A leap of faith (and some long days) were all one entrepreneur needed to find success

As COVID-19 began to make its way into the States in February 2020, Paige Tucker took a leap of faith in her Be Your Best You business. Following the name of the business itself, Tucker left her job as a community facilitator to focus on the concept full time.

It turned out to be one of the best things she's ever done. 

The genesis of Be Your Best You dates back to 2017, when Tucker came up with an idea to host a conference for women. Despite the conference being canceled due to Hurricane Irma, the idea to make a difference in people’s lives stuck with her. She went on to become a certified adult mental health first aid instructor under the National Council for Behavioral Health. 

In January 2019, a local news reporter interviewed her about the work she was doing as a mental health first aid instructor. Tucker included she was the owner of Best Your Best You LLC as part of her title for the story. 

Immediately, her first thought was “I don’t even have that business. Why would I say that?” she says. So Tucker applied for an LLC immediately. It took about a week to obtain. Two days later she had her first client. 

When she first started her company, the focus was “all over the place,” she says, from supporting organizations in development to helping nonprofits become more structured. “I did the best I could,” she says. 

Now, Tucker’s business is a coaching and marketing consulting company. Be Your Best You offers one-on-one business coaching, helps with digital media marketing and provides professional training and development. 

It was around the time she quit her facilitator job that the Pinellas County Urban League contacted Tucker. The organization sought a marketing consultant. 

Instead of turning it down, Tucker studied for a digital marketing certificate. And then led a marketing class on entrepreneurship for minority businesses. “That opportunity helped me find my niche,” she says. 

Since then, the partnership has grown between the Pinellas County Urban League and Tucker. 

In 2020 Be Your Best You supported 20-25 small businesses through a program offered by the Pinellas County Urban League. Tucker had to add coaches to her team just to keep up. The program was called Branding and Marketing to Scale Your Business. In 2021, the program had 55 businesses, with 25 completing the class. 

To get where she is now, Tucker says there’s been a lot of long days and sleepless nights. But it’s all worth it when she sees the work happening. 

One of the program’s clients, for example, works in the same building where Be Your Best You is, in Largo. When Tucker went to the kitchen for some coffee one day, a brochure caught her eye. She recognized the brochure from the program with the logo and brand photos Tucker’s business had helped that business owner make. "It was exciting to see her create this product using skills she learned in the program,” Tucker says. 

Tucker says Be Your Best You classes provide marketing and related services worth at least $60,000. The next program is scheduled to start in September.

She declines to disclose revenue, noting, however,  Be Your Best You is growing well in sales and people. Revenue comes from program offerings and coaching and marketing packages. The packages offered help with strategic planning, website development, brand building and brand photoshoot. 

To deal with growing at a breakneck speed, Tucker goes to weekly therapy. “It definitely requires you to stay grounded,” she says, noting that's especially true when she’s working 14 to 16 hours a day. 

Another important strategy for Tucker was taking her own advice. She spends a lot of time telling other business owners the most important thing is ensuring they’re not running themselves into the ground. While it’s tough, she says she needs to listen to herself as well. 

One way there was hiring an executive assistant, which led her to work toward overcoming another challenge: learning to trust other people to take care of her business. She recently went on vacation and says she knew the business was being managed well in her absence. 

The future of Be Your Best You involves more expansion and growth, Tucker says, starting with a plan to expand the current offerings. She's also looking to grow her team and offer internships. The goal? To become the premier marketing agency in the Tampa Bay area. 

While the pandemic brought its own set of obstacles, it was somewhat of a blessing in disguise for Tucker. “COVID-19 gave me time to think and structure my business,” she says. She notes she was fortunate enough to have her own jewelry business on the side to help pay for bills. Noting it’s been a fortunate journey, she says, “I have not had the traditional entrepreneurial story.”