I'm Tammy Zurak
I help entrepreneurs leave uninspiring jobs and build their
dream businesses with authentic branding, practical strategies, and a focus on strengths. As a business coach, portrait photographer, and Clifton Strengths expert, I’m here to help you take the leap—and grow with confidence.
Welcome! I know firsthand what it’s like to leave a corporate career and build something new from the ground up. After 27 years in sales and sales management, I left the corporate world and launched my own commercial portrait photography business, specializing in Personal Branding for small businesses. This journey gave me a unique perspective on how both large, established brands and emerging businesses operate—and the struggles many entrepreneurs face.
If you’re considering stepping away from a job that no longer inspires you to pursue your own business dreams, or you feel limited in the business you own by a lack of marketing or branding skills, you’re not alone! In my coaching, I use a framework based on my career experience and Clifton Strengths to help you identify your unique talents and bring them into a professional, authentic brand that feels true to you. Together, we’ll work through practical strategies for building your business, elevating your brand, and creating a path forward to reach the people who need what you have to offer. Let’s make the most of your strengths and bring your vision to life!
Get To Know Tammy Better
HOW CAN YOU CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR BUSINESS?
Take My Masterclass...
Ready to Join a Workshop?
You can sign up for our next workshop starting September 24th, 2024
I have combed through my extensive corporate experience, combined with the wealth of knowledge gained from my portrait business ventures, along with the valuable lessons learned from managing clients and mentoring others, to form the solid foundation needed to guide individuals’ step by step in building their own successful businesses and brands. I will teach everything I have learned to you in this class! This is the fifty page supporting workbook designed to help you take all the steps necessary to move you through the process, and refer back to later.
Also, as a CERTIFIED Gallup Global Strengths Coach, my passion is helping you uncover and truly embrace your natural talents. The Clifton Strengths assessment is a powerful tool that highlights what you’re already great at, allowing you to build your business, career, or life around your strengths, rather than struggling to fit into areas that don’t come naturally.
I believe that when you deeply understand your strengths, you can approach your goals with a sense of purpose and confidence. Whether you're an entrepreneur looking to scale your business, a leader aiming to empower your team or department, or someone seeking more clarity and direction in life, I’m here to support and guide you.
Together, we’ll work to aim your strengths intentionally, so you can experience more success, fulfillment, and joy in what you do.
You don’t have to go it alone. Let’s discover what makes you exceptional and create a path toward your goals—whether in your business, company, or personal life—that feels authentic and empowering.
Claim Your Brand's
Spotlight!
Elevate your brand to new heights of success by utilizing this comprehensive checklist: A Personal Branding Photoshoot Guide!
A complimentary Personal Branding Photoshoot Guide!
You can now embrace the spotlight and watch your brand shine brighter than ever with this FREE checklist. Aside from guiding you through the process of achieving a successful branding photoshoot, it helps your brand maintain relevance and capture the overall vibes of your brand!
Photographers, want to buy this template to use for your own clients? Click the button below...
A client testimonial....
The Start Of It All
I began my career in the automotive industry in the early 1990's. After starting out in sales in an auto service center, I quickly developed aspirations to become a store manager. However, in those days, it was more challenging for a woman to reach those ranks. When I was finally offered that opportunity, it was after everyone else had already turned it down. You see, it was the "worst" location in the rankings, and no one had ever been able to turn it around. So of course I said yes! I told myself, it can't get worse, so let's focus on how to make it better. In under a year, with the team I built, we rose the store rankings from last to first. This was my first experience building a team and a brand. And it was the most memorable of my career, because everyone thought it couldn't be done. I didn't know it at the time, but I learned an immeasurable amount of lessons during that time that became a great foundation for what was to come.
Another client testimonial...
“I just wrapped up Tammy Zurak’s Business and Brand Masterclass and I couldn’t be more energized as a business owner!
I had so many ‘ah ha’ moments during Tammy and I’s time together! She helped me gain clarity on who my ideal clients are, where to reach them, what vehicles to use to reach them, and how to communicate with them.
I have a much clearer vision for my Personal Brand and really understand the steps needed to build it and lean into it.
Tammy and I together created actionable steps to design and move all parts of my business sales and marketing forward!
Tammy gave me the knowledge and confidence to know my worth and charge appropriately.
With this roadmap, I now have the confidence to take my business full-time in the very near future!
I’m super excited to continue my journey with Tammy and within her community of fellow entrepreneurs, business leaders, and builders alike
AND on a personal note, Tammy is just such a sweet and fun person to spend time with!
By the end of our time together, we were referring to our spouses by their first names and sharing personal stories like old friends!
She really has a passion for helping build people up both professionally and personally.
If you have the chance to work with Tammy, I really encourage you to invest in yourself and do it!”
More Testimonials from the just completed
Build Your Business and Your Brand -The Masterclass students....
Business Coach Jon V.: "Your class has already paid dividends for me. It caused me to rethink my target audience and the direction I want to take my business. You reminded and motivated me to go back to branding and marketing basics that I should have been doing regularly and inspired me to take a project idea that I had on the back burner and put structure and action to it...invaluable content!"
Photographer Maye N: "I walked away with valuable info, actionable steps, and clarity. The class is well structured and organized. It has been a dual function class for me to fine tune my own brand as well as learn the tools to help my branding clients do the same!"
Business Broker Doug M.: "This class taught me to change how I price my services and what I offer to clients in a way that will make me more money than ever before. Tammy gave me new tools to explain the value and benefits that I bring into client conversations to help them understand how I'm different from others and how to build my brand on that."
Photographer Lisa C.: "This class got to the nitty gritty structure of my business backbone. It provides clarity, direction, and focus on my own Personal Brand. I highly recommend you take it to tie up the loose ends of your business like I did."
WHAT PREVIOUS ONE TO ONE MENTOR CLIENTS HAVE SAID...
Proven Outcomes
ANNAROSE, CA
"I highly recommend Tammy to any small business owner looking to either establish and grow their business. She offers sound business advice at any point in your career and she has a proven track record of success to back it up. Her warm, authentic, yet straightforward style was exactly what I needed. I chose her as I am also a photographer. She not only has exemplary knowledge of business and legalities in that arena, but also in portfolio critique, shooting, and posing. Her series of mentor sessions have allowed me to level up both my photography work and my business growth. If you are prepared to work hard and take that next step, she will push you to the next level too!"
ELISA, CA
"I knew I wanted to work with Tammy because brand messages were aligned and we both enjoy working with small business owners. I found myself questioning my decisions, and that was holding me back from taking my business to the next level. She also understands the photography industry, so it was nice to bounce ideas off of her and get the affirmation I needed about how I wanted to run my photography business. After mentoring with Tammy I now run my business with more confidence, she helped me craft how I communicate with clients in a different way which has truly changed everything. It’s essentially the development of the benefits versus the features tip she shared in one of her Brand Tip Tuesday’s, but custom crafted with her help for my business. She also helped me get my finances and pricing in order, set goals, and even provided a way to track them. With this help I realized that I’m ready to branch out and grow my business so much so I’m looking at expanding into a bigger space! I know I’ll come back for more mentoring with her in the future to continue my growth."
JUDITH, TN
"I hired Tammy to mentor me early this year and it has been one of the best decisions I have made for my photography business. She is a pleasure to work with and her knowledge is deep. I often find myself asking how would Tammy handle this. As a portrait photographer, I am an admirer of Tammy’s beautiful work and her approach. She has helped me put my business brain in motion. I now approach b2b connections in a different way. I approach networking differently. I think about personal branding differently. She helped me get my consultation and pitch down for prospective clients. She helped me adjust my pricing and work through some of my challenges around pricing and asking for money. My business is in the process of transforming and Tammy is a big part of that. I highly recommend her if you are a photographer or if you are any type of small business owner. She knows marketing, business and thrives in helping people succeed and grow. Again, best decision for my business to date."
JOAN, TN
"My personal branding session with Tammy was amazing! After our consultation, she sifted through my wardrobe to help me pick out the right choices for my image needs. She designed photographs specifically to use for my business cards, and business social media, but she also helped me to create versatile looks that I could use on my personal Facebook page and others for speaking engagements and ads. Since I also work with clients on my personal social media, I wanted to have several polished but casual looks for there as well. I loved all the looks we ended up with, but the personalized service I received was what I liked the best. During the entire process she made me feel comfortable. I was not just another number with Tammy, she takes the time to get to know you and your business to represent you well. I also hired Tammy for a seven week mentoring session, before that I was honestly just getting along. Now with the tools that Tammy has taught me, I learned an adopted an actual sales process. I have already experienced a better closing ratio using it!"
JENNIFER, WA
"Tammy mentored me under her client attraction strategy program and I loved it. If I don’t get in front of clients I won’t be in business. Tammy taught me the science of networking and sales. She kept me honest and on track, which is exactly why I decided to work with her. Every time we talked I was blown away by how smart and generous she was."
JUDITH, TN
"I moved into my business 6 months ago. I booked a session with Tammy as I needed someone to help me figure out the best way to maximize my potential, and I’m so pleased with how our session went! Tammy not only helped me to see ways I could start generating more income right away, but she also impressed me by helping me to create and combine at least ten new solutions to current issues into one solid grand plan that I expect will make a huge impact all at once! She truly exceeded my expectations as a mentor maximizing our time and providing solutions for my business. I would definitely recommend her if you’re looking for ways to be more profitable or have road blocks you just cannot see around. I plan to book her again after I have put this current plan into place."
Does this sound like you?
I can't make enough money to have my own business.
If I started a business, I would have no idea how I would find any customers.
I don't really know what branding is all about, and it's too late to change now.
I felt that way too! But I have had several mentors over the years who have helped me craft a plan, and work my way through it. And now after a decade in my own business, I'd like to help you do the same.
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