a successful & sustainable business.
Tip #4: Find your work-life harmony. You own your time. Your work doesn’t have to be 24/7 but building a practice does require hard work. So create your work-life harmony and feel empowered, not guilty about it!
Tip #5: Have a few mentors. Finding the right mentor for everything is hard to find, so have a few:) Make sure your mentors firmly align to your values, then just soak it all in!
Some insight & advice for fellow women beginning in this industry:
I love this career so much but it’s not rosy all the time. Building a business is hard work. Being a great financial professional is hard work. You will need support & encouragement along the way. So, find your tribe…friends, family, your people. You will need them!
It may take time for you to find your “right” fit or “right” place in this industry. I started as an advisor in my 20’s, then spent 18 years in corporate and then left corporate to launch my financial practice. The path to this career is not linear. Take each opportunity as a learning and a step along your journey. It will lead you to something great!
It can feel like a lonely place for a woman, so create your network of like-minded financial professionals. It is natural to want to “see” others like you or others you want to strive to become. This can be tough at the start, especially if you are a solopreneur or launched your own practice. Take the initiative to connect with others and create a network to share, inspire & support each other.
The biggest opportunity/advantage in this career for women, similar to some other entrepreneurship journeys, is that there is NO pay inequity. That’s right! Compensation is entirely dependent upon the success of your business!
Love this question! To help support change, I believe the industry can do better to create spaces for women to see & connect with others like them. The industry is trying to attract more women into the business but the challenge of keeping women in the business still persists. I was that 20 something advisor at one point that looked around and couldn’t see “me”. That is not a great feeling for ambitious young women looking at their potential future. Things have definitely improved since then however as the industry embraces independent practices I feel this will be magnified given the reality that there are simply fewer women in this profession. So, let’s build spaces where women feel inspired and can see firsthand the journey that other women have taken to build their success in this business. Surround women with others that are growing & achieving, and watch it take off! Until then, I encourage each woman to take their own step forward – don’t wait - build your network & find the people to inspire & lift you up!
