International Speaker, Best-Selling Author, Coach Tam R. Luc helps entrepreneurs focus on the tools needed to leverage their gifts and grow their brands and achieve success that manifests a lifestyle that nurtures their soul. The Cincinnati raised Luc, saw what success looked like as the child of successful entrepreneurs but still had to maneuver over, above and through her own hurdles in her journey to business success. Tamira leads by example and is all about giving women the platform to reach their full potential in every area of their lives. Let’s meet her…
Upon graduating from college, were your parent’s businesses still going and if so, did you ever think of continuing their legacy by using your marketing skills to pour into their already thriving businesses? If not, what was your vision for your career at that time? This is such a deep conversation that brings up other things. At some point in my parent’s journey, my dad saw something in me and wanted me to work in their business. At this time, I really did not want to work with my dad. He was too much… lol. I have thought about this often. If I could have gotten past that feeling, what could have happened? But it is probably for the best. But we will never know.
Describe your early entrepreneurial endeavors and what you think now looking back went wrong. What made you stick with it so long? What was one of the bigger lessons you learned from that time? I have tried a lot of things. One that worked for a minute was investing in real estate. I went from $0 to $500k in a year. I had literally no money… so I got my real estate license. My mom owned a salon when I was growing up so that was my first idea. Start a hair salon with my hair stylist. With my real estate license, I made commission off my own salon contract… We filled the salon with new stylist and in 6 months I sold my share to my business partner, and flipped that cash into 2 single family homes, 2 duplexes and a mixed-use building. What I had accomplished in a short time was amazing. What I learned soon after that was… You must have an exit strategy when you go into contracts. I didn’t have that. Then, I hung on too long and in 2008, I lost everything.
Both your parents were influential in your life but with your mother particularly, how did she influence and nurture you by being an example of what many of your peers may not get to see – their mothers running businesses and managing home life and being successful? My mother had to take care of 3 children as a single mother. Her first priority was her kids so the decisions she was making was to be there with us, raise us the best way possible. She had a talent and found a way to buy a house, start a business and be home for us. I am not sure how she learned all that but she figured out the only way that could work in order to accomplish that goal. When she married my step-father, she talked him into starting their own business. I think by that time she realized it was the only way to have a successful, balanced lifestyle and freedom.
What is your favorite country to travel to and why? Southeast Asia… and in particular Thailand. We have been there at least 5 times and I love it. It is fairly reasonable but clean and exciting. My husband and I have several more countries on our list that we want to explore such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Dubai.
You worked for over a decade in the real estate industry. Did working in this industry ever inspire any of your entrepreneurial or wealth building decisions? YES! I saw Robert Kiyasaki on Oprah Winfrey Show when I was younger and he inspired me around real estate in the first place. I saw it as a way to build wealth so I started working in that industry.
You are an author of several books including the Women Who Boss up collection of books. How long did it take you to write your first book, “A Woman’s Side Hustle”? Did you find the writing cathartic and healing for you? I wrote that book in the span of 30 days. However, I must also say… I have been writing for years. So, I dug into my old journals and essay archives to grab pieces of my writing from many places and used some of it for that book. Yes, it was very cathartic. It was the first time I believed in myself enough to put these paragraphs together for the world to review and scrutinize. It was the first time I thought about how much my parents had poured into me and realized how grateful I was for that. It was also the first time I realized why success had eluded me for all those years.
Tell us how divorce changed you and yet inspired your next move? How did dating after divorce lead to your book, “The Right Side of the Chase”? I could explain this question in many ways but, in my mind, my divorce was another symbol of my failure at the time. I tried so hard to make it work. If I had been honest with myself, that marriage was doomed from the start. The red flags were plentiful but I didn’t want to look like a failure… so I’ll just say… I wore myself out over that foolishness… but alas life is full of lessons. When I met my now husband, I was already sure that I was not going to remarry. I was going to find a good boyfriend for as long as possible and work on my business. But as soon as I met my husband I knew I had stumbled on a “good man”. Writing is my passion so at the time, I had a blog. I was creating some of the most real and unfiltered writing about my dating experiences, which included how I was being, how I felt and the intentional rules I had for myself during that time. After we married, I decided to gather those blogs into a book. My new husband saw the manuscript, read it, and loved it which opened up the idea of him writing his experience of me while we were dating. I love that book.
What is your long-term goal with the Women Who Boss Up book series? My goal is 250 books just like Chicken Soup for the Soul. I want award ceremonies and movies to be created. I want Women Who BossUp to be internationally recognized.
Tell us about family life now? My family is amazing. My son just graduated from high school and is on the way to college.
As your business turned around and became successful, what was your initial reaction to its growth? Success is a mindset so when it started taking off, I wasn’t surprised. I had done the work and I could feel it was about to happen.
What do you consider your biggest loss and how did you overcome it? In 2002 I jumped into the realty and house-flipping craze. I went from no money to starting a hair salon and buying five properties in less than a year. I was rolling. In less than 365 days, I amassed 500k! Then came the housing bubble, and I lost everything. I was in a pit so deep, and I was ashamed of myself. Finally, I was in a failure tailspin where I lost my marriage, became homeless, and searched for myself. It was a terrible time, but in my deepest despair, I found my voice and began to reimagine my life through writing. After winning several awards and publishing best-selling books, I think the pain was all worth it.
Tell our readers about Women with Vision International, it’s vision and how it helps women reach their goals? How did the podcast help in expanding its vision? Women With Vision International vision is to help women entrepreneurs create personal and professional freedom and give ALL women access to the resources they need to make values-based career choices for stronger families, more diversity and a redesigned life. The mission is to help superwomen soar by creating PR campaigns, strategic book marketing, events, and promotional media experiences to up-level the visibility of their brands. I am the creator of Women Who BossUp, a strategic international book and PR campaign highlighting the dynamic journeys of Female Bosses. The podcast is a part of the PR campaign and another layer to give them a voice.
How did the Women Who Boss Up Summit come to be? How many years since its start and how many women has it reached globally? This started in 2020 alongside the Women Who BossUp book series. It seemed like a no brainer… if you write, then you speak… so it gives the authors a way to become an international speaker.
What do you see as one of the biggest hindrances for women in their business/career?
We have a tendency not to believe in our abilities and we don’t aim high enough. We also need to develop an unwavering commitment to supporting other women.
What are your thoughts on the recent reversal of ROE VS WADE? I have mixed feelings about this. I am not surprised. I need women to be successful. Women make up 51% of the population but 27% of congress. Only 12.11% of women make over $100k per year. This wouldn’t matter but we are asking men to make the right decisions as it concerns our bodies. WE need more women in powerful positions to make the right decisions. As I said, I am not surprised. I also think this topic is multi-layered.
When you think about awards and recognition you have received, what is one that meant a lot to you as a female in your industry? I think every time my authors become a #1 bestselling author, it means everything to me.
In order for a woman to soar, she has to elevate. What would be your advice to a woman who feels her wings have been clipped or tied down long enough and now wants to lift herself into her full potential? I think about the saying Maya Angelou once said, “Someone was hurt before you, wronged before you, hungry before you, frightened before you, beaten before you, humiliated before you, raped before you…yet, someone survived…You can do anything you choose to do.” You just need to believe it. Start working on believing in yourself. Get the mindset adjustment you need.
How can our readers find out more information about you?
www.delucslifemedia.com; FB: facebook.com/Kitmovin/ IG: www.instagram.com/tamrluc/ Twitter: twitter.com/delucslife
