Tammy Zelez: Editor In Chief/Photographer at The mUse Magazine

Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business

I am a brand photographer with a passion to bring out the personalities of my clients. It's not just their business we want to know about, it's about who "she" is! This in turn fueled me to help expand their reach outside of their local market by creating a magazine to feature them!

Who are your customers?

My customers are Female entrepreneurs who are on fire and driven to make their business shine!

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

My parents owned a restaurant for 22 years in Arizona. I was 12 when we opened and worked there until they closed it in 2015. I spent the last 16 years there as a bartender/manager. I was in my element and really good at what I was doing. I had a great passion for my customers and knew everyone by name and what they drank. We were the neighborhood bar that was much like "Cheers" where everyone knew your name! I loved how a single woman could come in and sit at my bar to feel seen and heard and comfortable. Throughout my early adult life, I started exploring my love for photography which grew rapidly when I had my first daughter. When I married my husband in 2023, he knew my passion was great and worked really hard to get to the point where I could stay home with the kids and pursue my photography career full time. In the same way that I treated my customers at the bar, knowing them on a personal level and genuinely intrigued with who they were and what they did, is what fueled my photography business to be the same way. Having my clients become friends.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

I was fortunate enough to leave the restaurant and start my photography business in 2016 because of the support of my husband and family. We may have had financial struggles in the beginning but my husband always believed in me and wanted me to pursue my passion. This made the leap a little easier because of the support I was given. I knew I had the drive and a passion to capture great images and it was truly what I wanted to do!

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I think like most of us, the word "Entrepreneur" wasn't in my vocabulary at the time. I don't know that I actually knew what I wanted to do as a little girl growing up. I do remember always recording myself on my parents giant camcorder doing talk shows and interviewing my stuffed animals! I had my first daughter at 20 years old and she became my number one priority before I even knew what it meant to have a purpose outside of being a mother, let alone starting my own business. That evolved as I grew up and realized that it was, in fact, something I was "allowed" to do.

What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way so far and what have you learned from it?

The biggest challenge I have faced has been my worth for what I am doing. If I didn't have enough clients, I wasn't good enough. If I upped my pricing because I knew I was worthy enough for it, clients wouldn't appreciate the value. I have struggled with this for my entire career however, over the years I have grown to love myself and know that I don't need "every" client, I need the "right" clients. 

What accomplishment are the most proud of to date in your business?

In 2019, I realized that my senior photography could be ending soon knowing my youngest daughter would be graduating in 2022. I started looking at, "what was next" within photography. Portrait photography is my niche and brand photography was the up and coming thing for photographers. Once I started working with female entrepreneurs and learning about their businesses, their passion, I felt a pull to help promote them! I remember telling my first brand client/friend, (back in 2013 mind you when I didn't even realize I was doing brand photography for her) "I just want to be off stage left of the Oprah Show watching you tell your story to the world!" It wasn't about me, it was about watching someone else's dreams become a reality! Most recently, I made the leap to create a magazine to do this very thing! Promote women and their dreams! And during this venture I have realized that I am actually living mine! I am most proud of this magazine to date because having no experience in what I am doing and just going for it is a growth in me I would've never thought I could achieve!

Do you have any recent wins from the last year that you'd like to celebrate with our community?

The launching of The mUse Magazine would be a huge win this year! Even though it is in it's infancy, I know in my heart God is going to make it big!

What's next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

My goal is to increase the exposure of the magazine and eventually be the soul photographer for it! My mission is to help expand the bandwidth of every woman entrepreneur within the magazine outside their local market and off the blue screen. I want to bring print back and encapsulate education, inspiration and promotion in a tangible, luxury magazine!

What is your top productivity tip?

I am trying to learn to do one thing at a time, in it's entirety, before moving on to the next. Now mind you, big projects are a different story, but being present and intentional of what I am doing as opposed to having "80 tabs open in my brain" is what my goal is. When I can actually see my to do list with check marks next to several items, means I have taken the right steps to reaching goals and getting stuff done!

On the flip side, how do you avoid burnout?

My husband and I are empty nesters. He goes to work every day and I am at home. I make it a point to be done with work by the time he gets home so that I can settle my brain and spend quality time with him. Getting out of the house in this beautiful new area we now live in (Buffalo, NY) has been incredibly relaxing as well!

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

That I should've joined sooner!

What's the one app on your phone you absolutely cannot live without and why?

Honestly, the app has nothing to do with business but has everything to do with peace of mind. Life 360! Now more than ever, living in a different state, I can jump on there and see where they are and somehow I feel close still!

What is your favorite business tool or solution and why?

I will honestly say, The mUse Magazine. I love magazines! But instead of reading through celebrity gossip and not learning anything, I can read inspiring stories, learn tips within the industry, and find new products and resources that I wasn't familiar with before. All while not having to scroll on a screen to find!

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

If you have a dream, actively pursue it! Tell yourself you are successful at it long before you are because with the right mindset the journey won't be as difficult as you think! Get out and meet people and tell everyone what you want to do! It becomes your own accountability speaking it out loud, giving you the drive make it happen!

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