A Story of Gritty Entrepreneurship with Tanya Lee LLC
Who is Tanya Lee?
Tanya Lee is unstoppable. From being a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) survivor to a resourceful Amazon Seller and Wellness Consultant, she embraces life one hurdle at a time. Learn how Tanya overcomes her pain points and finds ways to turn a profit while turning trash into treasure. You can read Tanya's free publication on Amazon “Surviving the Gilded Cage,” the gritty account of Tanya finding inner voice. (NOTICE - This story may be triggering with depictions of domestic abuse.) Tanya Lee is a TBI Support Specialist offering compassionate coaching on her website.
Why do you choose to certify?
Having the ND Woman-Owned Business Certification has helped open doors for exposure and marketing tools. I am proud to be a 100% Woman Owned Business in North Dakota.
How did you start Tanya Lee LLC?
Tanya Lee LLC started as a dream to honor my father Lee Joseph, I don't want to say that I lost him because I know exactly where he is. I wanted to start something to help others and let my father's legacy live on. My dad was so wise and loved helping others with any issue they were facing. I hope he is proud of the success of Tanya Lee LLC.
I started Tanya Lee LLC in July of 2022 and opened up an e-commerce store and a Wix site. In 6 short months, I have sold over $70K in merchandise. The ND Women Owned Business Certification paved the way for my success.
In May of 2022, I started my full-time job working for the State of ND as a Grant Administrator for the Early Childhood Division. That same day, I was given a moving trailer full of personal items and miscellaneous “junk” that could have been a burden but turned out to be the launch pad for Tanya Lee LLC. Life works in mysterious ways. When someone hands you lemons, make lemonade.
I started on the Rugby Facebook Rummage page, selling items. Then came two very large boxes full of old VHS tapes. These tapes sparked an idea that fueled Tanya Lee LLC.
A month later, I sold my home in Rugby and started my own business, Tanya Lee LLC, in memory of my late father who passed away from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in May of 2016.
In July, I started selling on my Amazon shop, Kiss My Grit, for real. Through it, I made over 2,000 sales in the first 6 months.
What are you most proud of?
The thing I am the most proud of is that my three children supported me, rallied around me, and cheered for Tanya Lee LLC to be a success. I have the most amazing people surrounding me, from packing orders and designing the logo to selecting merchandise. It has been a family endeavor since day one. My amazing mom and two sisters have stepped in to help when the orders were coming in faster than we anticipated. My dad was the center of our world, and I know he is smiling down on us and giving us his famous thumbs up!
What challenges do you face, and how have you adapted?
The challenges I have faced are overwhelming the post office with over 200 packages a day, running out of shipping boxes, and running low on inventory. My oldest son took on the task of FBA (fulfilled by Amazon), which means we ship our product directly to Amazon. From there, they ship it out so we don't overwhelm the post office.
Any advice to other women?
The best advice I can give is:
Work hard.
Reach out to other business owners.
Find something that lights you up, and go with it.