Koffee ChitChat
Koffee ChitChat
Teaching to Trending: How a Classroom Prepared Her for an Empire
What happens when an elementary school teacher decides to step beyond the classroom and into entrepreneurship? Tyronica Carter's remarkable journey answers this question with a story that will transform how you think about career transitions and personal potential.
Tyronica takes us through her evolution from dedicated educator to seven-figure network marketing powerhouse who's built a staggering team of 147,000 consultants. Her candid discussion reveals how she replaced her teaching salary within just two years, despite having no business background. "I just did what I thought was natural, which was share the opportunity," she explains, highlighting how her teaching skills transferred perfectly to business leadership.
At the heart of Tyronica's philosophy is her powerful motto: "Outdream Yourself." She shares how this mindset helped her break through limitations she never knew existed.
For listeners contemplating their own entrepreneurial leap, Tyronica offers practical wisdom distilled from her decade of success. She emphasizes making your side business "your other nine-to-five" and creating actionable plans rather than vague goals.
Whether you're a teacher feeling limited by your career path, an aspiring entrepreneur hesitant to start, or someone looking to level up your current business, this conversation will inspire you to outdream yourself and transform possibility into reality.
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Hey y'all. Hey, it's your girl, paula, and we are back with another exciting episode of Coffee Chit Chat. But you guys know how we do it. We're going to shout out the coffee of the week, which is a blueberry crumble, and now we get to the good part. We're going to introduce our special guest. We have Ms Tyronica Carter in the house.
Speaker 1:She is a seven-figure earner, three-time published author, inspirational speaker, influencer, business coach and former educator. A top leader in the network marketing industry. She has built a team of over 140,000, 147,000 consultants. Yep, you heard me right 147,000. Previously an elementary school teacher wow. With degrees from Jackson State University, hbcu and Walden University, talronica transitioned to entrepreneurship, replacing her teaching career within two years. So awesome. Her impact has earned her numerous awards, six magazine covers, including Sheen Magazine, and features on radio and podcasts. Recognized as a 2024 woman to watch. Her motto Outdrain Yourself reflects her mission to equip entrepreneurs with the tools to succeed. She's originally from Mississippi, but now she resides in Georgia with her husband of 23 years, benjamin, and they have two sons. She's also a proud member of Alpha Kappa, alpha Sorority Incorporated. Welcome, welcome.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate that.
Speaker 1:We are happy because I know we've been trying to get this together for at least a year. We have, we have and so we finally have her. Yay, yay, yay. So you made a bold transition from being an elementary school teacher to becoming a seven-figure earner and business coach. What inspired that shift and how did you navigate the challenges of such a significant career change?
Speaker 2:So, listen, I always wanted to be a teacher. I mean, literally, I can remember growing up with my sisters Summertime we play in school. Of course I was the teacher. I went to college explored that was the only major I explored. So I pursued that dream and I became a teacher and I loved the education field. I loved it.
Speaker 2:But like any educator, you know, a lot of them have to find some kind of way to supplement their income because, unfortunately, our teachers are not paid their worth. And so that's what I found myself doing, exploring ways to supplement my income. And I came across network marketing and I was not interested at first. You know, I think a lot of people kind of hear those, those negative connotations and ideas about what network marketing is, those negative connotations and ideas about what network marketing is. And so I had those thoughts in my head and I was afraid to do so. But I decided to give it a try because of the product that I was selling, which was in the fashion industry, and I like to get cute and do those kind of things. So I gave it a try and I just did what I felt like as far as pushing the business, because I'm not a business person. You know, I'm not a marketing major, business major, none of those things and I just kind of did what I thought was natural, which was share the opportunity.
Speaker 2:And before I knew it, as you said, two years into the business, I was able to leave my 15 year career as a teacher to pursue entrepreneurship full time. And it was scary because it was unknown to me, it was unknown to my husband, you know. You know what we're always taught go to school, get a go, get a degree, become a teacher, doctor, lawyer, those type of things, and work until you retire. And so it was a bold step. However, thank goodness that I had the support of my husband.
Speaker 2:My son saw me my first two years working my business, and so they really began to understand entrepreneurship and putting in the work to see the results. And so, because of that, I started to see my business grow and I started to learn learn about the industry and entrepreneurship and I decided that that was something that I wanted to pursue full time because I fully enjoyed it. It was hard to leave teaching, however, I think I was at that point with the teacher burnout, you know, and I enjoy it. Eventually, I enjoyed the time freedom, the financial freedom that came along with it, and just being able to show my sons a different route, you know, alternative way of making income as opposed to the traditional things that we all have grown up knowing about.
Speaker 1:So you can work for yourself? Absolutely yes, and I'm happy that you said that it was a little scary, but you took the leap anyway.
Speaker 2:So I did and it was. It was very scary. I mean, I it was again. You have that security of that guaranteed nine to five check Right. You have that security of insurance and 401k and all that good stuff. And so when you take that leap of faith to start something out on your own number one, it stretches you as a person. It really does. It gets you out that comfort zone and sometimes we get lost in that day-to-day just aspect of going through life and this really took me out of my comfort zone. I think it really showed me that God used the classroom to prepare me for what was to come now. Because if I don't think, if I had that background of teaching and educating in the classroom, I don't know if I would have been as successful as an entrepreneur with leading my team and educating them and being able to show them. You know how I became successful.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I totally agree, because you have built a team of over 147,000 consultants. That's a lot of teaching. Yeah, I know you have people that you train and they help you out, but that's a lot of teaching. So what do you think has been the key to your success in networking marketing? How do you foster such a large, successful team?
Speaker 2:I think the key to the success that I've seen has been just the authenticity. You know I try to teach my team a lot of times. It's okay to see others and succeed you know in their success and to mimic you know in their success and to mimic you know the success and the steps that they've done. But you have to make it authentically yours. People know when you're not you right. You hear people say on social media all the time we know the real you. You know you can do all this on social media, but we know the real you. And that spews over into when you're a business owner.
Speaker 2:People. People don't trust what they don't see and so if, if you're not being your authentic self to them, it comes off as that quote unquote scam or you know you're just trying to get my coins You're not being your authentic self. So I think that's been my success with that is just making sure that people understand that hey, I'm presenting this opportunity because I want, I want to see, I want you to see the same success that I've experienced. And I was authentic and genuine when I shared that with the people who have joined me on the journey and then spilling it over into my team again. I want them to see the genuine and the genuineness in me when I truly say, hey, you guys, I want you to experience the same success. This is what you do. And then up and from there it's up to them. It's up to them to you know, to create their own success. I gave you all the tools you need but, baby, you got to build your own house. Now I love it.
Speaker 1:I gave you the tools. Now you have to build, because sometimes I think people want you to come in and build theirs. But it's like I'm giving you the tools to do it for yourself.
Speaker 2:Right, I definitely let that be known. You know I can't. I can't work your business and mine. I'm still trying to work on keeping my business afloat and being successful and I'm here to guide you along the way, but you have to do it yourself and that's what I hope. It's just like teaching. It's just like you giving your students the tools for success, and I'm teaching you and I'm giving you everything. But you got to take that test on your own. Now you have to put that knowledge to use to see the success.
Speaker 1:I was just about to say this the same way we were teaching Like I'm not going to take the test for you because I've given you all the notes Right. Exactly Love it. And your motto I dream yourself. That speaks volumes. Can you tell us more about how that mindset has shaped your journey and how you inspire others to adopt that same philosophy?
Speaker 2:You know I share with people all the time. You know I'm from Mississippi. You know my family and I have seen very humble beginnings and, um, I never dreamed of being anything. Well, I don't want to say being anything more than a teacher At some point. Like I said, you know you're kind of handed the tools of those traditional working force, and so, when this opportunity came along, to become an entrepreneur and do things for myself, like it was.
Speaker 2:So many wow factors. And so one wow factor after another from earning free trips. The first time I even got a passport, I was 36. And that was because my company, I got a free trip out of the country and I had never even considered getting a passport before because I just felt like it was out of reach. And so one of the things that doing this business has taught me to outdream myself, to think bigger. Whatever it is that you once thought was big, that's attainable and you just have to dream it. And that's one of the hardest things to get people to see.
Speaker 2:Before I stopped teaching at one of my last schools, we used to do with our students something called Mindset Mondays and we would spend the first 15 minutes every Monday with the students and we would have them to do exercises to work on their mindset. And I found, yeah, I'm telling you, and I did this with first graders. You guys, I did this with first graders and we would do an activity where we would give them challenges and we would teach them how to look at solving the problem instead of looking at it as a problem or a challenge. Well, how do you fix your mindset to say I can overachieve this, how do I go from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset? And literally in the first couple of months of doing this with my students, I began to see them make better decisions. I began to see them open up to options on how to solve challenging problems.
Speaker 2:And I would hear other students say is that a growth mindset or is that a fixed mindset? They would say that to each other. So I sat there and it's like a light bulb went off and I said this is what I need to bring back to my team, because as adults, sometimes we are fixed in our mindset of what we think things are, or what I can't do, or you know, I'm too old for those things, or I don't want to learn anything new. And so, um, I came up and I started doing mindset Monday with my team and we started talking about that and it's just like listen, you are what's holding you up? And so outdream yourself became my motto, because it's just like once you see that first little sweet taste of victory, of something that you just never could imagine and for me it was. It was literally taking my first international trip out of the country.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, but that's awesome. You thought outside the box and hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely and I guess I realized once I made the trip.
Speaker 2:I was like this wasn't so bad, this isn't really not hard to do. Listen, traveling out of the country is not as expensive as you think it is. Yeah, and I mean I just was never stretched or taught or been around that circle of a crowd of people that even say, hey, let's do this. So it really helped me to formulate that model of outdream yourself there's nothing that you can't do.
Speaker 1:That's excellent too. Outdream yourself, because, like you say, sometimes we just have that very limited knowledge or that limited circle you know Exactly.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and so many people are in that position and they have that fixed mindset of not even wanting to do or having that feeling of I don't deserve this or it's not for me type thing. I've run across so many people who just feel like it's not for them and I'm just like listen, it absolutely is, it's for anybody, it's for everybody. Yep, change and opportunity is for anybody.
Speaker 1:I love it, love it. And as a top leader in network marketing, what qualities do you believe are essential for becoming a successful leader? And then, how do you cultivate some of those traits when you uh, you know, when you're training your team?
Speaker 2:um, some of the qualities for becoming a successful leader is, again, is just having that mindset to be able to try anything. I've always said that some of the most successful people I've seen in network marketing are the people who have gone in headfirst, you know, went right in, tried it. You know you have those people that say, oh well, you know, I don't know if I want to do that yet, let me learn the business first.
Speaker 1:So I don't know if I want to bring anybody else on my team.
Speaker 2:Let me learn the business first. Listen, the people most successful people are the ones who hit the ground running day one. Listen, the people most successful people are the ones who hit the ground running day one. And so a quality for success is those people who are willing to fail, those people who are willing to look crazy, look dumb in front of their friends. You know, if you're trying to go in and look perfect and look like you have it all together, that is a big disaster from the beginning of a failure, because success is messy. If anybody tells you that their journey to success was perfect, they're not telling the truth.
Speaker 2:I made a post just, I think, yesterday, just talking about listen. I don't know who needs to hear this, but I've had losses along the way, big losses, losses that I didn't see coming, you know, losses that hurt, and the difference is that I kept going, I didn't stop, and there's a saying that stuck with me that says, when you're going through hell, the best thing to do is to keep going. You don't sit and stop, you don't stop, you can't stop. You have to go through it to get through it, and so that's one of the best qualities that I feel like that helped me to become successful. You know I must. One of my favorite quotes is from the Bible scriptures is we've been made endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
Speaker 1:So I'm a firm believer of when you fail, you fall.
Speaker 2:So I'm a firm believer of when you fail, you fall. Listen tomorrow's another day. Get up and do it again. Try it again.
Speaker 1:I love it, just love it. Ok, so we're going to talk about the magazines. Being featured on six magazine covers and recognized as a 2024 women to watch are incredible accomplishments. How has that recognition impacted your work and what does it mean to you personally?
Speaker 2:You know, network marketing has allowed me to do just that network I've met, so many people.
Speaker 2:I've had so many opportunities from the magazine covers to you know, many different awards for women to watch Entrepreneur of the Year, all those amazing things being awarded for my accomplishments and so what that means to me is it means that I have a story to tell people. This is not just about me. Someone actually told me just the other day you know, ty, people, you have a story that is here to inspire people and I'm not really that flashy person, that person that's going to be out there and say, look at this, I got this and I'm doing this, but I have to learn how to be more obedient to tell my story. You know my job and what I feel like is my job now is to inspire. I'm the type of person that roots for the underdog.
Speaker 2:That person who feels like they can't, they're stuck. I don't know what my next move is, and so for me to be able to share my accolades and share the things that I've been rewarded because of what I've done, it just means that someone else gets to hear my story and hopefully, from that they're inspired, they feel like they can do it too. Listen, if this girl from Mississippi who was an elementary school teacher went from being a teacher? Because, let me tell you something, teachers feel like they're stuck because we have a degree in education. So if I don't teach anymore, what else can I do? I have to go back to school.
Speaker 2:I have to like I don't have a flexible degree that will put me in another job position, and so you know you have to. I want my story to let people know, that listen, if you have an idea out there, if there's something that's that's piercing in your spirit and soul, um, go for it. Okay, go for it. It's there for a reason. God gave you that for a reason, and other people may not understand it, that's fine. He didn't give it to them, he gave it to you, yeah, so you have to act upon that and that's what I truly just hope that by being able. You know featured podcasts. I've done radio interviews, those things. I just want my story to be told so that other people can relate to it.
Speaker 1:And that's why you're on Coffee Chit Chat, because that's what we love doing inspiring and uplifting our listeners.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely. I love this platform.
Speaker 1:So balancing your career, business, everything I know that can be a little tough. Can you tell the listeners how you balance it all?
Speaker 2:Listen, that is a hard, hard road, and the funny part is, now that my boys are, you know, out of the house, we're empty nesters. Now it seems harder to balance, you know, with them not being here because it seems like I guess my calendar gets full quicker because maybe I take more opportunities. But when I, when my boys were here, you know, I started entrepreneurship, it'll be 10 years ago next month. I can't believe that, I know. So that means my youngest was eight and my oldest was, I guess, about 13, 14. And so I had two young kids, two boys. My husband was in the hotel industry and he worked nights and weekends, and so that left me to pretty much take the boys to basketball, football soccer they played every sport under the sun yes, and
Speaker 2:so it was hard to, on top of that, me taking care of 30 kids a day in my classroom, being a teacher, grading papers, cooking dinner, homework all of that fell on me. But, and when there's you know what, when something is for you, there's something inside of you that won't let you quit and you don't recognize it at first, but opportunities and things just kind of come about where you're able to fulfill. Fulfill, complete in that you know if that makes sense. Because when I started what I was doing I had no idea. I literally didn't. I just wanted to sell what I was selling and make some money as a teacher. But it kept growing and it kept growing.
Speaker 2:And when those doors open for that growth, you find a way. So instead of sitting at my boys practice and watching them practice, I'm like, listen, they don't need me to watch them practice as long as I'm there watching the game. I use those opportunities to work into my business, figure out ways to become more successful. You know, and people talk all the time Well about maybe not having supportive spouses, and one of the things that I did with my husband and my sons is I included them in the business. I let them help me make decisions, I let them look at the reports with me and I asked them for their advice. My youngest son would help and sort the inventory with me. So I included them with me. So they were there to not only see the growth but feel like they were a part of the growth, a part of it.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, yeah.
Speaker 2:So if you try, to do everything yourself and you're trying to be superwoman and you're trying to take all those things on. One of the things I always heard is listen. No husband wants to see their wife struggling, and so one of the first things that the husband is going to do is he's going to tell her you need to take that off your plate, because it's making it stressing you out. It's making it's stressing you out and so, instead of that, include them. And that's how you kind of balance that thing out is you make it a part of your everyday life. You don't look at it as something else to do, because if you look at it as something else to do, then that's when you're going to lose focus and interest. So, no matter what it is that you're looking for, if you're trying to balance that out, include it in your everyday life make it a part of it.
Speaker 2:You know, I looked at my business not as my side hustle or another gig, I looked at it as my other, nine to five, and so it was just as important to me as my teaching career was, and so I made it so.
Speaker 1:Excellent, excellent. So all these entrepreneurs I hear who are maybe thinking about being entrepreneurs, what advice would you give someone who maybe just considering you know, like I've been doing a side hustle or whatever they want to call it, and now I think I want to do it full time. So what advice would you give to a person who may be listening?
Speaker 2:at that crossroad.
Speaker 2:Just what I said is make it your other nine to five. If you're not tired at the end of the day, if you don't feel like you got late nights and early mornings, then you won't be successful at it. You have to put your heart into it, and one of my favorite quotes is once you see results, it becomes an addiction, and so you have to have that mindset. When I saw my first, when I joined the business the very first month I reached my goal of making $500. And I was like, wow, I'm thinking I wasn't going to make C $500 for like several months.
Speaker 2:I did it my first month and I'm the type of person where I was like hmm, let me see if I could do that next month.
Speaker 2:And so I did, and then I was like well, let me see if I could do more. So I became addicted to the results. So, if you have that thought and you are wanting to be an entrepreneur, listen again. Like I said earlier, outdream yourself. If it was put into your spirit, if you thought of it, it can be done. You have to sit down, come up with a plan, an actionable plan, right?
Speaker 1:It's kind of like, do you?
Speaker 2:remember when we were in school, in high school, and we used to write our papers and you had to write your introduction paragraph, and then you had to write your introduction paragraph, and then you had to write those three paragraphs in the middle of your closing. Do you remember when we wrote those three paragraphs? We had to have our topic sentence and then our one, two, three and then our topic sentence. So it's kind of the same thing when you're doing your business Come up with what is my goal, my goal is to do this.
Speaker 2:Okay, step number one of how I'm going to make that happen. Step number two of how I'm going, like actionable plans. Okay, because if you just put right a goal down, with no way of getting to that goal, it's just a goal, there's nothing to it, and so once you put action plans and steps to it, it seems feasible, it seems easier for you, and so, therefore, you're getting excited because I have a plan in place and once you do that, listen, make it your other. Nine to five. It's just as important. You want to rely on your business succeeding just as much as you rely on that check that comes from your nine to five.
Speaker 1:Love it. So your goals have to be actionable. You just can't write some words on the paper. It has to have action behind it, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, I love it.
Speaker 1:If you can dream it, you can become it right. Yes, yes, indeed. Okay. So, as a proud member of Alpha Kappa, alpha Sorority, how has being a part of such a prestigious organization influenced your journey and what role has it played in your growth as a leader?
Speaker 2:you know, um, being a member of alpha, kappa, alpha is so funny. Um, I didn't come from a family of people in sorority and fraternities. Um, it wasn't until I got to college that I kind of paid attention. However, I was in, was in Girl Scouts from what is the first one, a Daisy Daisy, five years old. I was in Girl Scouts and my mom made me stay in Girl Scouts all the way till my senior year, which the last one is called a senior.
Speaker 2:You're the senior Girl Scout and I can remember being so embarrassed as a senior walking through trying to get people to buy girl scout cookies. I'm like, oh my god, I'm too big to be a girl scout. However, I feel like having that, those, those skills of being a part of a group in an organization, from girl scouts to joining a sorority Alpha, kappa, alpha I feel like that has definitely shaped me as being a strong woman. Um, it's hard to put in words because, you know I come from a a very uh solid background my mom and my dad and my two sisters. I grew up in a very strong, family-oriented home and, uh, with uh, having two sisters, mom, so I had a woman figure, you know, there all the time but being in this organization to be able to network, even as a Girl Scout learn how to get along with other people, other women, learning how to be able to communicate and work together with people, and then transferring that into an adult and becoming an AKA.
Speaker 2:I think it just really keeps you grounded and rooted. It lets you know that you're never the smartest person in the room. There's always someone for you to glean off of, for you to learn from, and I love that. I love that because so many times in my business I'm kind of that person that people glean off of and they want to learn from, and so I love the fact that I can be in other spaces where I have that opportunity to do the same with other people.
Speaker 2:And I also do it with people in my business too, because, listen, I don't know it all. I like when people come in with fresh and new ideas and they're eager, they new, they're excited. So being a part of sorority has definitely um given me support. You know, one of our uh biggest things that we push is uh business, black-owned business, women business and it just makes you feel supported and it just makes you feel like you can do anything been a part of such a great organization and I can attest to that because you know when you're a military and you move from place to place to place.
Speaker 1:But I tell you whether you were a part of aka Zeta Delta, whoever, or even you know the median fraternities once they found out that you were a part of that divine line, they take you under their arms.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I guess, if I do say powerful, it does. It makes you feel powerful in a way that, like I said, you can do anything and it makes you feel like you know I'm surrounded by people, who continually pushes you and makes you think bigger, and so you do. You stand a little taller and you feel like you can conquer anything because you're around other people with that same mindset. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:So powerful was fine? Yeah, I guess so. For some reason it just didn't sound right when it was coming out of my mouth I was like no, it's not powerful so now, how can people follow you for all this great advice?
Speaker 1:because I love following your uh social media and getting all the little good nuggets.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely listen. So people can follow me on um instagram, at the underscore tyronica s carter. I am on facebook Tyronica Stanford Carter. You can also follow. I have a business page for my coaching business that I have. I'm excited about it. I'm actually just now about to continue to grow it. It's been there for a little while, but not much. But my business building coach is Tyronica S Carter. My website is Tyronica S Carter, no TyronicaCartercom as well.
Speaker 1:Okay, we're going to put it all in our Facebook chit chat coffee chit chat. So chit chat is the quote for the week is a leader is like a shepherd he stays behind the flock letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind, and that's by the great nelson mandela. Tune in next week for another exciting episode of coffee chit chat.
